Producing Beantown Pals: A Deep Dive Into The Series Animation Behind The Scenes
Published on May 31, 2025
Author: Erin Delgado, Arts & Media Columnist
When a toy becomes a story, and that story grows into a universe – there’s always someone behind the scenes weaving that magic into motion. For Beantown Pals, that person is Yuriy Polyashko, animation producer and founder of Darvideo Animation Studio. Since the earliest animations of the series, Yuriy and his team have helped breathe life into a world where character, humor, and heart guide every frame.
Animation Without Borders
Darvideo’s collaboration with Beantown Pals began over ten years ago, when creator Thomas Hayes was searching for an animation partner to transform a line of toys into an animated series. Yuriy, then operating from Ukraine, stepped in with his team to deliver not just animation – but passion, playfulness, and transmedia potential.
Now based in the United States, Yuriy Polyashko continues to lead production on multiple fronts – developing character driven episodes, music videos, and emotionally rich storytelling, all while coordinating international production workflows. His young son Danny, just 2.5 years old, is one of the first viewers of new content-a real-time focus group reminding the team who they’re making magic for.
“The moment he sees the toys, he says, ‘I want the cartoon!’ That’s the connection we’re building: toy, story, emotion, repeat,” Yuriy shared during a recent investor call.
What Beantown Pals Is Really About
Originally a toy concept started in 2004, Beantown Pals has evolved into a multimedia franchise. It combines the nostalgic feel of toys with original stories, character archetypes, and now-full-fledged transmedia expansion. The universe centers around quirky, lovable characters like Bucky, Betty, and now new additions like Laddie the Fire Truck and the girl band Betty and The Windbreakers.
You’ll hear Tammy Tammy Pooler’s playful energy in Betty, and Bucky’s cheeky charm comes straight from Thomas Hayes himself – both of them riffing like pros, tossing out improvised bits that somehow weave themselves into the smooth, polished episodes you love.
Illustrator and Art Director Lizette Duvenage from Canada collaborates closely with Yuriy’s team, designing characters and building detailed storyboards that get translated into animation sequences by Darvideo.
Being a Creative Producer in Animated Series
Yuriy’s involvement extends far beyond managing animators. He bridges the creative and production worlds. He aligns storytelling with technical production. He supervises pacing, style, timing, emotional tone-and even collaborates on new IP concepts and character arcs.
Since Yuriy took the helm, Darvideo has established itself as a versatile creative studio – producing more than ten original animated episodes and sketches that combine artistic vision with technical precision, and expanding into the music animation crossover with three high quality video productions, from the charming “Beantown Babies” and the heroic “Laddie the Fire Truck” to a dynamic new feature showcasing Betty’s Band.
The Animation Team
Darvideo’s production unit is a truly international ensemble of more than ten dedicated professionals – illustrators, animators, composers, post-production specialists, and sound engineers – all collaborating across time zones to bring Beantown Pals to life.
Anna Sai, a project manager and a passionate mother of two whose personal investment in Beantown Pals shines through every frame as she shares episodes with her own daughters and drives the project forward with unwavering enthusiasm.
Every episode benefits from the team’s deep engagement and enthusiasm: they thrive on the immersive positivity Thomas Hayes brings to the table, drawing inspiration from his upbeat energy to push creative boundaries and deliver each story with authenticity and heart.
Broadening the Project’s Horizon
Fresh from Kidscreen Summit 2025 in San Diego, Yuriy Polyashko leveraged industry contacts to position the animated series as a transmedia property – emphasizing that in animation production, narrative and merchandise are inseparable.
As Yuriy puts it, “If you show a toy to the kids, they want the story. If you show them a story, they want to play with the toy. This is a transmedia engine.”
That insight paved the way for a key agreement with a major children’s media producer and streaming enterprise.
As part of the broader team, Yuriy contributed to the development of a $130,000 launch package aimed at adapting and optimizing Beantown Pals across platform’s 50+ child-focused channels – supporting everything from asset delivery and localization to post-launch analytics and iteration.
However the endgame is much bigger. This will be a fully immersive Beantown universe – an app-based transmedia ecosystem where kids can watch, play, explore, and learn through published books (story, coloring, and joke books), toy lines that transform into miniature cityscapes, music and bands, audiobooks and podcasts, and ultimately a safe, educational game-based platform.
A final word from Yuriy: “This isn’t just a job. It’s a mission to make childhood more playful, more emotional, and more meaningful. Animation for kids is a responsibility and a joy.”
