Hey Duggee sleighs into December with host of activity

BBC Studios’ preschool Hey Duggee is aiming to bring some Christmas cheer to fans with a host of activity.

There’s a catchy Christmas song called Hey Duggee – Jingle Bells featuring vocals from Alexander Armstrong, a new episode for the festive season called Hey Duggee – The Christmas Badge, plus a new Hey Duggee app and book which share the same name.

Jingle Bells is on the brand’s official YouTube channel, which currently has 1.1 billion lifetime views and 797.8k subscribers, while fans can also listen on Spotify, Amazon Music and iTunes.

Meanwhile, The Christmas Badge episode will be on CBeebies throughout the holiday season and is also available to watch on demand on iPlayer. As with many episodes of Hey Duggee, there are a couple of subtle cultural references in The Christmas Badge and parents may recognise nods to iconic Christmas movies It’s A Wonderful Life and Elf.

Also launching this month is The Christmas Badge App which is full of festive activities and games where each of the Squirrels show Clarence their favourite parts of Christmas.

Users can help Clarence regain his Christmas cheer in the Interactive Clubhouse, help Betty build the ultimate Christmas Cracker, learn to play a festive song with Tag, create awesome Christmas hats with Happy, help Roly hunt for Christmas potatoes, unwrap Christmas presents with Duggee and help Norrie build a gingerbread house.

In addition, Hey Duggee: Duggee and the Christmas Badge book has also launched from Penguin Random House and is based on the episode.

The brand’s social media pages will also be hosting festive activities such as Christmas bakes, crafts and playlists among others.

“Given Christmas will be quite different for families this year, we are delighted to offer a sleigh full of new Hey Duggee content and products that we hope will bring great cheer to little ones and their parents during the festive season,” said Harriet Newby-Hill, global brand director, children’s at BBC Studios.