United States television companies grabbed the chance to show a series based on Enid Blyton's creation which has been specially tailored for the American market.

In a cross-cultural twist, the new Noddy who now has a Canadian accent and real-life child friends, could even be re-exported back to Britain.

Noddy in Toyland was shown for the first time on American television network PBS at the end of August, and BBC Worldwide said about 200 of PBS's affiliated local stations or 70% of the total have opted to take the weekly show.

This virtually guarantees that the boy with the bell on his hat will be a commercial success for his owners, the Enid Blyton Company and the BBC, who have invested £4.6m in the project.

David Lane, managing director of Chorion Intellectual Properties, the umbrella business behind the Enid Blyton Company said: "The US market is incredibly competitive and crowded, but the magic formula of Noddy has once again proved successful and the show stands out head and shoulders above the competition."

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The company now hopes Noddy will follow in the footsteps of the Teletubbies and Wallace and Gromit to become a global brand with merchandising and publishing spin-offs.

The 40-part series includes the same 10 minute animations of Noddy and Big Ears in Toyland that are shown on BBC Television.

They have been re-dubbed using Canadian voices which also replace some apparently impenetrable British phrases like: "I say!"

Each half-hour episode is set in an old-fashioned American curiosity shop and features specially created puppet characters like Rusty The Tin Clown, Sherman the Tank Turtle, Bonita Flamingo, Johnny Crawfish and Gator Gerty.

They interact with a cast of real-life children aged between seven and 12 in instructive stories about their lives.

Eh oh!

"It is expected the series will have a British transmission, giving BBC audiences the opportunity of experiencing the adventures of Noddy in a completely new and innovative way," a BBC Worldwide spokeswoman said.

Executive producer Rick Siggelkow also made Shining Time Station which gave Thomas The Tank Engine an award-winning new existence in North America.

The Canadian-made Noddy will also be sold around the world.