Tot TV Watch

April 16-20 is Spring Premiere week on Discovery Kids’ “Ready, Set, Learn!” block of preschool programming. Besides the premiere of the new animated series, Wilbur, you can catch all new episodes of Peep and the Big Wide World, Hip Hop Harry, Toddworld, and Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks.

The new “Ready, Set, Learn!” schedule beginning Monday, April 16th, is as follows:

• 9:00 - Peep and the Big Wide World
• 9:30 - Hi-5
• 10:00 - Hip Hop Harry
• 10:30 - Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks
• 11:00 - Wilbur
• 11:30 - Toddworld
• 12:00 - Peep and the Big Wide World (Repeat)
• 12:30 - Hi-5 (repeat)
• 1:00 - Hip Hop Harry (repeat)
• 1:30 - Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks (repeat)

Discovery Kids, Ready Set Learn!, Wilbur, Peep and the Big Wide World, Hi-5, Hip Hop Harry, Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks, Toddworld, premieres, new schedule

Source: Nick Jr.
It looks like the Wonder Pets won’t be saving the day this time. In fact, they’ll be the ones needing to be saved! When Linny, Tuck, and Ming-Ming head into the sea to help a baby blowfish stuck in a sea plant, a large whale accidentally swallows them. The Wonder Pets find themselves calling on their underwater friends to rescue them. The new musical special, “Save The Wonder Pets,” premieres Monday, April 23rd at 11:00 a.m. (ET/PT). A two-minute sneak peek can be seen on Nick Jr. Video (on nickjr.com) beginning April 16th.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070410/NYTU087)

Nickjr.com will also be featuring a new interactive “Save the Sea Creatures” game beginning April 13th, as well as an interactive poll, artwork and photos from fans, printables, and crafts.

A “Save the Wonder Pets!” DVD will be released on Tuesday, April 24th, by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment. Besides the title track, it will also include three other episodes, as well as reusable stickers and a “Meet The Wonder Pets!” photo gallery with character facts.

On April 10th, Nick Records released the first ever Wonder Pets CD. It features 16 full-length songs from the first season, a limited edition celery recipe book, and a Wonder Pets coloring poster.

Wonder Pets, Save the Wonder Pets, DVD, CD, premiere, Nick Jr.

Originally created by three innovative moms, Wilbur aims to encourage young kids to become more enthusiastic about books and reading. Wilbur, the main character of the show, is a young calf who uses books to find ideas and solve problems. Knowing that books have all the answers, Wilbur guides his friends Dasha the duck, Ray the rooster, and Libby the lamb through various stories to help them find the answers they are searching for. As they read the book, the pictures in the story come to life as they might in your child’s imagination. In one episode, Wilbur’s friend Dasha wants to make a pizza but doesn’t know how. Wilbur finds a storybook about a hungry troll who needs a recipe to make his favorite “Slug Slime Sandwich”. After reading the story, Dasha realizes that she needs a recipe to figure out how to make the perfect pizza.

Unlike other children’s shows focused on literacy, Wilbur demonstrates concepts such as how to read from left to right, turn pages right to left, and how you start at the top of the page and read down. Wilbur also points to the words with his hoof as he reads the story demonstrating the function of print.

The series creates a unique look with a combination of live action, puppetry and “Shadowmation” - a combination of animatronics and CG effects that allow puppets to move around in a 3-dimensional world. Each episode includes two original storybooks and music conveying the message that reading is fun.

So far I’m very impressed with what I have seen of this show. The bright colors, simple stories, and music are sure to keep any toddler’s attention while teaching them some basic concepts that they will carry with them throughout their lives.

Wilbur premieres April 16th at 11:00 a.m. during Discovery Kids “Ready, Set, Learn!” block. It will also begin airing on TLC April 23rd at 7:30 a.m.

Wilbur, Discovery Kids, Ready Set Learn!, TLC, puppets, shadowmation, animatronics, reading, preschool

Up until now I have managed to escape watching LazyTown, but for the sake of the blog I decided to record and actually watch a full episode.  To be perfectly honest, I could have gone my entire life without watching it and not missed much.  I did like the machine Pixel built that could pause, fast forward and rewind life, but Stephanie’s fake looking pink wig and the music (that reminded me of that “Barbie Girl” song) drove me a little batty.  Needless to say it won’t be seen on our TV again anytime in the near future.

