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‘Made by Maddie’ Producers Deny Copying ‘Hair Love’ Family (and Cat) for Nick Jr Show

Silvergate Media provided date-stamped images to TheWrap that pre-date “Hair Love’s” 2019 release

and | September 2, 2020 @ 3:02 PM Last Updated: September 3, 2020 @ 6:50 AM
made by maddie hair love

Nick Jr/Sony Pictures Animation

The production company behind Nick Jr.’s upcoming series “Made by Maddie” has issued a statement denying that the preschool series is copying Matthew A. Cherry’s “Hair Love,” following criticisms made by social media users who called out the similarities between the preschool cartoon and the 2019 Oscar-winning short film.

“‘Made by Maddie’ is a preschool show about an 8-year-old girl who uses her fashion sense and design ingenuity to solve problems,” Silvergate Media CEO Waheed Alli said in a statement provided to TheWrap on Wednesday, which was accompanied by concept images of “Made by Maddie” date-stamped between 2017-2018, prior to the August 2019 release of “Hair Love.”

According to Alli, the project was conceived five years ago, before Cherry launched his 2017 Kickstarter campaign for “Hair Love,” which raised $300,000.

Also Read: HBO Max Orders 'Young Love' Animated Series Based on 'Hair Love' Short Film by Matthew A Cherry

“Silvergate Media has been working on the series for the last five years and throughout the production has taken steps to ensure a diverse production team and an appropriate voice cast lending their expertise and talent,” the statement continued. “As creators ourselves, we have the utmost respect and admiration for Matthew A. Cherry and ‘Hair Love,’ and our hope is that when people watch our show, they will see it is its own story with its own adventures.”

“Hair Love,” which was created and directed by Cherry, a Black man, centers on seven-year-old Zuri and her father Stephen as they attempt to style the little girl’s hair by following an instructional video narrated by her mother (voiced by Issa Rae). In July, HBO Max ordered an animated series from Cherry inspired by “Hair Love.”

Created by Paula Rosenthal, a white woman, “Made by Maddie” is set to premiere Sept. 13 on Nick Jr. Here is the official description for the show:

“Made by Maddie” centers on Maddie (Alyssa Cheatham), a quick-thinking little girl with a big personality and a huge heart, who has a passion for fashion. Maddie finds design inspiration around every corner and her big ideas couldn’t become a reality without the love and support of her aspirational and talented fashion designer mom Dee (Patina Miller), and her super cool and upbeat musician dad, Rashad (James Monroe Iglehart), along with the assistance of friends and neighbors, including kind, animal-loving best friend, Jada (Sophia Torres), and the twins–rule-following Harper (Amanda Dressel) and fearless Hudson (Ames McNamara)–who are always up for adventure. Maddie’s creative thinking and dazzling designs are a reflection of the bustling, colorful city of New York and its residents. Maddie confidently embraces her own unique style, celebrates individuality, treats everyone with kindness, and encourages others to take risks and be themselves.

Also Read: Imagine Kids+Family Partners With 'Hair Love' Studio Lion Forge Animation on First Look Deal

Earlier this week, several Twitter users began tweeting side-by-side screenshots of “Made by Maddie” and “Hair Love” and listing off similarities they saw between the two, including the physical appearances of the animated families (and their gray cats).

Cherry himself joined the conversation by retweeting and commenting on some of those comparisons, including this one, in which he added an inquisitive-looking emoji (see below).

Hair Love Made by maddie

In response to one Twitter user, who wrote, “@MatthewACherry, PLEASE tell me you’re going to do something about this. I legitimately thought Hair Love was getting an animated series. That alone should tell you enough,” Cherry said, “We are getting a series and this wasn’t it.”

A representative for Cherry declined to comment to TheWrap Wednesday and “Hair Love” studios Sony Pictures Animation and Lion Forge Animation did not immediately respond to the request.

Also Read: Fall TV 2020: All the Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows - So Far (Photos)

See reactions from Twitter users drawing comparisons between “Hair Love” and “Made by Maddie” below.

