Paramount has been in the news quite a bit lately, thanks in part to its victory against Netflix in purchasing Warner Bros Discovery, creating what might be one of the biggest mergers in entertainment history. While this union is a big one, not all of Nickelodeon’s library is set to be a part of this merger. One of the biggest cancellations in the history of the children’s network is still discussed to this day, though said property has found new life online. With the pint-sized culinary expert still experiencing new adventures to this day, the cancelled character has plenty to celebrate.
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The Tiny Chef Show began airing as part of Nickelodeon’s platform in 2022, gaining three seasons before it was announced that the cable network would not be moving forward with the stop-motion animated series. Luckily, the culinary enthusiast is still hitting it big with the latest Children’s & Family Emmy Awards, having good news for the character. The Tiny Chef won for “Outstanding Preschool Animated Series,” “Outstanding Directing for a Preschool Animated Series,” and “Outstanding Editing for a Preschool Program.” The series didn’t just win Emmys for its overall show, but also for the special, “Tiny Chef’s Spooky Stump Spectacular.” You can check out the Tiny Chef celebrating this news below.
The Tiny Chef Controversy
While Tiny Chef is celebrating its past achievements, there is no love lost between the cook’s creator and Nickelodeon. Last year, during the Savannah College of Art & Design Animation Festival, Tiny Chef co-creator Ozlem Akturk unloaded on Paramount for the cancellation. Needless to say, Akturk had plenty to say regarding the original cancellation announcement and how the co-creators handled the news.
“It was a sad moment for us. We didn’t know what we’d do financially, so we decided that we were going to put out the viral campaign video to save the show and see if the fans could support us. Stop motion animation is very expensive, but we love what we do. The fans are amazing, and they helped us to keep going. Our video became viral, and there were so many articles written about saving the show; we think Nickelodeon hated us for that.”
Ironically enough, Akturk also discussed during this event how the Tiny Chef wasn’t originally meant to be a show aimed at preschoolers: “I wasn’t planning on it originally being a preschool show, but that’s how it happened. My next project will be something different. What I pictured for the show was that I loved cooking, and I wanted it to be a real cooking show that would bring people together. Executives think kids aren’t that smart, but kids get it. I was like, ‘Why are you treating them like that? They’re smart, and they deserve so much more!” While it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see the pint-sized chef return to Nickelodeon, it appears as though the Tiny Chef has found a place online.
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Courtesy of David Production