LazyTown was created by Magnus Scheving, an aerobics champion and CEO of LazyTown Entertainment.  It has a very unique look which was created by a combination of CGI animation, puppets and live characters. Scheving also stars in the show as the active and health conscience superhero Sportacus.  His character spends his days trying to lead by example and show the residents of LazyTown - known for being lazy - how to live a healthy lifestyle.

Stephanie, who recently moved to LazyTown and lives with her uncle, is an optimistic young girl who has to make daily choices between a healthy alternative and taking the easy way out.  She loves LazyTown, but strives to get her new friends Ziggy, Trixie, Stingy, and Pixel outside to play and keep them more active.  She encourages the others by holding onto her motto, “There’s always a way!”  As an aspiring dancer, Stephanie really appreciates some of the fantastic moves Sportacus performs.

Robbie Rotten, the town villain, is perhaps the laziest of them all.  He spends most of his time snacking and watching TV in his underground lair.  The only time you see him outside is when he has come up with some new idea that he thinks will make his nemesis Sportacus look like a fool.  He just doesn’t understand why all the kids look up to Sportacus instead of himself.

Each day in LazyTown is a brand new adventure.  The adults may be a little lazy, but the kids are learning to give up some of their lazy habits,to Robbie Rotten’s chagrin.  All of the characters add their own splash of personality to the show to create a nice balance.

The one redeeming quality that I see in the show is that it does encourage kids to be active and promotes the idea that all kids do have the will to succeed.  They might just have to search a little to find it.

You can catch new episodes of LazyTown all week long (4/2/07-4/5/07) on Nick Jr. It also airs on Noggin. Check local listings for times.

LazyTown, Magnus Scheving, Sportacus, Stephanie, Robbie Rotten, Nick Jr., Noggin, new episodes

Sometimes I am amazed at just how oblivious I can be. In our house we tend to get stuck on watching certain shows and forget that there is such a wide variety out there. I guess when you have 500 plus channels to flip through it just becomes easier to stick with the ones you know you like. That’s why I was so surprised when a friend mentioned that her son loves to watch TLC in the mornings. I had no idea that they had children’s programming in the mornings. I have to say I’m a little embarrassed about that since I write a blog all about kids’ TV shows.

This morning I decided to flip over to TLC and see what was on. I was pleasantly surprised to catch an episode of Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks. A show about Monster trucks wouldn’t normally be my thing, but I was really impressed with it. The CGI-style animation is bright and colorful and the characters are all unique and very loveable.

Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks is basically a show about friendship and how to treat others. It revolves around Meteor and his group of young, big-wheeled friends who are striving to become monster truck heroes like those before them. In each episode, the young trucks learn about what it takes to be a monster truck and compete to see who can accomplish each obstacle the fastest. Each truck has different strengths and weaknesses and nobody wins all the time. Along the way, the friends teach viewers important lessons about sportsmanship, friendships, and feelings.

In this morning’s episode, “Sue the Rooter Truck,” a stinky, bossy, new Rooter truck named Sue joined Meteor and the group. While the other trucks played together, Sue kept to herself in the corner. Eventually the other trucks reached out to her and found out that she wasn’t really so different. She just didn’t think anybody would like her because of her smell. Once they assured her that they actually liked the smell that made her different, they all got along quite well.

If you haven’t seen Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks, I suggest you give it a try. While it doesn’t teach a foreign language or even ABC’s, it does teach some very important lessons about how to get along with others.

The newest set of Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks episodes is set to premiere April 16-20 on Discovery Kids and TLC.

Bigfoot, Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks, Discovery Kids, TLC, monster trucks, relationships, sportsmanship, Sue the Rooter Truck

Noggin will be airing five all new episodes of Pinky Dinky Doo this week. Be sure to tune in at 3:00 p.m. ET beginning Monday, March 26th, for some wild new stories and lots of new “big words”. You can read more details about each episode in the previous post, “Celebrate Storytelling with Noggin“.

Pinky Dinky Doo, new episodes

Handy Manny, voiced by Wilmer Valderrama (Fez!), is a bilingual repairman from the friendly town of Sheetrock Hills. When somebody needs help, they call for Handy Manny and his trusty set of tools. He can fix nearly anything and in the process manages to teach viewers about problem solving and how to get along with others.

Manny’s tools are always anxious to help him out, but their unique personalities sometimes cause conflicts. When that happens, Manny has to use his problem solving skills to settle the conflict and help everyone get along.

Kelly (voiced by Nancy Truman) is a friend of Manny’s. She runs the hardware store where Manny often goes to pick up supplies. She is generally very helpful and helps Manny find just what he needs.

