Disney Jr and Disney+ are working on a hybrid live-action and animated spin-off from their Ready for Preschool shorts that is already being soft-launched on YouTube.

Megan & Cupcake Ready for Preschool is currently in production and stars Emmy Award-winning producer, puppeteer, ventriloquist and children’s book author Megan Baptist (Sesame Street), who also voices Cupcake, a new puppet character in the series.

A collection of 10 one-minute Megan & Cupcake live-action shorts introducing viewers to the show launched on the Disney Jr YouTube channel on August 13.

The full longer-form shorts, themed around specific learning and play concepts featuring the live-action interactions with Megan and Cupcake wrapped around some of the existing Ready for Preschool shorts, will premiere on Disney Jr and Disney+ this fall.

First launched in 2019, the Ready for Preschool shorts have amassed more than 150 million views on Disney Jr’s YouTube channel and offer age-appropriate lessons featuring favourite Disney Jr characters set to music.

The series is produced by Riverstreet Productions in association with Disney Jr. The project was developed by Jason Hopley and Brian Clark, who also serve as executive producers alongside Riverstreet co-founders Michael Blum and Tracy Pion.

It is the latest addition to Disney Jr’s line-up of learning-focused programming on Disney+ highlighting age-appropriate skill development and early learning concepts for preschoolers, along with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Gracie’s Corner, which originated on YouTube and was acquired by Disney earlier this year.