Fall TV 2020: All the Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows - So Far (Photos)

  • fall premiere dates 2020 Fox/ABC/Amazon/FX
  • Teen Mom 2 MTV
  • 16 and Recovering - MTV MTV
  • Transplant - Season 1 NBC
  • House of Payne BET
  • Assisted Living BET
  • AP Bio Season 3 Peacock
  • HBO Max
  • Away Hilary Swank Netflix
  • Noughts and Crosses Peacock
  • Stormfront Aya Cash The Boys Season 2 Amazon Prime Video
  • Viola Davis and husband OWN
  • Method Man in Power Book II: Ghost Starz
  • American Ninja Warrior - season 11 NBC
  • LA's Finest - Season 1 - Episode 101 Spectrum Originals
  • Woke Lamorne Morris Hulu
  • Madison Reyes in "Julie and the Phantoms" on Netflix Netflix
  • The Duchess Netflix
  • our cartoon president trump colbert showtime Showtime
  • Dancing With the Stars ABC
  • The Third Day Katherine Waterston HBO
  • We Are Who We Are HBO
  • Enslaved Epix
  • Comedy Central
  • Challenger_ Final Flight Netflix
  • FXX
  • Departure - Season 1 Peacock
  • The Great Pottery Throw Down HBO Max
  • Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous Hulu
  • Pen15 Hulu
  • Ratched Sarah Paulson Netflix
  • Worlds Funniest Animals The CW
  • LA's Finest Fox
  • filthy rich Fox
  • Nick Cannon Masked Singer Fox
  • I Can See Your Voice Fox
  • Rainn Wilson Utopia Amazon
  • A Wilderness of Error FX
  • Simpsons Fox
  • Bless the Harts Fox
  • Bobs Burgers Fox
  • Showtime
  • Family Guy Fox
  • Fargo Year 4 - Chris Rock FX
  • The Weakest Link - Season 1 NBC
  • Gangs of London AMC
  • Salisbury Poisonings AMC
  • Monsterland Getty
  • Emily in Paris Netflix
  • Undercover Boss CBS
  • Warrior
  • snl saturday night live weekend update michael che on stay at home protesters NBC
  • Pandora
  • Ethan Hawke Good Lord Bird Showtime Showtime
  • britannia Epix
  • The Walking Dead World Beyond AMC
  • Soulmates AMC
  • Swamp Thing DC Universe
  • Ellen's Game of Games - Season 2 NBC
  • NEXT Fox
  • Devils Patrick Dempsey The CW
  • Coroner The CW
  • Supernatural The CW
  • Connecting - Season 1 NBC
  • CW - The Outpost The CW
  • Disney+
  • Haunting of Bly Manor Netflix
  • fear the walking dead ftwd season 6 premiere and trailer AMC
  • CLARE CRAWLEY bachelorette ABC
  • Tell Me a Story The CW
  • The Amazing Race CBS
  • Sistas BET
  • Star Trek Discovery Season 3 CBS All Access
  • Helstrom Hulu Comic-Con at Home San Diego Comic-Con Trailer Hulu
  • Grand Army Netflix
  • Shark Tank ABC
  • ABC
  • Getty
  • Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ABC
  • Card Sharks ABC
  • Unsolved Mysteries Netflix
  • The Voice NBC
  • The Goldbergs ABC
  • The Conners ABC
  • Blackish ABC
  • Queens Gambit Netflix
  • The Undoing HBO
  • NBC
  • American Housewife ABC
  • Superstore - Season 4 NBC
  • Mandalorian Disney+
  • The Good Doctor ABC
  • Young Sheldon CBS
  • B Positive CBS
  • Mom CBS
  • CBS
  • NCIS New Orleans CBS
  • A Teacher Kate Mara FX on Hulu
  • Chicago Med - Season 4 NBC
  • Chicago Fire - Season 7 NBC
  • CBS
  • Chicago P.D. - Season 6 NBC
  • Station 19 ABC
  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Season 21 NBC
  • ELLEN POMPEO Greys Anatomy ABC
  • The Unicorn CBS
  • The Blacklist Red NBC
  • the crown season 3 queen elizabeth conspiracy theories harold wilson anthony blunt russian Netflix
  • The Neighborhood CBS
  • Bob Hearts Abishola CBS
  • All Rise CBS CBS
  • His Dark Materials HBO
  • Bull cbs CBS
  • NCIS CBS
  • FBI - "Emotional Rescue" CBS
  • FBI Most Wanted CBS
  • Kylie Bunbury Big Sky ABC
  • For Life ABC
  • A Million Little Things ABC
  • Animaniacs Hulu
  • Seal Team CBS
  • HBO Max
  • Virgin River Netflix
  • Shameless Showtime
  • The Stand CBS All Access
1 of 125

Here’s when 125 broadcast, cable and streaming series debut and come back

Fall is in full swing, but not much has changed since this summer with many people still staying at home as much as possible to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Luckily, dozens of new and returning shows are premiering this autumn to keep you company. TheWrap has rounded up all the dates we know -- so far -- for Fall TV shows' debuts. We will continue to update the list as more become available.

For the purposes of this gallery, we've designated Sept. 1 as the beginning of fall rather than the official Sept. 22 start, since "Fall TV" is sure to be more loosely defined this year.

Also Read: ‘The Masked Singer’ Pulled Off Its Pandemic Season With Animation, Fan Voting and a Baby Alien

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