ADVENTURE ABOUNDS IN PETER RABBIT, NICKELODEON’S NEW ANIMATED PRESCHOOL SERIES PREMIERING TUESDAY, FEB. 19, AT 12 PM (ET/PT) NEW YORK, Feb. 7, 2013 – Nickelodeon brings treasured literary icon Peter Rabbit to life with the debut of the brand-new CG-animated preschool series, Nickelodeon, on Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 12 p.m. (ET/PT). The series is a […]
NICKELODEON GREENLIGHTS LALALOOPSY, NEW ANIMATED PRESCHOOL SERIES SET TO PREMIERE IN SPRING 2013 Based on Award-Winning, Best-Selling Lalaloopsy Line, New Series Celebrates Diversity, Friendship and Teamwork NEW YORK – Feb. 11, 2013 – Nickelodeon has ordered 52 episodes of the animated preschool series, Lalaloopsy, set to premiere in spring 2013. Based on the best-selling line, […]
Nickelodeon has announced that it is looking for concepts for short animated films, specifically ones that make preschoolers giggle. Concepts can be submitted online by visiting shorts.nickjr.com. The following creative guidelines have been released: - Shorts should include strong characters that appeal to both boys and girls between the ages of 2-5 years old. - […]
NICKELODEON PRESCHOOL HOPS INTO SPRING WITH BRAND-NEW PETER RABBIT PRIMETIME SPECIAL AND LALALOOPSY SERIES LAUNCH ON FRIDAY, MARCH 29, BEGINNING AT 7 P.M. (ET/PT) NEW YORK, March 26, 2013 – Nickelodeon celebrates spring with a brand-new Peter Rabbit primetime special and the launch of the new animated preschool series, Lalaloopsy, on Friday, March 29. The […]
The New York Times has examined the rapid successes of Disney’s entries into the pre-school market, presenting a major challenge to Nickelodeon’s traditional dominance in that demographic. Within a year of the launch of Disney Junior as a programming block and a separate cable TV network, Disney has taken the top 3 pre-school programs while […]
Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay has been tapped to appear in a new ad for Nickelodeon’s pre-school show Team Umizoomi: OFFICIAL RELEASE Kitchen Nightmares star, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is featured in a brand-new TV spot for Nickelodeon’s hit animated preschool math series, Team Umizoomi. In the spot, Ramsay notices a strawberry shortcake is not built […]
BROOKE SHIELDS, TIM CURRY, KENAN THOMPSON AND JIM BREUER GUEST STAR IN BRAND-NEW THE WONDER PETS! SPECIAL “IN THE LAND OF OZ” PREMIERING SATURDAY, JULY 20, AT 8:30AM (ET/PT) Nick Jr. invites preschoolers on a magical musical adventure in the new half-hour The Wonder Pets! special, “In the Land Of Oz,” premiering Saturday, July 20, […]
NICKELODEON UNLEASHES NEW PRESCHOOL SERIES PAW PATROL MONDAY, AUG. 12, AT 8:30 P.M. (ET/PT) New School-Themed Episode of Top-Rated Bubble Guppies to Premiere at 8 P.M. (ET/PT) NEW YORK, July 24, 2013 – Nickelodeon celebrates the dog days of summer with the launch of the new CG-animated preschool series, Paw Patrol, on Monday, Aug. 12, […]
Josh Holloway (Lost) guest stars in a brand-new episode of the critically acclaimed preschool series, Yo Gabba Gabba! on Saturday, July 27, at 8:30 a.m. (ET/PT) during a Gabba marathon from 7-9 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nick Jr. In “Farm,” DJ Lance and his Gabba friends visit Farmer Josh (Holloway) who teaches them about farm animals, […]
Saban Brands’ All-New Animated Preschool Series, Julius Jr., to Premiere on Nick Jr. Sunday, Sept. 29, at 11 AM (ET/PT) Los Angeles, CA (September 16, 2013) – Saban Brands and Nick Jr. today announced that Julius Jr., the all-new animated preschool series inspired by the Paul Frank family of characters, will debut Sunday, Sept. 29, […]
There’s a lot of talk in the news lately about how to provide high-quality pre-K education for all kids in America. It’s something I can get behind in principle, and I’m not being completely facetious in saying we should ensure that audience gets quality cartoons as part of that initiative. Given recommendations on how much time (if any) very young kids should be spending in front of screens, combined with the reality that very young kids have more and more screens to spend time in front of whether parents like it or not, and you get the combined truths that cartoons for very young kids really have to be great while also having at least some redeeming social or educational value to them. Fortunately, there have been a rash of really great cartoons for this audience of late, and I’m happy to say that Wallykazam! looks like it’s set to jump into that higher tier of shows, based on the first two episodes provided by Nickelodeon.
The title character of Wallykazam! is a boisterous six-year old troll with a playful pet dragon named Norville and a magic stick that turns words into their real-life equivalents. Say “sandwich,” wave the wand, and get your favorite hoagie for lunch. Right off the bat, the show’s pitch line means kids get a nice visual reinforcement that words represent things, which is a non-trivial hurdle to get over for young kids, along with the subtle hint that words can be magic. Not bad for a pre-school literacy show before you even get to the fact that the cartoon is infectiously fun. The structure allows Wally to engage in assorted comic mayhem where coming up with appropriate magic words will solve the obstacles before him (and it’s hard not to notice the subtle reinforcement that “words have power” there). Each episode gets a central problem to solve and a sound/letter combination that Wally has to use for his magic words. In “Naptime for Borgelorp,” Wally has to get his friend’s pet Borgalorp to take a nap using words that start with “s” sounds, while a misunderstanding in “Castle Caper” means Wally and friends have to evict the show’s designated spoiler, the mischievous Bob Goblin, from a castle using words that begin with “c.” I was impressed by the way the latter episode made sure to point out that even though “king” started with the right “cuh” sound, it wasn’t a magic word because it started with the wrong letter. That, in turn, quickly sets up a chance for a kid to figure out the correct magic word that can solve the problem. I’m also happy to note that Nickelodeon seems to be dispensing with “the pause,” pioneered by Dora the Explorer as a way to get kids more engaged with the screen but which always felt more like talking down to the audience. There are moments when Wally will stop and ask the audience a question, but they aren’t as egregious as Dora can be in the worst cases.
