Aardman’s Peter Lord, David Sproxton Knighted In King’s Birthday Honours, Pop Paper City Creator Georgina Hurcombe Awarded MBE

Several leading figures from the U.K. animation industry were recognized in King Charles III’s Birthday Honours this year, including Aardman co-founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton, who have both been knighted for services to animation and the creative industries. The honors arrive as Aardman celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Lord and Sproxton founded Aardman in Bristol in 1976 and helped build it into one of the world’s most influential animation studios, home to franchises including Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Morph, Creature Comforts, and Chicken Run.

In a statement, the pair said:

We are both deeply honoured and truly delighted to receive this recognition. We’ve had the enormous privilege of spending our lives doing what we love, building Aardman together over the past half century. We accept this honour not just for ourselves, but on behalf of all the wonderfully talented people who have helped shape Aardman into what it is today.

Also recognized was Georgina Hurcombe, creator of the preschool series Pop Paper City and founder of LoveLove Films, who was awarded an MBE for services to television and the creative sector. Hurcombe’s series, distributed internationally by Aardman, has been broadcast in 180 territories and earned a following on broadcasters including Milkshake!, CBeebies, HBO, and ABC Australia.

Of the honor, Hurcombe said:

I am incredibly honoured and humbled to receive this recognition. The creative industries have given me opportunities I could only have dreamed of when I was growing up, and I have always felt strongly about helping to open doors for others.