• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, February 23, 2007

A new iTunes podcast will turn New Yorker cartoons into short ad-supported animations.

Created by startup RingTales, which has the exclusive license to animate and distribute New Yorker cartoons, the clips will each be 15 to 30 seconds long, and will be available via www.ringtales.com/podcast.

Subscribers to the free podcast will get three new animations a week. The company plans to syndicate the New Yorker animations widely across the Internet and mobile devices.

Founded by Jim Cox and Michael Fry, who collaborated on the DreamWorks animated feature "Over the Hedge," Ringtales is also testing different ad formats to run with the New Yorker clips.

"We're developing a high-impact video post-roll," said Fry, in a prepared statement Thursday. "In our experience, viewers are happy because they get immediate access to the content. Advertisers are happy because the content has a great payoff."

RingTales is working with mobile advertising company Ad Infuse to help develop advertising for the New Yorker cartoon podcast.