One of my favorite things about Wallykazam! is that it doesn’t forget to be funny. A lot of pre-school shows seem determined to file down all the rough edges and cover up anything that might be even remotely harmful or controversial, and a sense of humor seems to be one of the first things that gets excised as a result. Wallykazam! seem intent on tossing out something entertainingly silly right from its opening scenes, like Wally and Norville zipping around in a giant flying slipper because…well, who cares? I admit I got a big laugh when Wally’s magic “Stop!” hit the wrong target, leading first to a perfectly timed comedic face-plant for Bobgoblin, followed by an inordinately amusing aside when Wally passes by on Norville’s back and says, “That’s not who I meant to stop.” It’s the kind of gag that’s dumb in print but funny in action, and the sort of thing Tex Avery would pull off effortlessly in his classic cartoons (and I don’t make that comparison lightly). The show is also willing to play games with the words themselves, as when Gina Giant suggests a lengthy, complicated word like “symphony” to solve a problem and then nods to Wally and the audience saying, “It’s a giant word.” I’m not sure how many kids in the target audience are going to catch the double-meaning in the line, but the play on words seems like the kind of thing aimed more at the supervising adults than the kids.
Which, I suppose, is as good a point as any to say that Wallykazam! falls on the upper-end of my kidvid scale, where the low-end shows are only watchable by the target audience (Caillou, Barney the Dinosaur, or Dora the Explorer) and the high-end shows are ones that grown-ups will watch without having a kid around (Sesame Street or Yo Gabba Gabba!). Wallykazam! creator Adam Peltzman has his name attached to a bunch of shows that fall in the upper mid-range of that continuum, like The Backyardigans, Blue’s Clues, and The Octonauts: a grown up might not actively seek them out without a child but where they’ll be more than happy to sit and watch along with the kids because they’ll get something out of the experience over and above time spent together. There’s more and more of those kinds of shows coming out lately (nearly everythingon the Hub’s Hubbub block and Disney’s Doc McStuffins and Jake and the Never Land Pirates), and I’m glad to see Wallykazam! join their company. We can’t have enough good cartoons for younger kids, ya know. How else are we going to indoctrinate the next generation of fans?
Wallykazam!premieres on Nickelodeon on February 3, 2014, at 1:00 PM (ET/PT)
NICKELODEON TO DEBUT OVER 100 EPISODES OF BRAND-NEW EDUCATIONAL PRESCHOOL SERIES IN 2014-2015 SEASON
Network to Add Two More Preschool Greenlights to Its Top-Rated Preschool Line-Up: Shimmer & Shine and Fresh Beat Band of Spies
NEW YORK – March 13, 2014 – Nickelodeon, the number-one entertainment brand for kids, will premiere more than 100 episodes of brand-new educational preschool series in the 2014-2015 season as part of the network’s biggest pipeline of content ever. Joining the just-launched Wallykazam!, and the upcoming Dora and Friends: Into the City! and Blaze and the Monster Machines, Nickelodeon’s preschool slate is getting two more newly greenlit series for the upcoming season: Shimmer & Shine, an animated show starring twin genies-in-training and featuring an emotional-intelligence curriculum; and Fresh Beat Band of Spies, an animated version of the hit live-action series The Fresh Beat Band, teaching problem-solving.
“This season, we are introducing Nickelodeon’s biggest pipeline of content for every demo and in every genre,” said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon Group. “Our preschool slate reinforces Nickelodeon’s standing as the best place for shows that are both smart and fun, powered by great stories, relatable characters and a meaningful curriculum that has been our hallmark.”
Nickelodeon is TV’s top destination for preschoolers and their parents, with a current portfolio of hits like Dora the Explorer, PAW Patrol, Bubble Guppies, Peter Rabbit and Team Umizoomi–which will all have new episodes premiering in the upcoming season, as well. The network owns four of the top five preschool shows on all television, including the two top-rated shows: PAW Patrol; and Wallykazam!, which teaches literacy and represents Nick’s highest-rated preschool series premiere in almost 10 years.
Nickelodeon’s new preschool series rolling out in the 2014-2015 season include:
Dora and Friends: Into the City! (20 episodes) – Dora and Friends: Into the City! is a brand-new animated preschool series featuring the iconic character Dora in new adventures, with new friends and a new interactive curriculum. The series is set in a fictional, pan-Latino city, where Dora is 10 years old, in school and at the center of a peer group that works together to give back to the community—having both real-life and magical adventures along the way. As always, Dora is an adventurer, a good friend and problem-solver. Dora and Friends helps teach Spanish and introduces new educational areas to the curriculum, including social-emotional skills like community service and peer relationships. Dora and Friends is created by Chris Gifford and Valerie Walsh Valdes (Dora the Explorer), and will launch late-summer on Nickelodeon.
