New Series and New Episodes on Qubo
November 7th, 2008
Qubo Channel, the TV and online entertainment service for children, is securing its place as the destination for high-quality programming with a full slate of great new TV shows for kids and an expanded kid-friendly schedule. The fun starts on Monday, November 3 with the debut of four new series SAMMY’S STORY SHOP, MAISY, GOFRETTE and ADVENTURES FROM THE BOOK OF VIRTUES, an entirely new season of perennial favorite, DRAGON, as well as new episodes of many other popular Qubo shows (see attached grid for specific airtimes). Qubo Channel will also roll-out a new schedule that serves different age groups at different times of the day and will now feature several series on a daily basis. All of Qubo’s shows will delight preschoolers and elementary school-aged children alike with engaging storylines that provide inspirational life lessons.In addition to the four new series and new season of DRAGON, Qubo Channel will also debut premiere episodes of 3-2-1 PENGUNS, BABAR, MISS BG, MY FRIEND RABBIT, RUPERT, THEORDORE TUGBOAT and THE ZULA PATROL. And if that weren’t enough to keep them engaged and entertained, kids can now catch some of their favorite Qubo shows everyday as DRAGON, 3-2-1 PENGUINS! and JANE AND THE DRAGON are moving from their weekend-only time-slots to become daily series. Finally, Qubo Channel has revamped its programming schedule to better address children’s viewing patterns. Every day from 5 AM – 1 PM (ET), Qubo Channel will air programming for preschool age children while the shows airing from 1 PM- 12 AM are geared more towards children ages 6 and up. (Again see attached programming grid for details).Here’s a closer look at what’s new for kids on Qubo Channel starting November 3:
SAMMY’S STORY SHOP – Airs daily at 5:30 AM (ET) Combining imaginative play with the magic of storytelling, SAMMY’S STORY SHOP brings best-selling and award-winning children’s books to life with animated video adaptations of classic children’s books, including such titles as Snowy Day, Make Way For Ducklings, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Tikki Tikki Tembo and The Napping House, among many others. Each episode opens with an animated introduction by Sammy, the Story-Chef extraordinaire. Using an imaginary magic pan and spoon, Sammy cooks up stories – two to three animated shorts – for his best friends Wiggly and Sharlene, to enjoy. The anthology series is produced by Scholastic Media, a division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company.MAISY – Airs daily at 6:30 AM and 10:00 AM (ET)Based on the award-winning books by the British author Lucy Cousins, this colorful and endearing animated series features Maisy, a lovable mouse with a nose for adventure. Joined by a colorful cast of friends, “Tallulah” the chicken, “Charlie” the crocodile, “Eddie” the elephant and “Cyril” the squirrel, Maisy is always up for trying new things and making discoveries that turn every day into something special. The series is distributed by NBC Universal.GOFRETTE – airs daily at 7 AM and 10:30 AM (ET)This animated preschool series makes its U.S. television premiere and chronicles the capers of an eccentric and inquisitive cat, Gofrette, and his friends who live in the colorful world of Zanimo. Gofrette’s serendipity and out-of-the-box spirit teach children wonderful lessons about optimism and resilience. The series is jointly produced by Canadian-based Zoe Mae Productions and Subsequence Entertainment and is based on the best selling books from Doris Brasset and Fabienne Michot. PorchLight Entertainment is the international distributor of GOFRETTE, excluding Asia and Canada.ADVENTURES FROM THE BOOK OF VIRTUES – airs daily at 3:30 PM and 9 PM (ET) The classic animated stories in this series are adapted from the best-selling book The Book of Virtues by former Secretary of Education William J. Bennett. Drawn from Greek mythology, American folktales, European fairy tales, African folklore, and more, the time-honored stories are designed to enlighten, inspire and spark the imagination, with each episode illustrating a central theme such as honesty, courage, responsibility, friendship and compassion. The series is produced by PorchLight Entertainment in association with KCET/Hollywood.DRAGON _- airs daily at 9 AM and 12:30 PM (ET)Based on the books by best-selling Scholastic children’s author Dav Pilkey (author of the popular Captain Underpants series), DRAGON stars a kindhearted blue dragon who is friendly and helpful, but tends to see things from a much different perspective than most of us–and that’s when the fun begins. Set in a colorful world populated by a menagerie of animal pals, the series playfully explores themes that are universally identifiable to children: wanting a friend, being afraid of the dark, and trying new things. This season, Dragon’s adventures include concocting an unusual lemonade recipe for his lemonade stand, resisting the urge to open a package that arrives two days before his birthday and what to do on a picnic when you forgot to assign someone to bring food or games! DRAGON is provided by Scholastic.
