These included children's characters such as Paddington Bear, Peter Rabbit, Mr. Men, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Olivia,[4] Gaspard and Lisa and Noddy.

The company also owned the rights to the Agatha Christie Estate (including the Miss Marple and Poirot characters), Raymond Chandler,[5] and Georges Simenon.

In 1997, John Conlan and Nick Tamblyn took over as the company's operators and re-structured Trocadero to focus on acquiring other intellectual properties and nightlife venues.

[9] For Chorion's IP division, the company's first step into becoming the media production company it ultimately became came in June 1998, when Chorion acquired the rights to the Agatha Christie literary estate,[10] with a vision of reviving the crime brand through new TV production and exporting the property to the United States, and soon afterward purchased the literary estate of Georges Simenon.

[26] In November 2002, the company announced a four-year deal with major UK television network ITV to produce a few feature-length TV dramas based on the Agatha Christie novels.

[30] The range of newly developed TV shows began to expand internationally, with Noddy becoming the most recognised children's character in France in 2003 and sold to the Chinese market in 2004,[31] and airing in the US on PBS Kids in 2005.

[32] As well as the commission and launch of various new TV productions, the period immediately following Waheed Alli's elevation to the Chairmanship was marked by a series of high-profile acquisitions of new properties.

[36] Along with an office in New York City,[37] this acquisition gave Chorion ownership of the media and merchandise rights to The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, Olivia by Ian Falconer, and Max & Ruby and Timothy Goes To School, both by Rosemary Wells.

The launch of The Octonauts represented a big hit for the company, achieving on-air ratings for the show as number one in the key demographic of boys aged 4 to 6.

The company also owned the rights to Paddington Bear and the Flower Fairies, and managed Spot the Dog by Eric Hill, The Snowman by Raymond Briggs, and the Horrible Histories book series by Terry Deary.