Blaze and the Monster Machines (20 episodes) – This brand-new CG-animated series, debuting this fall, introduces preschoolers to the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This is the first preschool show that features a curriculum dedicated to all areas of STEM. Viewers will join an eight-year-old boy named AJ and his incredible monster truck Blaze on super-sized adventures. AJ and the viewer help Blaze as they explore the physics of how things move, master mathematics and discover how everyday technologies work. Blaze and the Monster Machines is created by Jeff Borkin (Team Umizoomi, Blue’s Clues) and Ellen Martin (Bubble Guppies, The Backyardigans).
Shimmer & Shine (20 episodes) – This brand-new animated series follows the magical adventures of fraternal twin genies, Shimmer and Shine, who unintentionally create chaos while attempting to grant wishes for their human best friend, Leah. The new series features an emotional-intelligence curriculum that highlights mistakes as an important avenue to learning and doing better next time. Shimmer & Shine, set to premiere in 2015, is created by Farnaz Esnaashari-Charmatz and produced at Nickelodeon Animation Studios.
Fresh Beat Band of Spies (20 episodes) – In this brand-new animated series based on the hit live-action show, The Fresh Beat Band, the four best friends — Kiki, Marina, Twist and Shout – are also a group of undercover spies. The pop band uses their individual talents and the coolest transforming spy gadgets to outwit a goofy cast of bad guys and solve an endless series of wild and wacky mysteries. The series, which teaches problem-solving to preschoolers, is created by Nadine van der Velde and Scott Kraft, the same duo behind The Fresh Beat Band. Fresh Beat Band of Spies is currently in production and will premiere on Nickelodeon in 2015.
Nickelodeon Preschool is “the smart place to play,” with a legacy of providing educational and entertaining programming that empowers kids to learn while they play. Through the years, Nickelodeon Preschool has consistently created highly engaging, age-appropriate, education and innovative shows like Blue’s Clues, Dora the Explorer, Team Umizoomi, Bubble Guppies and Wallykazam!. Educational consultants are used to develop a deep, unique curriculum for each show and storybook versions of every episode are tested with kids to ensure quality. The content is available on TV, online, mobile, and tablets, allowing kids to interact with and learn from their favorite characters across multiple platforms.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 34th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 19 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).
NICKELODEON CELEBRATES SPRING WITH BRAND-NEW EPISODES
OF PRESCHOOL HITS BUBBLE GUPPIES, PAW PATROL AND PETER RABBIT
New Animated Preschool Series Zack & Quack Launches Saturday, April 5, on Nick Jr.
It’s an April full of bunnies, duckies, puppies and guppies on Nick and Nick Jr.! Nickelodeon will debut all-new episodes of the top-rated preschool series Bubble Guppies, PAW Patrol and Peter Rabbit on Monday, April 14. Additionally, Nick Jr. will debut Zack & Quack, the new animated preschool series teaching problem solving, on Saturday, April 5, at 1 p.m. (ET/PT). Year-to-date, Nick is home to six of the top 10 preschool series with K2-5 (Wallykazam!, Paw Patrol, Bubble Guppies, Team Umizoomi, Dora the Explorer, Peter Rabbit).
Set inside the pages of a whimsical pop-up book, Zack & Quack follows the adventures of a vibrant and courageous seven-year-old boy named Zack and his best friend, an impulsive young duck named Quack. From the second Zack and Quack step out of the house and into their pop-up garden, adventure begins. The series teaches kids how to solve problems in creative and imaginative ways. Zack & Quack is produced by The Foundation and distributed by Zodiak Media.
Below please find the schedule and episode descriptions for the premieres. All times are (ET/PT).
Nick Jr.
Saturday, April 5, 1 p.m. – Zack & Quack “Super Popper/Pop A Saurus Rex” - When a giant gorilla goes on a rampage in Poptropolis with a tube of glue, Zack, Quack and Kira transform into superheroes and save the day. / Zack and Quack go on an amazing adventure to take a picture of an extremely rare dinosaur for Zack’s collection of dinosaur cards.
Nickelodeon
Monday, April 14, 11 a.m. – Bubble Guppies “The Oyster Bunny” - Goby dreams up the Oyster Bunny, a mysterious character who loves baby animals. Can the Guppies follow an egg trail to find the elusive Oyster Bunny?
Monday, April 14, 12 p.m. – PAW Patrol “Pups Save the Easter Egg Hunt” - It’s Adventure Bay’s annual Easter Egg hunt and the pups are helping Mayor Goodway with the egg decorating. The hunt for a very special egg leads Ryder and the PAW Patrol on an exciting adventure.
Monday April 14, 1:30 p.m. – Peter Rabbit “The Tale of Jeremy Fisher’s Recital/ The Tale of True Friends” – When Sammy Whiskers and Mr. Tod crash Jeremy Fisher’s annual lakeside get together, it’s up to Peter to save the party. / When Benjamin is especially impressed by Lily’s cleverness, Peter mistakenly thinks they no longer need him in the gang.
Nickelodeon has announced their 2014 Animated Shorts Program, an extension of their long-running animated shorts program with an eye towards targeting kids aged 2-5. Shorts are due by April 28, 2014, and can run 90-seconds to 2 minutes in length, focusing on strong characters that should appeal to both genders. Pitch materials must include:
Concept treatment (2 paragraphs about your idea)
Character descriptions and designs
2 minute rough thumbnail storyboard OR 2 minute script/outline
Resume and credits
Link to online portfolio and/or work samples (if available)
For more details, visit the official website at shorts.nickjr.com. The flyer for the 2014 Preschool Animated Shorts Program is below. Click thumbnail for a larger version:
Popular British children’s animation series “Peppa Pig” is already shown on television stations in both Russia and Ukraine but both countries are set to be invaded by Peppa Pig merchandise as the E1 Studio responsible for producing it will expand their licensing agreement that will have plush toys, wooden toys and bath toys coming to both those countries beginning this autumn.
