PBS KIDS Celebrates Halloween with a Spooktacular Lineup of Episodes
October 12th, 2010
Starting October 25, PBS KIDS will offer a spooktacular lineup of Halloween-themed episodes, including new episodes of ARTHUR, FETCH! WITH RUFF RUFFMAN and MARTHA SPEAKS, plus classic favorites from WORDGIRL, CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, CURIOUS GEORGE, SUPER WHY!, SID THE SCIENCE KID and more. Neil Gaiman, author of creepy novels “Coraline” and “The Graveyard Book,” makes a special appearance on ARTHUR and encourages Sue Ellen to write a graphic novel, while the gangs at MARTHA SPEAKS and FETCH! WITH RUFF RUFFMAN learn that friends can help you face your fears.
On PBSKIDS.org – PBSKIDS.org web properties are also offering special Halloween content. The Freezer Burn group is back with an all new Halloween music video on FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB. And on WILSON & DITCH DIGGING AMERICA, the gopher brothers visit Sleepy Hollow and have an encounter with the Headless Horseman.
On PBS KIDS – Following is a listing of the episodes airing the week of October 25 (Check local listings for air dates and times).
CURIOUS GEORGE – “Creatures of the Night” – George thought it was odd that all the food was gone from the bird feeder in a single night. Who or what is eating it all? Could the small animal tracks be a clue? Determined to solve the mystery George stays up all night and finds a baby possum who has lost his family. The two set off on a night journey to find the possum’s home and meet some other nocturnal animals (and some very tired “day animals”!) on the way. And because their night shadows strike a scary resemblance to the legendary Lake Creature of Lake Wannasink Lake – whose tale Mr. Quint is broadcasting to the entire town on this same night – the furry twosome cause quite a stir.
DINOSAUR TRAIN –”Night Train” – Dad, Buddy and Tiny take a special ride on the Dinosaur Train at night, learning about animals that are active after dark, culminating at the Big Pond for a nature walk under the full moon.
MARTHA SPEAKS – “Scaredy Cat” – To escape a storm, the kids and dogs retreat into the Boxwood’s house. TD, Alice, and Helen decide to tell spooky stories to pass the time. But as spooky things start happening in the house, they wonder if their stories might be a little too real.
SUPER WHY! – “The Ghost Who Was Afraid of Halloween” – It’s Halloween in Storybrook Village and Pig is so frightened, he won’t go Trick or Treating with his friends! The Super Readers pay a storybook visit to Little Ghost, who’s a bit of a scaredy cat himself, to teach him there’s more to Halloween than meets the eye!
SID THE SCIENCE KID – “My Mushy Banana” – Sid wants to know why his beloved yellow banana has turned brown and mushy. After exploring how fruits and vegetables slowly change, including a Halloween pumpkin that decays, Sid learns that it’s natural for his banana to ripen and turn brown and mushy
WORDWORLD – “A Kooky Spooky Halloween / Sheep’s Halloween Costume” – A Kooky Spooky Halloween – The WordFriends get their share of scares the night before Halloween, when Pig sleepwalks and everyone thinks he’s a ghost!
Sheep’s Halloween Costume – It’s Halloween – Sheep’s favorite day of the year. Sheep likes nothing more than to dress up, so she always goes out of her way to make herself a special costume. But what will she do when her WordFriends need pieces of her costume for their own costumes?
CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG – “Boo” – It’s Scary Movie night on Birdwell Island. Does anything scare Jetta and Mac? Not much, except maybe for the Ghost Dog of Birdwell Island.
BARNEY & FRIENDS™ – “Guess Who? / Sweet Treats” – Guess Who? – BJ™ and Baby Bop™ decide to get Halloween celebrations underway with a costume party. But when it comes to picking costumes, Riff™ just can’t decide! That night, as the festivities get underway, Riff makes a grand entrance proudly wearing a costume that suits him perfectly!
Sweet Treats – Barney and his friends go trick-or-treating in the park. One of Barney’s friends discovers all his candy is gone…he has a hole in his bag! BJ shares his candy and everyone learns how nice it is to share with friends!
CAILLOU – “After Dark!” – Things get a little scary today. Caillou and his new neighbors, Jason and Jeffery, are playing hide and go seek in the backyard, until dusk brings out the shadows. A flashlight and Mommy help chase the shadows away. That evening, Caillou can’t fall asleep when he hears scary “scratchy monster” noises and thinks there’s a monster in his room. Daddy shows him that a tree branch brushing against the window is making the noises and the only monster in Caillou’s room is Gilbert. Later, a bad dream about a scary monster leads to a restless night for Caillou. Mommy and Daddy help him learn to fall asleep safely in his own bed. And, finally, when Caillou sleeps over at Leo’s house for the first time, he has fun until it’s time to go to sleep. A phone call to Mommy reminds Caillou that Teddy was looking forward to spending the night. Together they rest easily.
ARTHUR – “Falafelosophy / Tales of Grotesquely Grim Bunny” – Falafelosophy – At the urging of guest-star author Neil Gaiman (“Coraline,” “The Graveyard Book”) Sue Ellen tries her hand at writing and illustrating a graphic novel. When Sue Ellen needs inspiration and encouragement, she turns to Neil – who pops up in unexpected places! – and to the philosophy lessons of her local falafel vendor!
Tales of Grotesquely Grim Bunny – When the local comic book store changes ownership, the new darker and scarier comics are right up Fern’s alley. But Arthur can’t seem to stomach them and now he’s worried. Is it wrong to be afraid? Maybe his friends will be more supportive than he realizes.
