Sneak peek of a new kids' TV show

Southampton artist Michael Paraskevas -- co creator of the Nick Jr. preschool series “Maggie and the Ferocious Beast” -- is developing a new animated children's TV series called “Taffy Saltwater.” He’s given LI Parent Talk a sneak peek of what Taffy will look like and lets us in on her story.

“It’s about a little girl’s daily adventures with her beach friends in her extraordinarily large sand castle,” Paraskevas says. While Paraskevas developed “Maggie” with his late mother, Betty, this time he’s partnering up with his sister, Judy. “Taffy Saltwater” will first appear as a hardcover picture book in spring 2013 from Random House Children's Publishing. The TV series is slated for 2014, and is geared to ages 4 to 7.

Is Taffy’s sand castle in the Hamptons? “It’s the only place I know on the planet where you can get a giant sand castle -- for a lot of money,” Paraskevas jokes. But actually, the beach in the series will be more like the "Jersey Shore." Don’t panic parents, it’s only because there’s a boardwalk at this beach, which the Hamptons doesn't have, Paraskevas says.