“Peppa Pig” began in 2004 in the UK and has since expanded to 180 countries including the USA, where it is shown on Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. network.
NICKELODEON’S THE FRESH BEAT BAND ARE BACK WITH BRAND-NEW LIVE CONCERT TOUR KICKING OFF IN NOVEMBER
The Fresh Beat Band Greatest Hits Live Presented by Nickelodeon Will Feature New Songs Plus Fan Favorites and Travel To Cities Across the U.S. Including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and More; Tickets On Sale Starting Friday, Aug. 8
Nick’s New Animated Preschool Series, Fresh Beat Band of Spies, Stars Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer (Kiki), Tara Perry (Marina), Jon Beavers (Twist) and Thomas Hobson (Shout)
NEW YORK, Aug. 5, 2014 – The Fresh Beat Band, Nickelodeon’s preschool music group and stars of the Emmy Award-winning TV series of the same name, head back on the road for a brand-new nationwide concert tour Nov. 5–Feb. 15. The Fresh Beat Band Greatest Hits Live presented by Nickelodeon will travel to nearly 40 cities including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit and more. The show will feature Kiki, Marina, Twist and Shout performing the band’s greatest hits including “Bananas,” “Here We Go” and a remixed version of “Great Day,” plus new songs including the pop classic, “Walk Like An Egyptian.”
Pre-sale tickets along with Fresh Beat Band VIP packages with meet and greets will be available at www.freshbeatbandlive.comandwww.ticketmaster.com beginning Tuesday, Aug. 5. Citi® card members through Citi’s Private Pass Program at www.CitiPrivatePass.com will also have access to pre-sale tickets beginning Aug. 5. The general public on-sale will begin Friday, Aug. 8 and Saturday, Aug. 9.
“The Fresh Beat Band is back on the road to give kids a chance to see their favorite rock stars live in concert,” says Doug Cohn, SVP, Music, Nickelodeon. “This reimagined, high-energy production features the band’s biggest hits, never-before-performed songs, and fun surprises that will deliver an unforgettable experience for families.”
Nickelodeon is currently in production on Fresh Beat Band of Spies, a brand-new animated preschool series based on the hit live-action show, The Fresh Beat Band. In the new series, Kiki (Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer), Marina (Tara Perry), Twist (Jon Beavers) and Shout (Thomas Hobson) are bandmates and also undercover spies. The pop band uses their individual talents and the coolest transforming spy gadgets to outwit a goofy cast of bad guys and solve wild and wacky mysteries. The series, which teaches problem-solving to preschoolers, is created by Nadine van der Velde and Scott Kraft (The Fresh Beat Band). Fresh Beat Band of Spies will premiere in 2015.
The Fresh Beat Band soundtracks – The Fresh Beat Band: Music From The Hit TV Show and TheFresh Beat Band: More Music From The Hit TV Show Vol 2.0 – are currentlyavailable on iTunes and in stores everywhere. For more information, visit the tour website at http://www.freshbeatbandlive.com and for Fresh Beat activities and fun go to http://www.nickjr.com/the-fresh-beat-band/.
In each episode of The Fresh Beat Band preschoolers sing and dance along as they help The Fresh Beat Band solve everyday challenges. Preschoolers learn the fundamentals of music such as melody, rhythm, tempo and performance styles and the importance of friendship, working together, and respecting each other’s differences. Ne-Yo, Justin Bieber, Jason Mraz, Wayne Brady and Sarah Chalke have all hung out with the Fresh Beats and the group is beloved by many celebrity parents.
Nickelodeon, now in its 35th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 19 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).
2014 The Fresh Beat Greatest Hits Live Tour Dates:
Date City Theater
November 5 Melbourne, FL King Center for the Performing Arts
November 6 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
November 7 Boca Raton, FL Mizner Park Amphitheatre
November 8 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live
November 9 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
November 11 North Charleston, SC North Charleston Performing Arts Center
November 13 Columbus, OH Palace Theatre
November 14 Akron, OH Akron Civic Theatre
November 15 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
November 16 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theater
November 18 Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre
November 19 Kansas City, MO Midland Theatre
November 20 Park City, KS Hartman Arena
November 21 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
November 22 Baton Rouge, LA Baton Rouge River Center
November 23 Houston, TX Bayou Music Center (2 shows)
November 25 San Antonio, TX Majestic Theatre
November 26 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Live
November 28 St. Louis, MO Peabody Opera House
November 29 Rosemont, IL Rosemont Theatre (2 shows)
November 30 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre
December 2 Binghamton, NY Broome County Arena
December 3 Worcester, MA Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts
December 4 Providence, RI Providence Performing Arts Center
December 6 Wallingford, CT Toyota Presents the Oakdale Theatre
December 7 Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre (2 shows)
December 10 Pittsburgh, PA Benedum Center
December 11 Albany, NY Palace Theatre
December 12 Syracuse, NY Landmark Theater
December 13 Toms River, NJ Pine Belt Arena (2 shows)
December 14 Westbury, NY Theatre at Westbury (2 shows)
December 16 Erie, PA Warner Theatre
December 19 Baltimore, MD Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
December 20 Columbia, SC Township Auditorium
January 17-18 New York, NY Theater at Madison Square Garden (4 shows)
February 15 Los Angeles, CA Shrine Auditorium & Expo Center (2 shows)
Disappointment awaits those hoping that Nickelodeon’s top-selling Spanish-speaking moppet would get an attitude and story makeover in her new show, Dora and Friends: Into the City. Dora has gone from being an elementary school kid to a teenager, and dropped the anthropomorphic animals and sentient inanimate objects that were her friends in favor of several appropriately ethnically diverse human cast members. However the changes to Dora and Friends: Into the City almost entirely cosmetic. Dora and Friends: Into the City continues to be a show aimed squarely at pre-schoolers and that only a pre-school child could love (and I am fairly sure they will), as most of the tics and traits of the older show are left intact.
