Former NFL player Matthew A. Cherry had something of a meteoric rise in Hollywood when his Kickstarter-produced animated short Hair Love was picked up by Sony Animation. The emotional animated tale went on to win the Oscar for Best Animated Short just a few months later. HBO MAX has subsequently ordered the short for a full series, retitling it Young Love.
However, recent times see the project embroiled in a bit of unwanted controversy. When footage from Nickelodeons upcoming animated series Made by Maddie started circulating online, many couldn't help but notice the similarities to the character designs in Hair Love. Silvergate Media (the company producing Made by Maddie for Nick Jr.) CEO Waheed Alli quickly refuted any plagiarizing accusations, stating that Made by Maddie was in development well before Cherry launched his Kickstarter campaign in 2017.
However, it seems the negative press was simply too much for Nickelodeon to stomach and it has pulled Made by Maddie from the network's release schedule. The series was originally slated to premiere on September 13. In a press release, Nickelodeon supplied the following reason for its actions.
Made by Maddie is a show we acquired several years ago from Silvergate Media, a renowned production company we have previously worked with on other series. Since announcing the show’s premiere date this week, we have been listening closely to the commentary, criticism and concern coming from both viewers and members of the creative community.
In response, and out of respect to all voices in the conversation, we are removing the show from our schedule as we garner further insight into the creative journey of the show. We are grateful to Silvergate Media for all of their work. And we hold Matthew A. Cherry and the wonderful and inspiring Hair Love in the highest regard.
It currently remains to be seen if Made by Maddie has been permanently canceled, halted for tweaks to the character designs or simply delayed for airing at a later date.