FETCH! WITH RUFF RUFFMAN – “Ruffman Manor is Haunted!” – Ruff has just learned that he’s set to inherit Ruffman Manor from his ancestor Maximilian Ruffman. The only problem… Ruffman Manor is said to be HAUNTED! Ruff sends all six FETCHers out to check out the manor and find out if it’s safe for him to move in.
WORDGIRL –“Tobey’s Tricks and Treats” – After losing the costume contest at school, Tobey sets his Robots on a candy-stealing spree and vows to ruin Halloween. Becky and Violet (in her WordGirl costume) plot to save the holiday… and the city.
CYBERCHASE – “The Halloween Howl” – The annual “Halloween Howl” bash in Castleblanca promises to be spooktacular…until Hacker takes over the Mayor’s Castle and brings its seven stone gargoyles to life. Obeying Hacker’s every command, the gargoyles capture the Mayor and imprison him in the dungeon. To gain control of the creepy creatures, the CyberSquad must figure out how to use division to evenly split up bunches of garlic and rock candy. But can they do it in time to rescue the Mayor and save The Halloween Howl?
Amish Grace. Perhaps this film should have been called “God’s Grace.” Either way, the story is powerful and inspirational. It’s based on the true account of a gunman who entered an Amish schoolhouse and killed some of the girls. The man’s wife struggles to come to terms with the enormity of what her husband had done, and because of their belief in God’s forgiveness of them, the Amish community offers a hand of forgiveness to the wife. Except for one mother. Ida, a fictional character, struggled to come to terms with that her own community preached. Viewers who watch this film should settle in to watch the entire movie, which isn’t hard to do since the pacing keeps the viewer glued to the screen. The first half of the film seems almost black and white with the Amish as good guys and the “Others” as evil influences. As the film moves on, however, both sides begin to grey so everyone just becomes human, with good and bad qualities. This in no way detracts from the strong message of forgiveness. The idea of forgiveness is shown to be very difficult and very real, but a viewer understands the messages behind forgiveness. When you don’t forgive, you are disobeying God’s command and authority. Even if you don’t believe in God, the hatred that comes from a lack of forgiveness will eat at you, making you feel even worse. The acting is very real, and those who live in Amish communities will recognize the lifestyle, aside from the fact that all the Amish women in the film are young and beautiful, and there are no scenes with little babies, even though the Amish tend to have many children. Child Juror Comments: The message of forgiveness in this movie was really good. I’m not sure that my friends would like it because it’s so religious. My Christian friends would like it. They aren’t like the Amish people in my area. The ones here don’t talk. The acting and crying seemed real. If my brother got shot, I don’t think I would act like the Amish. DVD. 94 min.; $22.98; Ages 14-18 Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. 
Five Little Monkeys Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed… and More Favorite Children’s Stories. Weston Woods has a history of making DVDs out of books that truly tap into a child’s life. They do it again in Five Little Monkeys. This DVD would be perfect after a long day of work. A parent could cuddle in with their child for this sweet collection of stories. From humoristic twists on a favorite chant to facing new challenges with a little parental encouragement and learning how to tackle nightmares, this DVD inspires discussion. The images are beautifully drawn. One of the greatest strengths of this DVD is that it is very inclusive. Not only does the narrator speak in a pleasing voice, but in man and a woman sign the stories using American Sign Language. Emergent readers will appreciate the words of the story coming across the screen as the narrator reads. Child Juror Comments: I liked this a lot. They were very good stories. The duck had to find the courage to swim. I don’t like to swim sometimes. The mom helped the duck just like mine helps me. The parents don’t believe the girl with the lasso, and sometimes my parents don’t believe me either. The sign language was really cool. It was kind of annoying that the people stood in the middle of the pictures, but it was cool that they did sign language. One child had a friend that was deaf, and the girl loved how these stories would have been good for him. The stories looked great when they moved and how they changed scenes like the pages flipping like a book. The girl’s face looked like drawings, but they looked real. My favorite part was when the duck jumped in the water and realized he could swim. I loved when the girl with the lasso tried to bring her nightmare down to show her parents, but the monster was gone. DVD. 30 min.; $12.95; Ages 2-5. New Video Group. 
Adventures at School. School becomes an exciting adventure through this Scholastic DVD collection. The children can enjoy some of their favorite stories as they come to life on the screen through delightful images accompanied by great sound effects. Parents will find themselves reliving their own school days and enjoying the imaginative twists from creative authors. Not only are these DVDs great for entertainment, but they can also promote discussion after viewing titles such as Crazy Hair Day in which a child’s most embarrassing day turns out fine thanks to his school friends. Child Juror Comments: This was a really funny DVD. The one about the librarian had lots of funny stuff like a real mouse at her computer. They made the library fun. The pictures were great. Sometimes I don’t want to go into the library in school because some teachers are mean. I am kind of like the boy who used his imagination for things like the library signs that said no talking and no breathing. In Miss Nelson, it was cool how her twin sister when in and pretended she was the teacher. The principal was funny when he taught the boring stuff. The slides with the dogs were funny, too. The pictures were creative like when the kids pretended to be Miss Nelson. I think my friends would like it, especially how it looked. The drawings were good, and the stories were great. They are about school, and we go to school. My favorite part was when the three kids pretended to be Miss Nelson and wobbled around town. They even went right by her house. It was very funny. DVD. 179 min.; $24.95; Ages 2-5. New Video Group. 
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