Kids familiar with the younger Dora won’t have any trouble picking up on the new one. Despite the visual makeover and the change to an older voice actor (Fatima Ptacek), Dora is still the same as she ever was: ever cheerful and optimistic as she overcomes the extraordinarily gentle obstacles placed in her path. The magical fairy-land she used to live in has been exchanged for an extraordinarily clean and perfectly safe major metropolis, while her talking map has now become a smartphone GPS app. Boots the Monkey and her other talking animal friends are replaced with several human friends: Kate, Naiya, Emma, Alana, and Pablo. Nothing else has really changed. Dora still possesses her exaggerated enunciation, with Spanish words sprinkled throughout her dialogue. Assorted challenges await in each episode, although all of them have had their potential sharp edges carefully filed down. The show even retains “the Pause,” that moment when a character breaks the fourth wall and asks the audience a question, and then waits for an inordinately long time for a response before continuing. It’s greatly reduced from the way it is used in the original Dora the Explorer show, but it’s still there frequently even though “the Pause” seems to have fallen out of favor in the latest crop of pre-schooler TV.
The press kit for Dora and Friends: Into the City came with two episodes. “Doggie Day” leads Dora and her friends through the city as they search for a dog’s younger siblings in time for a big adoption event in the local park. “The Magic Ring” sends Dora, Naiya, and Pablo on a fairy tale adventure as a magic ring shrinks them down to mouse size and sends them back in time to a vaguely pre-colonization South American civilization. There, they must return the ring to the Princess that owns it, while dodging the evil (and also miniaturized) wizard who stole it. “Doggie Day” is essentially another episode of the original show: multiple check-points have to be hit as the young pup seeks his siblings, the Map pops up and gives some useful guidance at a key moment, and everyone lives happily ever after by the end. “The Magic Ring” is more interesting, mostly because of its very un-Dora-like antagonist and an actual storyline. In fact, it’s encouragingly enough like Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure that one hopes more episodes are like this one than “Doggie Day.”
My biggest gripe about Dora the Explorer is its curious absence of anything resembling a sense of humor. Characters may emit artificial laughs at things in the show, but it is extremely rare to find anything that the audience can really laugh at. There are some encouraging signs on this front as well, with Kate popping up in a dog suit for no apparent reason in the middle of “Doggie Day” while being chased by a pack of the most pleasant feral cats in the world. It’s more bizarre than actually funny, but it’s an encouraging bit of urban weirdness that one hopes for more of, if only to break up the tedium.
There is nothing in Dora and Friends: Into the City that someone might take offense at (except perhaps the most rabid English-only fanatics, who I’m totally OK with offending as deeply as possible). This trait has probably been the one most responsible for Dora’s staying power, but it’s also probably why extremely few adults I’ve ever encountered says they genuinely like the show. Dora and Friends: Into the City may freshen up the look of the show, but sticks with its tried and true formulas more often than not. It’s telling that the most encouraging elements of Dora and Friends: Into the City are the moments that I can’t envision in a typical Dora the Explorer episode, but they’re few and far between enough that I’m not positive what value there is in the new show, other than an opportunity for new merchandise.
Dora and Friends: Into the City premieres Monday, August 18, 2014, at 8:00 PM (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.
With the summer over and year’s end not far away, Nickelodeon UK have announced their plans for the twilight months of 2014. As usual this includes a healthy number of animated shows.
November will see the main channel air A Fairly Odd Summer, the latest Fairly OddParents live action movie starring Drake Bell and Daniella Monet. January also sees the return of another popular Nick show as The Legend of Korra begins airing Book 3, in which Korra and her friends must contend with the consequences of her handling of the spirit world.
Nicktoons puts its best webbed foot forward with Breadwinners, which recently premiered (read our interviews with the creators here and here). SwaySway and Buhdeuce are a pair of hip young ducks on a rocket powered mission to deliver bread and laughs. Also returning in September for more loony fun are the raving Rabbids in brand new episodes of Rabbids Invasion. The fun continues with brand new episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants and Sanjay & Craig in October. The latter will include a brand new half hour Halloween special, ‘Tufflips Tales of Terror’. Things are rounded up with brand new episodes of both Fairly OddParents and Kung Fu Panda: Legends Of Awesomeness in November.
For those wanting some ninja action with their laughs, the second season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will reach its dramatic conclusion over November and December, before making an explosive return in the all new season three next February.
Nick Jr leads with new episodes of popular series Poppy Cat and Zack & Quack. Brand new literacy focussed Wallykazam! premieres Monday 6th October at 4pm. The series focuses on Wally and his friends in a magical world where words come to life. November sees the premiere of Dora and Friends: Into the City. Aimed at growing the character alongside children who have aged past the initial Dora the Explorer show, Into The City sees the explorer and her friends (Pablo, Alana, Naiya, Emma and Kate) attend school and have adventures in the city of Playa Verde.
November is also the month for brand new episodes of Paw Patrol, as young Ryder and his team of rescue dogs continue to protect Adventure Bay from danger. December will include three new Barbie movies (Barbie and the Secret Door, Barbie Mariposa & the Fairy Princess and Barbie and Her Sisters in A Pony Tale) while January sees brand new episodes of Lily’s Driftwood Bay and the debut of new series Wanda and the Alien. Based on the award winning books by Sue Hendra, the series focuses on the escapades of rabbit girl Wanda and her stranded alien friend.
