Yes, that Chia Pet. The one with the jingle burned permanently into your brain.
Rakia Media and Crystal City Entertainment have officially acquired the media rights to the Chia Pet® brand, opening the door for an animated feature film or animated series based on the long-running pop culture icon.
The deal was led by producer and writer Adam Jay Epstein, alongside producers Ari Daniel Pinchot and Jonathan Rubenstein, who secured the rights through Rakia Media and their production banner, Crystal City Entertainment.
If this sounds like a joke setup, it’s not. Chia Pet has been a fixture of American pop culture since the early 1980s, selling more than 30 million units in the U.S. alone. What started as a novelty terra cotta planter became a full-blown brand, fueled by unforgettable late-night TV commercials and the immortal “Ch-ch-ch-chia” jingle.
The move continues Rakia Media’s push into legacy intellectual property. Under Pinchot’s leadership, the company also co-owns the Backyard Sports video game franchise, which is currently being revived with Playground Productions. The strategy is clear: take familiar, nostalgia-driven brands and reimagine them for modern audiences.
Pinchot and Rubenstein bring a mix of prestige and commercial experience to the table, with past credits including The Ides of March, Everything Must Go, and Lee Daniels: The Butler. Epstein, meanwhile, has worked across nearly every major studio and streamer, with projects for Netflix, Disney+, Sony Animation, MGM, Paramount, and more.
According to Epstein, the goal is to expand Chia Pet into a full narrative universe that works on the big screen and beyond. The team is currently exploring strategic partnerships and creative collaborators to shape the franchise’s future.
Joel Weinshanker, CEO of Ad Populum, which owns the Chia Pet brand, says the new partnership respects the brand’s legacy while aiming to unlock its next chapter.
What that actually looks like remains to be seen. But if Hollywood can turn toys, board games, and even emojis into franchises, a sentient plant character with decades of cultural recognition might be exactly weird enough to work.
One thing’s certain: the Chia Pet era isn’t over. It’s just getting animated.
About The Author
