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Well, that was quick. It seems to take at least a full year for new kids shows to hit DVD, but PBS Kids is rolling out the first Super WHY! DVD exclusively to shoppbs.org. Nice to see PBS capitalize while the show is still fresh and in demand. Plus it’s a pretty cool show to boot.
Nick Jr.’s new show, Ni Hao, Kai-lan premieres today at 11 a.m. corresponding with the Chinese New Year.
The show aimed at 2 to 5 year olds focuses on a five year old girl named Kai-lan. The series explores the colorful aspects of her upbringing and background, and her relationships with family, friends, and the world around her.
The characters of the show include:
Preschoolers will learn many mandarin words and phrases, as well as how to deal with issues such as taking turns, disappointment and jealousy.
The initial season has 20 episodes.
Review: ‘Ni Hao, Kai-lan’ like Mandarin Dora
Being authentic is admirable, but whether “Ni Hao, Kai-lan” succeeds or not depends less on that or even the “emotional intelligence curriculum” than it does on whether the 2-t0-5 demo finds Kai-lan and friends entertaining. It may be visually pleasing and sweet at its heart - good and good for you, as they say - but if Kai-lan, Rintoo, Tolee, Hoho, Lulu and Gramps can’t set the hook in those kids from Kansas, this series will be forgotten faster than the French you learned in high school.
Chinese-speaking Kai-lan joins network who teaches little kids Spanish with Dora, Diego
For anyone interested in China, “Ni Hao, Kai-lan” is a dramatic illustration of how much Chinese culture — like Irish, German, Italian and so many other immigrant cultures before it — is not only present in America but is part of us. That’s part of why Jade-Lianna Gao Peters, the 11-year-old Milwaukee girl who voices Kai-lan, is excited about what American kids unfamiliar with Chinese culture can glean from the show.
Noggin has acquired the U.S. broadcast rights to the first 52 episodes of Peppa Pig. Peppa Pig is a show from the United Kingdom that debuted four years ago.
It is currently airing on Nick Jr. UK and the shows website describes the show thusly:
Peppa is a loveable, cheeky little piggy who lives with her little brother George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig. Peppa’s favourite things include playing games, dressing up, days out and jumping in muddy puddles. Her adventures always end happily with loud snorts of laughter.
‘Peppa’ hits Nickelodeon’s Noggin - Entertainment News, TV News, Media - Variety
Playhouse Disney will have a morning full of new episodes in time for Valentines Day. The schedule is below:
Johnny and the Sprites (Saturday February 9, 7:30 a.m. ET/PT) - Lily gives Johnny a ”love bug” for Valentine’s Day, but it causes him to fall in love with Francesca the Frog! Then Root casts a spell that makes him grow twenty feet tall, but learns that his friends like him just the size he is.
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (Saturday February 9 9:00 a.m. ET/PT) - Minnie is planning a picnic to celebrate the new picnic grounds, and it takes help from all her friends to ensure the event’s success!
Bunnytown (Saturday February 9, 11:00 a.m. ET/PT) - It’s Carrot Giving Day in Bunnytown, and everyone, including Spacebunny, wants to show how much they care about their friends, by sharing their carrots.
Handy Manny (Thursday February 14, 9:30 a.m. ET/PT) - Manny and the tools help assemble a robot for their neighbor Mr. Bouffant (voiced by Fred Willard) to give to his wife for a Valentine’s Day present. But when the robot doesn’t do anything it’s supposed to, everyone comes to learn that it’s the thought that counts.
The Backyardigans franchise continues to expand. Tasha, Pablo, Uniqua, Tyrone, and Austin will have an hour long prime time movie on January 14th. The The Backyardigans: Born to Play CD
In the movie, “Tale of the Mighty Knights,” royal knights Uniqua and Tyrone are ready to do mighty deeds in service to their King (Pablo). It seems like a pretty simple task until the King asks them to babysit an egg, which grows legs and runs away! A rock opera soundtrack moves the action along as the knights pursue their egg in Goblin Land and encounter a grabbing goblin (Austin), through Fairyland where they meet a tiny and mischievous fairy (Tasha), and finally to Dragon Mountain where they face a mighty baby dragon (Adam Pascal). The musical theme for the movie is a rock opera.
The movie will air at 7 p.m. on Nick Jr.
With the move to full time programming, Noggin has announced two new seasons of shows.
First they greenlighted a second season of Pinky Dinky Doo. The new season will contain 26 episodes.
Also, they will premiere a full 26 episode season of Toot & Puddle starting in Fall 2008. The series is based on books by children’s author Holly Hobbie.
Starting with the last day of 2007, Noggin will move to a 24 hour format as it splits with The N!. For fans fo The N!, that will go to a 24 hour format as well on it’s own channel. The move puts Noggin head to head with PBS Sprout as they pursue kiddies-after-dark (that sounds bad now that I reread it).
To kickoff the move Noggin has some new programming planned for New Year’s Eve including a 90 minute Franklin movie.