With the temperature slowly dropping outside, the Nick family of channels are giving children and parents alike a reason to keep warm inside through the winter months and into 2015.
NICKELODEON LAUNCHES BLAZE AND THE MONSTER MACHINES,
BRAND-NEW PRESCHOOL SERIES SUPERCHARGED WITH STEM CURRICULUM, MONDAY, OCT. 13, AT 12 P.M. (ET/PT)
New Interactive Animated Series Dedicated to Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math Debuts with Hour-Long TV Movie
NEW YORK–Oct. 1, 2014 – Building upon its legacy of providing curriculum-enriched preschool programming, Nickelodeon will introduce viewers to the exciting world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) with the hour-long premiere of the brand-new, interactive animated series, Blaze and the Monster Machines, on Monday, Oct. 13, at 12:00 p.m. (ET/PT). The first preschool show on TV to comprehensively cover all areas of STEM in every episode, Blaze and the Monster Machines follows the amazing monster truck Blaze and his eight-year-old driver AJ.
Together, Blaze and AJ have adventures that explore the physics of how things move; tackle problems through scientific inquiry and mathematics; and discover the parts needed to make everyday technologies work. Each action-packed episode is filled with monster trucks, physical humor and upbeat original songs with lyrics that highlight a STEM concept such as adhesion, friction, force, trajectory and magnetism. The series is created by Jeff Borkin (Team Umizoomi head writer) and Ellen Martin (Bubble Guppies supervising producer).
“Blaze and the Monster Machines is unlike any other preschool show on TV because of its rich interactive curriculum focused entirely on STEM,” says Teri Weiss, EVP of Production and Development, Nickelodeon Preschool. “Blaze gets children excited about STEM by encouraging their curiosity about how things work, which will help them get ready for school and their future in today’s high-tech world.”
In the hour-long series premiere, “Blaze of Glory,” Blaze and AJ are introduced to a world of racing monster machines in the town of Axle City. When Crusher, a troublemaker truck, uses his dirty tricks to try to win the championship race, Blaze does everything he can to help his friends and beat him to the finish line. Throughout the adventure, preschoolers will be introduced to STEM concepts including buoyancy and trajectory. The series launch will be followed by three weeks of premieres in its regular timeslot at 12:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.
Meet the Blaze characters:
Blaze- Blaze is Axle City’s greatest hero and its number-one racer! He knows everything about science, technology, engineering, and math.
AJ-Blaze’s pal and driver. He’s a technology expert who knows all about different machines and how they work.
Crusher- Blaze’s biggest rival, Crusher, is a tractor-trailer that will do anything to beat the other racers to the finish line.
Pickle-Crusher’s over-enthusiastic and underappreciated sidekick.
Gabby-Mechanic with serious monster truck know-how.
Darington-Ultimate showman who loves to dazzle with amazing tricks and stunts.
Stripes-Impetuous tiger truck who is always ready for action.
Zeg- Part monster machine, part triceratops, Zeg is Blaze’s best prehistoric pal.
Nickelodeon’s award-winning website, www.nickjr.com, will feature a Blaze and the Monster Machines site where kids and parents can watch music videos, download coloring pages, activity packs, posters and trading cards. The series premiere episode will be available on the site beginning Oct. 14 and the brand-new game, Blaze to the Rescue, will launch on Oct. 16.
Blaze and the Monster Machines will roll out on Nickelodeon channels internationally in early 2015.
Nickelodeon, now in its 35th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 19 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B).
By her own admission, Angela Santomero couldn’t sit close enough to the TV when Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was on. Little did she realize at the time that her affection for Fred Rogers’ seminal kids TV show would lead to a career in the television industry. While researching an eighth grade research paper on Mister Rogers, Santomero learned of his child development degree before he became a television icon. She followed in his educational footsteps, receiving a B.A. in Psychology & Communications from the Catholic University of America and then a Master’s in Child Developmental Psychology, with a concentration Instructional Technology & Media, at Teacher’s College at Columbia University.
While working in the research department at Nickelodeon, Santomero was a co-creator (with Todd Kessler and Traci Page Johnson) of Blue’s Clues. Before Blue’s Clues, Nickelodeon’s focus groups didn’t talk to kids under 6, but the smash hit success of the show launched their long-running dominance of the pre-school television market. It also led to a memorable meeting with Mister Rogers himself at a children’s television event at the University of Pennsylvania, which in turn led to an ongoing correspondence until Mister Rogers’ passing in 2003. She followed up her success on Blue’s Clues with two PBS Kids shows: Super WHY! and the Mister Rogers spinoff series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Her work in television has earned her a Peabody Award for Outstanding Children’s Programming, several Daytime Emmy nominations, and numerous other awards.
She is a Founding Partner and Chief Creative Officer of Out of the Blue Enterprises LLC, which produces Super WHY!, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, and the new Amazon Prime kids series Creative Galaxy and Wishenpoof. Just before the premiere of new Creative Galaxy episodes, we were able to talk with Angela Santomero via telephone about the show.
TOONZONE NEWS: Before we start, I have to share a Creative Galaxy story about my son. We discovered the show about a month ago on Amazon Prime, and after we watched two episodes, he tells me, “Daddy, let’s turn off the TV and make something.”
ANGELA SANTOMERO: Awesome! What did you make?
The truck my son and I built after watching “Creative Galaxy.” I had to work the utility knife and the scissors because his safety scissors wouldn’t cut through the cardboard, but he designed it, thought of re-purposing the box branding, and colored. The dots might be from the pointillism episode.
