PHILADELPHIA, HOLLYWOOD, Calif. and NEW YORK, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- PBS
KIDS Sprout, the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on
demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, will
debut Pajanimals, the newest group of puppet characters from The Jim Henson
Company, Sunday, November 2, 2008 during Sprout's signature nighttime block,
The Good Night Show. The exclusive, short-form, live-action musical series
produced by The Jim Henson Company and 4Kids Entertainment (the property's
licensing agent) and commissioned by Sprout, features four soft, cuddly
puppets created by LA-based artist Jeff Muncy (Pet Alien) and designed and
built by the world-famous Jim Henson's Creature Shop(TM). Pajanimals
entertains and comforts preschool viewers with original, bedtime-themed songs
that focus on typical issues such as sleeping through the night and being
comfortable with the lights out.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/sprout/34814/
Pajanimals features Sweetpea Sue, a shy, smart pony who never forgets her
bedtime routine of brushing her teeth, washing her face and putting on her
PJs; Squacky, an excitable duck who sometimes has a hard time settling down at
night; Cow Bella, a creative, well-mannered cow with an Italian accent who
encourages the rest of the bunch to "do the right thing" around bedtime; and
Apollo, an upbeat, optimistic puppy who loves space adventures but experiences
separation anxiety.
The Jim Henson Company's co-CEOs Brian Henson and Lisa Henson, as well as
Halle Stanford, the Company's senior vice president of children's
entertainment, executive produced the project with Muncy and Alex Rockwell
(Bear in the Big Blue House). Music is from Michael and Patty Silversher
(Winnie the Pooh, Animal Jam) with lyrics from Rockwell and Judy Rothman
(Strawberry Shortcake). Pediatric sleep specialists, family therapists and
coauthors of The Sleepeasy Solution, Jill Spivack, LCSW and Jennifer
Waldburger, LCSW are the content consultants on the show, lending their
expertise to the bedtime themes and song lyrics which cover topics such as
encouraging preschoolers to stay in bed, dealing with nightmares, and missing
your parents at night.
"Every parent knows that bedtime battles are no fun for anyone and it is
our hope that Pajanimals will help our young audience transition from daytime
into a peaceful evening routine," said Lisa Henson. "Sprout is an established
destination for preschoolers and their adult co-viewers and is an ideal home
for these new characters."
"Parents have told us that bedtime is one of the most challenging times of
the day," said Andrew Beecham, senior vice president of programming at Sprout.
"In response, we created our signature nighttime block, The Good Night Show,
which helps parents wind down their kids after a busy day ... and Pajanimals
is the perfect addition to that block. The sweet, loveable characters and
instantly contagious songs are sure to resonate with both preschoolers and
parents alike."
"We are delighted to mark our first production and licensing partnership
with The Jim Henson Company on such an engaging property," said Alfred R.
Kahn, chairman and CEO, 4Kids Entertainment. "Pajanimals is poised to become a
compelling and vibrant brand for parents and preschoolers, as well as
retailers and promotional partners."
In addition to Pajanimals airing as a short-form musical series on the
Sprout linear channel, five 10-minute segments featuring professional,
practical sleep advice from Spivack and Waldburger will be available for
parents and caregivers of preschoolers on Sprout On Demand.
For additional information on Sprout programs or schedules, visit
SproutOnline.com. To find out where Sprout is available in your area, call
1.866.9.SPROUT.
High-resolution images are available in the media gallery at:
http://www.fishwithfeet.com/mediagallery.htm.
About Sprout(R)
PBS KIDS Sprout, the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV,
on demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, was
created as a partnership among Comcast Corporation, HIT Entertainment, PBS and
Sesame Workshop. Since debuting its video on demand (VOD) service in April
2005, Sprout has become the #1 On Demand service for younger children,
generating over 450 million orders. The 24-hour digital channel, which
launched in September 2005 along with the website (SproutOnline.com), is the
only channel that follows the day of child from breakfast to bedtime with its
distinctive programming. Currently, Sprout is available in 44 million unique
households.
The network's program lineup of gold-standard, curriculum-based children's
shows includes: Sesame Street(R), Bob the Builder(TM), Barney & Friends(TM),
Thomas & Friends(TM), Angelina Ballerina(TM), Caillou(R), The Berenstain
Bears(TM), Jay Jay the Jet Plane(R), Teletubbies(TM), Dragon Tales(TM),
Pingu(TM), Make Way For Noddy(TM), The Hoobs(TM), Fifi and the Flowertots(TM)
and more.
About The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family
entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in
puppetry, animatronics and computer graphics. Best known as creators of the
world famous Muppets (the rights to which are now owned by The Walt Disney
Company), Henson is the recipient of over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy
Awards. Credits include the Saturn Award-winning "Farscape" and the features
"MirrorMask," "Five Children and It", "Good Boy!" and the recently released
direct to DVD feature "Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs and a Baby". With additional
locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in
Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot complete with soundstage and
post-production facilities. Independently owned and operated by the five adult
children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson's
Creature Shop(TM), a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group
with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson
Recording Studios, one of the music industry's top recording facilities known
for its world-class blend of state of the art and vintage equipment. The
Company is currently in production on 40 episodes of "Sid the Science Kid," a
new science readiness animated series for preschoolers scheduled to debut on
PBS KIDS in September 2008, and recently launched "Puppet Up! - Uncensored," a
live puppet improvisational show that has played to sold out crowds around the
world and premiered as a special on TBS. The Company has also announced the
creation of Jim Henson Designs, a merchandise collection inspired by Jim
Henson's earliest sketches. http://www.henson.com
About 4Kids Entertainment
With U.S. headquarters in New York City, regional offices for its trading
card business in San Diego, California and international offices in London,
4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: KDE) is a global organization devoted to the
creation, development, production, broadcasting, distribution, licensing and
manufacturing of children's entertainment products.
Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, 4Kids produces animated television
series and films, distributes 4Kids' produced or licensed animated television
series for the domestic and international television and home video markets,
licenses merchandising rights worldwide to 4Kids' owned or represented
properties, and operates Web sites to support 4Kids' owned or represented
properties. Through its majority owned trading card company and website
company, 4Kids produces and markets collectible trading card games.
Additionally, the Company programs and sells the national advertising time in
a four-hour 4KidsTV block which airs on nearly 200 affiliated FOX television
stations Saturday mornings as well as the national advertising time in
TheCW4Kids five-hour Saturday morning block on The CW Television Network.
Additional information is available on the www.4kidsentertainment.com
corporate web site and at the www.4kids.tv game station site.
SOURCE Sprout