Teach your children what election day is all about by watching the upcoming Election Day episode of the Emmy Award-winning animated series “WordGirl.” The episode airs Nov. 4th on PBS and the PBS Kids GO! cable network, and features lead character Becky Botsford running for fifth-grade class president. This is the perfect show for children on Election Day, giving them a taste of what elections are all about, and introducing the words “elect” and “candidate.” (Parents will love it too, as it includes some slyly funny references to the current Presidential campaign.) Check out a two-minute teaser on YouTube: 
This fall, Arthur and his friends are back for a 12th season premiering Monday, October 6, 2008 on PBS KIDS GO! (check local listings). In all-new episodes, Arthur, D.W., Buster, and the whole gang learn the importance of getting out, getting active, and getting involved in their community. New episodes will air Mondays throughout the fall, with five additional episodes premiering in spring 2009.In “Room to Ride” (October 13), Lance Armstrong makes a special trip to Elwood City during an episode about the importance of bike safety and good citizenship. Worried that there aren’t enough safe roads to ride their bikes, Binky and his friends take to the streets to convince residents to vote for new bike lanes. When all hope seems lost, Lance gives Binky support and encouragement to never give up his cause. Boston’s Bike Czar, former Olympic Cyclist Nicole Freedman, lent her expertise developing this episode. Freedman was hired by Boston’s Mayor Thomas Menino in 2007 to help make the city more hospitable to bikes.
“This fall is an especially crucial time for kids to learn the importance of voting and community involvement,” said Executive Producer Pierre Valette. “We’re so happy that Arthur and his friends–with the help of familiar faces like Lance Armstrong–continue to help bring awareness and understanding to kids about what’s going on in their world.”Additional episodes premiering this fall include “The Chronicles of Buster,” where Buster’s obsession with an epic film series on DVD starts to take a toll on his friendship with Arthur; “D.W.’s Stray Netikin,” where D.W. panics after a scary clown virus ruins the Read family computer; and “On this Spot,” where Arthur is thrilled to learn that the legendary Sitting Bull once passed through Elwood City–but wonders how he can get his friends to care more about local history than celebrity sightings.ARTHUR, based on Marc Brown’s best-selling books, is the highest rated weekday children’s series on PBS among children 6-11 (Source: For PBS, NTI Pocketpiece, October 2007-June 2008). ARTHUR has won numerous awards, including the George Foster Peabody Award, a BAFTA and six Daytime Emmys–four for Outstanding Children’s Animated Program. ARTHUR is produced by WGBH Boston and Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc. Executive producers are Pierre Valette (WGBH) and Toper Taylor (Cookie Jar), and Marc Brown (Marc Brown Studios). Directed by Greg Bailey.
The race is on again for famous contenders Wally the Tortoise and Murray the Hare when 
Sure to be a family-favorite with the humor and heart that The Jim Henson Company is known for, UNSTABLE FABLES: TORTOISE VS. HARE features a celebrity cast including the voice talent of Emmy Award® winner* Jay Leno (Ice Age 2), Danny Glover (Dreamgirls), Vivica A. Fox (Ella Enchanted), Keke Palmer (Jump In!, Akeelah And The Bee) and three-time winner of Kid’s Choice Award for Best Actor, Drake Bell (Superhero Movie, “Drake and Josh”).According to Lisa Henson, co-chief executive officer of The Jim Henson Company, the creators of Unstable Fables goal was to create a bookshelf series of unique versions of fairy tales. They endeavored to portray loose adaptations of the stories, showing the characters in modern ways. Above all, the tales were made to get audiences laughing and, based on the group of children I watched the film with, the creators met their goal.“Why did they decide to use animation instead of your trademark puppetry?” I asked Henson. The answer is that the Henson company is taking interest in 3-D animation and perhaps 2-D animation in the future.
Henson has two children ages ten and eight who are already quite media savvy. She shares KIDS FIRST! values and the goal of providing quality entertainment for the kids. She also educates her children so they are media savvy and are informed viewers. Like many parents, Henson is concerned about what her kids watch, and she creates films such as TORTOISE VS. HARE with this criteria in mind. The Unstable Fables have a pro-family feel and use humor to engage children as well as adults. Her own children approved the film, especially since it starred some of their favorite actors (Keke Plamer and Drake Bell).As a producer, Henson was surprised at how well kids reacted to TV stars. According to her research, kids are much more likely to enjoy a film because of its TV stars than a film starring the voice of a movie star. In this series of Unstable Fables, they used stars kids could identify for the kids’ voices and stars parents enjoy for the adult voices to create all-age appeal.TORTOISE VS. HARE started out with a storyline very different from the final product. It didn’t have kids, and there was a lot more intrigue. Henson pointed out that when they began producing, they quickly realized that the series needed children in the stories. Families are a main focus with parents and children together. She also points out that she loves the new character designs, “Howard Baker did a really great job of developing an unstable way of finding characters—upbeat; cute, but not over-cute; modern—especially the tortoise with its jewel-encrusted shell.If you want a good laugh from a great story with superb visuals, check out TORTOISE VS. HARE, now on your store shelves. Fans of the series will also be pleased to know that the next Unstable Fable, GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS hits the shelves later this year. What will the three bears do when Goldilocks moves in with them in a reality TV situation similar to “The Simple Life”?
Soccer Mom
