 Niehe tried to sell the idea to various broadcasters but without success, and the rights were bought by Endemol.Auditions were held, and Joep Dorren was chosen as the new Pipo.The script for a pilot and for six episodes was written, and the 40-minute-long pilot (filmed in 1999 on Rob de Nijs's estate) proved very popular, selling 100,000 copies on video; still, the public broadcasting corporations had no faith in Pipo's chance of success and thought it would be too expensive.