Cartoon
Ella Bella Bingo
The story
Ella Bella Bingo is a pre-school animated television series, co-produced by Singapore-based August Media Holdings and Norway's Kool Produktion AS. The show revolves around the adventures of a 5-year-old girl named Ella, who lives in Sunshine Gardens, along with her family and friends.
The first 27 episodes of Ella Bella Bingo (previously known as Sunshine Kathy) were screened on NRK from 2010 until 2011.
The character was originally created in 2009 by illustrator Tom Petter Hansen, and the series was developed the same year by Hansen, scriptwriter Trond Morten K. Venaasen and producer Frank Mosvold. In 2011, the show was then redeveloped and re-designed by Jyotirmoy Saha of August Media Holdings.
As of 2014, 105 episodes of Ella Bella Bingo have been produced. The series, as of 2026, has been sold in more than 20 countries, including Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, Turkey, Bangladesh, and all the Middle Eastern and North African countries.
Background
Ella Bella Bingo is targeted at pre-school children. It follows the adventures of happy-go-lucky Ella and her friends. The series is a warm humorous mix of fun and laughter. Each 7-minute episode is about how Ella uses her boundless creativity, infectious enthusiasm, and a never-give-up attitude to solve everyday problems in innovative ways.
Ella Bella Bingo is directed by the Emmy-nominated and BAFTA winner Ginger Gibbons and scripted by the acclaimed writer Sam Barlow.
Plot
Ella is a regular 5-year-old girl who lives with her dad, friends, and neighbours in an apartment block called Sunshine Gardens. Ella and her friends often find themselves in sticky situations (known as "Uh-oh, what a pickle!" moments). Ella's "Bingo" moments invariably involve the participation of the entire Sunshine Garden gang. Ella's neighbours are her extended family.
Characters
Henry is Ella's best friend. Henry and Ella are like yin and yang, as they complement each other, yet are very different in their outlooks. A confessed science geek, Henry finds Ella's company exhilarating.
Ella's dad is an illustrator and like many single parents, he is busy doing a lot of things, but he always makes sure that he has time from Ella.
Lisa and Lottie are a little older than Ella, and they live on the floor above Henry. Lisa and Lottie are identical twins and yet are very different from one another. Lottie's passion is singing, while Lisa is a gymnast.
Mrs. Berg is Ella's elderly neighbour.
Mr. Jackson is the caretaker of Sunshine Gardens. A good-natured helper to others, his job is to keep the building running, which he does, despite his forgetful nature, and the bemusement of the other adults.
Season 1 (2011)
Original air date: 1 December 2011 (NRK Super)
Season 2 (2013)
Original air date: 21 December 2013 (NRK Super)
Season 3 (2014)
Original air date: 4 December 2014 (NRK Super)
Broadcast
Ella Bella Bingo is broadcast on Scandinavian channels such as NRK, DR and SVT, on Okto channel in Singapore, TG4 in Ireland, Kidu.Co in Turkey, DaaiTV in Indonesia, Good TV in Taiwan, Hop TV in Israel, Duronto TV in Bangladesh, and on the Al Jazeera network across the MENA countries.
Film
Ella Bella Bingo was adapted into a 75-minute eponymous feature film which was released on 24 January 2020. In the film, Ella Bella and Henry are best friends with a plan of making a circus together, but when cool kid Johnny arrives in Sunshine Gardens he becomes Henry's new best friend, making Ella jealous and jeopardising the circus. It was a commercial success, grossing $981,814 against a budget of NOK 1,350,000 ($164,213), and received mixed to positive reviews from critics.