TOONZONE NEWS: We took an old shipping box and turned it into a truck.
ANGELA SANTOMERO: Oh my God, I love it. Woo-hoo! There you go, that’s it in a nutshell. (Laughs)
TOONZONE NEWS: I have to tell you, on some level I wonder about the wisdom of making a show that’s encouraging kids to turn off the television.
ANGELA SANTOMERO: They always come back for more. But that’s the whole point, right? We’re all about the kids and childhood, in addition to the shows. It’s what life is all about, and child development. So yeah, that is exactly what we want to do (laughs).
TOONZONE NEWS: Seriously, that was the moment when I was completely sold on the show, because it takes a lot to make a show that kids want to keep watching, but it takes even more to make one where kids want to turn it off and do something because of it.
Did you have the idea to do a show about art before Amazon approached you for series ideas, or was that something Amazon came to you with?
ANGELA SANTOMERO: No, me and my partners had wanted to do an art show for a long time, in terms of our careers and what we’d been doing for kids and kindergarten readiness skills and reading. The arts and creativity is such a huge thread through all of the academics and it’s not as serviced in education, obviously moreso now than ever before. So it was something that we had wanted to do for a really long time, and it was something that ended up becoming so timely in the sense of arts and crafts and everyone really coming into that with Pinterest and such and TV showing a lot of DIY. I think that it really struck a chord when we were able to go to Amazon and say, “This is something we’ve wanted to do for a really long time,” and they were all excited about it.
TOONZONE NEWS: How does scheduling work for Creative Galaxy? You came out of the gate with 6 episodes and now you’re coming out with more. Is the pipeline different for Creative Galaxy than it is for other shows that you’ve worked on for broadcast?
ANGELA SANTOMERO: It’s actually not that different in the sense of keeping to our schedule. We usually have a bunch of shows in the can before we premiere them, so the biggest difference really has been the pace. We’re definitely trying to get things done as quickly as possible so that we can continue to get them out to our audience, which is a great problem to have in terms of people wanting more. It’s a similar process in terms of the writing. We have a huge research component for the show to make sure that the kids are really inspired go and make things after the show is over and they’re learning our art messages. We held on to these episodes for a little bit. Amazon then made the decision to put them out in batches.
TOONZONE NEWS: Were these new episodes in the pipeline before you even premiered, or was this an order that came after the initial six?
ANGELA SANTOMERO: No, they were all in the pipeline while as we premiered the first six. Just finishing all of them now.
TOONZONE NEWS: I know that you have a bit more freedom on Amazon with things like episode length, since you’re not chained to what television does. How else would you say things are different working with Amazon Studios vs. PBS or Nickelodeon or the other networks?
ANGELA SANTOMERO: I think that the time constraints are definitely an interesting one. We were able to play with mixed media even moreso today than we’ve done before, in the sense of having really nice, long-length interstitials or live-action kid components to every episode. So for each 11-minute story, we have a corresponding interstitial so that kids at home can see real kids making whatever the key art piece is on the show, in addition to seeing animated Arty and Epiphany make everything. That was really exciting to us to be able to do that kind of live-action shoot and have that coincide with all of the animation. That was great, and again, the timing was really dependent on what we thought we could tell a great story with, so that freedom was really lovely.
I love being on the forefront of something big and something new, and this idea of kids watching what they want to watch, when they want to watch it, and where they want to watch it. It’s something that we’re all about, especially from a preschool perspective. It’s definitely easier for Mom to take her Kindle with her or whatever on the road and be able to watch really good quality stuff. With all the people we’ve worked with, it’s been about that bonding and that sense of having a camaraderie with the head of the network. For Amazon, Tara Sorensen is a visionary and a really strong person who’s really been a huge component of the arts and what we’ve been doing with Creative Galaxy, so that’s been a great experience for me.
TOONZONE NEWS: Can you talk about the things we can expect to see in these new episodes?
ANGELA SANTOMERO: Yeah, sure sure! We’re so about the audience, and so excited on the message boards from Amazon and on Twitter and whatever else to get to hear from parents. One of the things that was heard a lot is that they love the birthday party stuff. So we’ve done how art can help you celebrate. We’ve done a party and a birthday party, with art and decorations and goodie bags, and even a treasure hunt game. All that kind of stuff. So it’s a really fun, fun “art as a birthday party”-type episode. We also do art in the bath which, not to ruin it for everybody, but the idea of soap crayons is something that was really fun and really exciting: this idea that you can be creative and create even in the bath, so that was just an inspiration for us to keep going with that. With games, we talk about Dada art, actually, and using art to actually make your own board game, which is really really fun…
TOONZONE NEWS: Wait wait wait, did you just say you’re going to do an episode about Dada?
ANGELA SANTOMERO: Dada art. Uh-huh. We show how you can play while you’re making art, and then the whole episode is about games and playing.
TOONZONE NEWS: That is outstanding. (Laughter)
ANGELA SANTOMERO: It is so much fun. And then in these six episodes, we showcase Picasso and we showcase Kandinsky, so that’s definitely a smattering. We just got really excited to show the famous artists as much as possible, to give a lot of the art vocabulary, and to give really tangible, fun things that kids can make that they’re excited about. There’s also a golf game that we make, so that’s something that they can make and then play, and they can see how we do it. It’s a really really good bunch of episodes, I have to say.
TOONZONE NEWS: We’re Toonzone and we love animation, but I’m curious if there’s a specific reason why you’re drawn to the medium. Blue’s Clues was very heavily animated, and everything you’ve done since then is all animation. Was that something that you went over in during your child development/psychology education? Or is there something about cartoons that you particularly like?
