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Nick Jr. has authorized production on a second season of Nai Hao, Kai-Lan. The next season will have 20 episodes which will premiere in Winter 2009.
It’ll be a super hero fest on June 27th when Nick Jr. offers up three new episodes centered around super heroes. The shows getting the treatment are The Backyardigans, Go Diego Go, and The Wonder Pets. Episode descriptions follow:
9:00 a.m. – The Backyardigans “Front Page News”
Tasha plays the dual role of a photographer and superhero named Snap, who really wants a front-page photo for The Bigopolis Big News paper. The newspaper is run by Pablo and is located in the city of Bigopolis where there’s always a big story. When a giant robot threatens to invade the city, it proves too much to handle for resident superheroes Captain Bubble (Tyrone) and Bug Girl (Uniqua). A Berlin Cabaret soundtrack moves the action along as Snap has to step in and save the day! Will Tasha get the front page photo she so desperately wants?
9:30 a.m. – Go, Diego, Go! “Super Flying Super Squirrel to the Rescue”
Diego is riding his motorcycle when he encounters a flying squirrel trying to save a pygmy marmoset. But the marmoset is too heavy and Diego must come to the rescue. The flying squirrel feels bad he wasn’t able to do it alone, because he really thought he was a “super” flying squirrel. Diego tells the flying squirrel to assist him on a mission to save some crying baby birds. Along the way, they use the flying squirrel’s “super” hearing, “super” eyesight and “super” gliding to rescue the baby birds.
10:00 a.m. – The Wonder Pets! “Save the Visitor”
Tuck wakes up in the middle of the night and finds a visitor in the classroom—an extra terrestrial! The Wonder Pets form a bond with their new friend, who must return home soon, or be stuck on earth forever.
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.
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.
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.
Nick Jr. is planning a marathon of Halloween themed programming. The marathon will air from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on both Monday, October 29th and Wednesday, October 31st. It will also feature the premiere of new episodes Max and Ruby and Yo Gabba Gabba. The lineup is as follows:
NICK JR: “Haunted Halloween” Marathon
On October 8th Nick Jr. will debut an hour long Go Diego Go movie titled Safari Rescue. It is a lead up to Go Diego Go premiere week where the network will air 4 new episodes from October 15th-18th.
In the movie Diego, Alicia, and Jaguar travel to Africa’s Serengeti where they have to break an ancient spell which turned elephants to stones. Along the way they help impalas, baboons, and gazelles who are in trouble.
The movie and the new episodes the following week will all air at 9:30am.
If you’re a
Nickelodeon is set to debut the first primetime The Backyardigans movie: Super Secret Super Spy. It’s a James Bond-ian hour long special where Pablo plays the role of an international spy. Using a host of gadgets and a car that doubles as a boat, snow mobile, and a several other vehicles, he is off to thwart Uniqua aka, the Lady in Pink.
It really is a pretty cute movie as Tasha plays the role of Miss T who directs Pablo to prevent the Lady in Pink from getting 3 containers that would allow her to carry out her diabolical plan. In the process viewers travel to Miami, London, Switzerland, and the Caribbean trying to track down the containers.
As in all Backyardigans shows, a sound track rolls throughout the episode. This one has a jazz line that runs throughout and Cyndi Lauper performs theme song.
The show will air from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, September 17th on Nick Jr. The following day on September 18th, the DVD will be available which will also feature 2 other episodes of The Backyardigans and a Cyndi Lauper featurette.
On Monday August 20th Nickelodeon will debut their newest preschool show, Yo Gabba Gabba with a simulcast on Nick Jr. and Noggin at 10:30am.
The show is a different style than the typical Noggin/Nick Jr. fare in that instead of the shows being “stories” each episode is a series of short yet related segments. The premise is that DJ Lance Rock has a robot and 4 monsters that he brings to life. The show uses several modern music themes to convey messages about trying new foods and brushing your teeth.
The press release states, “This fresh, inventive music series will captivate preschoolers and caregivers with a hip, diverse slate of original music and infectious lyrics.” After seeing the premiere episode, Eat, I certainly would agree with the infectious part. My kids have been singing “Try it you’ll like it” ever since.
Still, I just don’t get the appeal of the show. The monsters and robots aren’t particularly engaging or endearing characters. I didn’t find the music, at least in the premiere episode, to be very interesting. The kids were entertained, but as a parent I found it to be annoying.
The show does have a number of guest stars slated for this season including: Elijah Wood in the premiere episode (“Eatâ€), Mya, The Shins, Sugarland, Rahzel, Tony Hawk, Laila Ali, Sean Kingston, Nikki Flores, Hector Jimenez, Smoosh, The Aquabats, The Aggrolites and Cornelius.
The show is jointly produced by creators The Magic Store and Wild Brain who brought us Higglytown Heroes. The Magic Store was founded in 2005 by “Gen X†dads Christian Jacobs, Justin Lyon and Scott Schultz. The studio’s first project, Yo Gabba Gabba!, was produced independently in two half-hour episodes. After creating an online viral frenzy with the trailer, the show ultimately found a home on Nick Jr.
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