The local creators of "My Bedbugs" are trying to raise $1.2 million to vault the local kids' television show to national and international markets.

The show's husband-and-wife creators, Alex Greene and Carol Sweeney, are rarities in that they used only private money to build a studio and shoot a season's worth of episodes plus a 50-minute movie before they pitched the show.

"It doesn't happen often," said Steve Antoniotti, general manager of Detroit-based WTVS-Channel 56. "I was really amazed at how well they had done with the characters, original music and the set. Sometimes that happens, but usually not on the scale of this production. You might get a series of five to six shows but never on the scale of this magnitude. It really gives it a head start."

The new round of funding will pay for the second season, which will give it a track record to make the case for national or international syndication.

"My Bedbugs," which first aired in June, is on six days a week. The live-action show chronicles pre-bedtime fun in the bedroom of Gooby, Toofy and Woozy. J. Edgar, a vacuum cleaner, teaches the children lessons through fun and song. Scripts are written by Sweeney and a former teacher and are reviewed by a child psychologist.

Greene and Sweeney, with the help of business adviser Kenneth Dalto, raised $1.8 million from friends and associates to create Greenestuff Inc., a Clinton Township-based production studio. That funded the studio, equipment, talent, the first 16 episodes and the movie.

"My Bedbugs" is the brainchild of Greene, who wanted to see a program that taught kids how to get ready for bed. The idea came after a particularly fussy night.

"I said to Carol, `They'll watch Barney, so why isn't there a show that teaches them how to go bed?' " said Greene, Greenestuff's CEO. "It was like being hit by lightning. The next day I drew up a plan for a show."

That was in 1997. Carol helped develop the characters. Gooby, Toofy and Woozy were Greene's pet names for his kids.

But the project was a hobby for a couple of years. Greene shut down his talent-booking business, Serendipity Entertainment, and started an insulating business.

Sweeney told Greene to quit the insulating business and develop the show.

But the costs looked daunting. Local production studios told Greene it would cost about $2.7 million to shoot four shows by renting out existing soundstages, equipment, costumes and robotics.

Greene said he didn't want to spend $2.7 million and wind up with nothing but a tape with four episodes.

So he approached friends and business associates for funds to build his own studio, buy equipment and hire talent. A friend introduced him to Dalto, president of Farmington Hills-based Kenneth J. Dalto & Associates Inc., to help with the business plan.

"We saw a lot of talent and creativity, but we had to define the market and decide how to get to that market," Dalto said. "We looked at the size of the children's market and looked for equity capital."

Dalto said he wanted to present "My Bedbugs" to WTVS with everything in the can so his company didn't have to ask the station for any money.

Once the studio was built, they brought in prospective donors and their children and grandchildren for a show on the set with the characters. That helped raise more money, Greene said.

The plan worked. WTVS' Antoniotti said that having an entire season already finished was a big help in getting on the air. The studio now employs 37 and is getting ready to shoot a second season of 13 episodes. They also managed to build a studio, a production company and shoot 16 episodes for much less than $2.7 million. The deal with WTVS is for three years.

"They spent money on production before they had a way to distribute it," Antoniotti said. "That they would go ahead and risk that was impressive."

The ratings have been higher than expected. If that holds up when it goes daily, Antoniotti said, WTVS will approach the Public Broadcasting Service about national syndication. Greenestuff also is looking at overseas stations.

Syndication would be the payoff for Greenestuff investors. That's partly because of the syndication money and partly because of merchandising. WTVS gets a piece of any tape, album or DVD of "My Bedbugs." Greenestuff retains merchandise rights on all toys, clothes and any nonmedia product. The company won't have revenue until the show is syndicated or it starts selling merchandise.

Like the characters on the show, "My Bedbugs" taught Greene and Sweeney a good lesson.

"An idea is one thing," Greene said. "But taking that idea and executing it is different. I'm happy we've managed to put this thing together."

Terry Kosdrosky: (313) 446-1626, tkosdrosky@crain.com