ANGELA SANTOMERO: I have two answers to that. The first one is I’ve always been drawn to classic storybooks for this age group and how richly, vividly they’re illustrated, and all the messages and all the stories you can see within a visual. So, animation stemming from that inspiration is something that I’ve always held on to. And also, as a medium for preschoolers, it’s so visual. I can show what somebody is thinking. I can truly show all the different emotions — and exaggerate them if I need to — on the faces of our characters if I’m doing a show about that.
For this kind of show, on arts and crafts, we use a lot of textures and we can show how you put something together in terms of different processes. You’ll see the difference between the live-action and the animation. There’s pros and cons to both, obviously, but in animation, you can really show it as clearly as possible, when in live-action there’s just a little bit more fluctuation. So it’s really telling the story as visually as possible and getting that sense and that bonding from these characters to our home viewer.
Another pro for animation is these fantastical characters being less threatening to a pre-schooler, and that sense of seeing or mirroring a character doing something that you then might try to do, as opposed to seeing a kid who might seem like they could do it better than you. It was really interesting to us to be able to do an art show so you could see both: you can see a real kid just like you and you can also see a character within the animation that you can then befriend or relate to or help out.
The second answer to the question has always been that the day Steve told me that he was going to leave Blue’s Clues was probably one of the worst days in the history of my career (laughter). A sense of, “No no no, we’re not done telling all the stories that we want to tell. You cannot be done.” So I always joke that every show since then has been all animated so that nobody can ever want to leave. And like the pre-schoolers, we obviously turned it around and had Steve go to college, so I am so happy when somebody, especially now, comes up to me and says, “Oh the reason why I went to college is that I wanted to go to college like Steve.” That makes me so happy. But yeah, from an animation perspective, they’re not done until we say they’re done (laughs).
TOONZONE NEWS: I had one broader thing I wanted to ask you about, which is “The Pause.” I remember Mr. Rogers would do it and Sesame Street would do it occasionally, but it was Blue’s Clues that really institutionalized that in pre-school TV. I find that some shows do it really well, but there are other shows that almost feel like they’re using it as a crutch to pad time or where it just seems that the question they’re asking isn’t really worth the pause for the answer. I was wondering if you had guidelines or specific ideas on how to use it and when and why.
ANGELA SANTOMERO: I love this question. I think that the answer is really about thinking. From the very beginning, it was all about getting kids to participate with the medium and with our stories, and getting them involved. I’ve always said that it was like a science experiment in school. The things that you remember the most are things that you were able to do hands-on, and learn and fail and try, try again. So how do you do that with the medium of television? How do you get kids involved and invested? You saw it in video games way back when, and you see it in the apps now that kids want to be part of the experience. At the time, for Blue’s Clues, the technology wasn’t there — and it’s still not — to really have voice-activated TV. From a pre-school perspective, it was pausing to give them this time to think about what the question was, know that they have a voice in order to answer, and let them try to answer. But we do it for them to be thinking and to be practicing their skills, so we’re not just modeling kindergarten readiness skills or reading skills or modeling whether it’s colors or art vocabulary or process. We’re actually giving them time to do it with us, and that makes all the difference.
To geek out for a minute, we’re all about utilizing media in order to get some gains on the other side of education. If the kids had to take a test, we’d want to see that they’re scoring better because they watch our shows. That sense that what we’re doing is enriching their lives. So yes, I’ve seen the way that the pausing is used since Blue’s Clues, and most of the time it’s very, very different than the calculated way that we use it to bring the audience in.
TOONZONE NEWS: You can tell when it’s working because my son will talk to Blue’s Clues or to Creative Galaxy. There are other shows where he’ll just sit there and not answer the television set.
ANGELA SANTOMERO: And it reminds me that an adult, too, will ask a lot of questions but not necessarily pause enough for a child to answer them, you know? It’s literally being able to leave enough time, or asking the right question, or the question at the right time for the right reason. We do have a whole bible on how to do that.
TOONZONE NEWS: Is there something specific that you’ve learned about art or anything else in making this show?
ANGELA SANTOMERO: For me, it’s been a connection between all of it: the art and the cognitive processes. Really trying to understand how to relay to parents why this is so important. You live it and you breathe it and you know it, but when you start to talk about it and see those connections…that’s something that I find really fascinating. We go into research with the kids all the time, and when they see pointillism, for instance, knowing that they can do that and noticing that awe that they have when they see that you can actually create an entire image using pointillism, it’s just that “ah-hah!” moment. For me, it’s really underscoring that sense of awe and that sense of what that means when something clicks in a kid, and then watching them take off. That’s what I love about this show and what is new or interesting that I’ve learned going through this process.
TOONZONE NEWS: What else do you have going on right now? I know that Wishenpoof got greenlit by Amazon, and you’re still in production with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood in addition to Creative Galaxy.
ANGELA SANTOMERO: Yes, and we have new Super WHY! episodes for PBS coming out next year, too. With Wishenpoof, we’re really in the thick of it. It’s a really exciting fun show as well. We’re doing that one in CGI animation, and it’s just gorgeous and beautiful. I’m having a very fun time with that. It’s very different in terms of what we’re teaching kids about. It’s more about life skills in terms of overall girl empowerment, and kid empowerment messaging.
Toonzone News would like to thank Angela Santomero for taking the time to speak with us, as well as George Cabico at Amazon Studios PR for making the arrangements. New episodes of Creative Galaxy are available now via Amazon Prime, and a free preview is available. You can keep up with Angela Santomero through her website, AngelasClues.com, or via Facebook and Twitter.