Mr. Lopart (voiced by Tom Kenny), who Manny frequently runs into, owns the candy store next to Manny’s workshop. He has a bit of a know-it-all attitude and often refuses Manny’s help. This tends to get him in trouble more often than not.

Handy Manny is an entertaining show that teaches preschool age kids in a fun way. While it doesn’t shove ABC’s and 123’s at them, it does teach them some great interpersonal relationship skills. Handy Manny can be seen on Playhouse Disney at 9:00 a.m. ET/PT.

Handy Manny, Playhouse Disney, Wilmer Valderrama, Nancy Truman, Tom Kenny

Is your kid as crazy about Blue’s Room as mine is? If so, you’ll want to make sure and catch all four new episodes premiering March 26-29th. Nick Jr. will be airing the new episodes at 10:00 a.m. (ET/PT) Monday through Thursday, followed by a marathon of the four new episodes from 12:00-2:00 p.m. on Friday. See Nickelodeon’s descriptions below for more information on each episode:

* Monday, March 26, 10:00 a.m. — “Away Great Playdate”
After a play date with their friend Jalen, Blue and Sprinkles discover that he has left behind his favorite duck hat. In order to return the hat to their friend they must figure out how to get to Jalen’s house. Joe has the answer — transportation! Dictionary helps them learn about transportation and Joe transforms a big cardboard box into a train, a taxicab and an airplane. On the journey to find Jalen’s house, Joe takes Blue and Sprinkles to a real city where they play “I See” and to an actual beach where they look for seashells. But it is not until the trio reaches a farm that they finally find Jalen and return the missing duck hat.

* Tuesday, March 27, 10:00 a.m. — “Little Red Riding Blue”
Blue and her friends are acting out the fairytale of “Little Red Riding Hood.” In their version, Little Red Riding Hood (Blue) and Little Red’s brother (Sprinkles) are bringing homemade banana bread to grandma, who has a cold. Doodle Board leads their journey through the woods by drawing the correct paths to take. Along the way, they bump into a wolf (Joe), who wants a piece of their bread. Blue and Sprinkles tell the wolf that if he wants a piece, he needs grandma’s permission. Blue and Sprinkles soon discover that the wolf is pretending to be grandma!

* Wednesday, March 28, 10:00 a.m. — “Knights of the Snack Table”
Blue and Sprinkles pretend to be knights and their quest is to help King Joe rescue his four missing dragons. Along their journey, Blue and Sprinkles build a medieval castle with Princess Frederica, mix a magic potion with Roar E. Saurus and navigate through a maze with Doodle Board. For each rescued dragon, they earn a new picture that appears on their knightly coat of arms. There’s still one dragon left and the only way to catch this last creature is to follow a series of musical hints. It’s an adventure suited for the smartest knights in the land and luckily, Blue and Sprinkles are up for the challenge.

* Thursday, March 29, 10:00 a.m. — “Music Stars”
Blue and Sprinkles are experimenting with making music when Boogie Woogie suggests they become more than just ordinary musicians and transform into rock stars. The music stars magically create a stage for their big concert, but there’s only one problem — the curtain won’t go up. The only way to raise the curtain is to create a musical act. With a little help from their friends, Blue and Sprinkles learn to create their own lyrics, original music and dance moves. With each new addition to their act, the curtain rises a little more, until finally it is show time, and all of the Blue’s Room stars are ready to perform.

Blue’s Room, premieres

March 20th is International Earth Day and PBS is celebrating! PBS Kids will be celebrating “Share the Earth Day” by running all new episodes of It’s a Big Big World, special online activities, resources for parents and teachers, and several other Earth Day themed shows.

The new episodes of It’s a Big Big World begin on Friday, March 16th. On March 20th, kids can learn about taking care of the environment and doing their part with Miss Lori and Hooper during the preschool block. There will be Earth Day themed episodes of Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dragon Tales, and It’s a Big Big World, as well as music videos from the band Milkshake.

During the PBS Kids Go! programming block, kids can learn about cleaning up the planet and responsibility during episodes of Arthur, Maya & Miguel, Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman, and Cyberchase.

The PBS Kids web site will offer games and activities to help children think about what they can do to help the environment and take care of the Earth. To help them put the concepts into action and apply them to real life, PBS Parents will offer resources and ideas for parents to share with their children and encourage them to explore nature and take an active role in protecting the planet.

PBS, PBS Kids, PBS Kids Go!, International Earth Day, Miss Lori and Hooper, Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Dragon Tales, It’s a Big Big World, Arthur, Maya & Miguel, Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman, Cyberchase