In “Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure,” Franklin is on a holiday break from school when he receives a surprise visit from his Aunt Lucy, an explorer whose specialty is finding archaeological treasures. This family reunion gives Franklin’s Granny the chance to relive her own childhood. When she mentions a box filled with treasures that she buried at Turtle Lake as a child, Franklin is intrigued. When Granny falls ill and Aunt Lucy remembers a talisman that was hidden in the famous box, a treasure hunt becomes extremely important. Franklin decides immediately to hunt for this remedy which could save his grandmother. His friends Beaver and Bear accompany him, with Aunt Lucy and her goddaughter Samantha, a headstrong little turtle with whom Franklin has a hard time contending with. It’s a difficult journey, but Franklin is ready to do anything to help Granny and it also gives him the chance to make new friends.
Second seasons of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Johnny and the Sprites are set to debut in January. Johnny and the Sprites second season will debut on January 19th at 7:30 a.m.
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse will kick off one week later with 4 new episodes:
9:00 a.m. “Fancy Dancin’ Goofy” – Mickey and the gang help Goofy prepare to attend the “Fancy Dance” with Clarabelle the Cow.
9:30 a.m. “Goofy the Homemaker” – Mickey and pals help Goofy build a bird house for Baby Red Bird and his family.
9:00 a.m. “Mickey’s Handy Helpers” – When the Handy Helpers go limp, Mickey and his friends must fix the machine and get the Clubhouse working.
9:30 a.m. “Goofy Baby” – When Professor Von Drake’s time machine accidentally turns Goofy into a baby, the gang acts as babysitters while the Professor works on getting Goofy back to normal.
Nick Jr. will be filling Friday afternoons with new episodes and holiday themed episodes. The schedule is below:
December 14 (12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.)
12:00 p.m. The Wonder Pets! “Save the Reindeer”
12:30 p.m. Blue’s Clues “Blue’s First Holiday”
1:00 p.m. Go, Diego, Diego! “Diego Saves Christmas”
1:30 p.m. Wow Wow Wubbzy! “O Figgity-Fig Tree/Snow Day” (PREMIERE)
The winter holidays are here, and the kids are building a winter festival, Madame Zabinga is rehearsing the Nutty-Nutcracker, and Walden is waiting for the arrival of blue snow. Best of all is the lighting of the Figgity-Fig Tree, and this year Wubbzy wants to make it the best tree ever! But as usual, he overdoes it by adding too many lights and blows out the generator. Without any lights, the Wuzzleburg townspeople must come up with novel ways of decorating the tree. In “Snow Day,” Wubbzy goes sledding and Widget brings out his snow-shoveling machine. Walden begins building a snow sculpture of a Woly-Polar Bear, but soon Wubbzy sleds right into it, knocks it down and buries Widget’s machine in the snow. Now Wubbzy and Widget scramble frantically to fix the sculpture before Walden finds out.
December 21 (12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.)
12:00 p.m. Dora the Explorer “A Present for Santa”
12:30 p.m. Blue’s Room “Holiday Wishes”
1:00 p.m. The Wonder Pets! “Save the Reindeer”
1:30 p.m. Yo Gabba Gabba “Christmas” (PREMIERE)
So much of Christmas is about receiving, but in this episode the Gabba gang learns about giving through the songs “Making Presents” and “For Me For You.” They celebrate winter and the holiday season in the songs “I Love Winter” and “Decorate the Tree.” Featured Guest Star: Mark Mothersbaugh in a “Mark’s Magic Pictures” segment
December 28 (12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.)
12:00 p.m. Miss Spider’s SunnyPatch Friends “Hum-Bug/Dashing Through the Snow”
12:30 p.m. The Backyardigans “Secret of Snow”
1:00 p.m. Dora the Explorer “South Pole”
1:30 p.m. Max & Ruby “Max’s Mix-Up/Max’s Snow Bunny” (PREMIERE)
On the sledding hill, Ruby is getting cold and wants to go inside. Louise and Morris arrive and Morris’ winter snowsuit is identical to Max’s, but their hats, mitts and scarves are different colors. Max manages to switch his accessories with Morris so that he can stay out and continue sledding with Louise. It’s not until Ruby gets home that she realizes there’s been a mix-up. In the second story, Max and Ruby are entranced by “The Abominable Snow Bunny” radio show and when they go outside Max is determined to find the creature. Ruby reminds him that there’s no such thing, but she soon starts to wonder if there really is a Snow Bunny! In the final story, Max wants to play outside even though it’s snowing and blowing. Ruby tries to engage him in all kinds of inside activities. Max gets finger paints and macramé all over the house and creates chaos with Ruby’s dolly tea party. When the snow stops and Ruby says they can play outside, Max is pleased with the havoc he’s created and decides to stay inside.
Looking for a way to settle down the kids and keep them in bed on Christmas Eve? Check out PBS Kids Sprout where they’ll be serving up a Snooze-A-Thon. Starting at 7:00 p.m. and running straight through until 6:00 a.m. on Christmas morning, everything will be quite at Sprout. If you tune in you’ll see Good Night Show host Nina and her sidekick Star sleeping on the set.
Sprout will also air Bob the Builder: A Christmas to Remember featuring Elton John and Crocodile Rock on December 18th at 4:30 p.m.
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