Los Angeles, CA (April 6, 2011) - World-renowned family
entertainment producer and distributor The Jim Henson Company has
partnered with 24-hour preschool television channel Sprout and
Northern Ireland's Sixteen South Limited for the co-production of
26 half-hour episodes (52 x 11') of the new preschool series,
PAJANIMALS, which will air exclusively in the U.S. on Sprout.
The innovative series, featuring four cuddly musical puppets, will
premiere on Sprout in the U.S. in fall 2011 and debuted to the
international market at MIP-TV for television, digital and DVD
distribution.
PAJANIMALS characters-Sweetpea Sue the pony, the excitable duck
Squacky, the creative cow CowBella and the optimistic puppy
Apollo-were designed and built by the world-famous Oscar® and Emmy®
Award-winning Jim Henson's Creature Shop™ from original concepts by
Los Angeles-based toy and clothing designer, artist Jeff Muncy (Pet
Alien).
The PAJANIMALS series will follow the amazing adventures of the
four sweet and gentle characters. Through their imaginary journeys,
the PAJANIMALS will model the skills preschoolers need to move
through their days and nights successfully. Along the way, the
PAJANIMALS discover how cozy and safe nighttime can really be when
accompanied by friendship and songs.
Production on PAJANIMALS will begin immediately in Northern
Ireland, with funding assistance from Northern Ireland
Screen. The Jim Henson Company's CEO Lisa Henson and
Executive Vice President of Children's Entertainment Halle Stanford
will serve as Executive Producers for the series, along with
long-time Henson producer, Alex Rockwell (Bear in the Big Blue
House, Elmo in Grouchland) and Jeff Muncy. Serving as Executive
Producer for Sprout will be Senior Vice President of Programming
Andrew Beecham, while Lisa O'Brien, Sprout's Vice President of
Original Programming and Development, will serve as Executive in
Charge of Production. Sixteen South's Colin Williams (Big City
Park, Sesame Tree) will serve as producer for the series, with
Michael and Patty Silversher (Winnie the Pooh, Animal Jam, Dinosaur
Train) composing the music. The Jim Henson Company is
handling all ancillary use of the property including licensing,
video and merchandising.
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 digital animation.
Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets, Henson has
received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits
include the Emmy® nominated "Sid the Science Kid," "Dinosaur
Train," "Wilson & Ditch: Digging America" and "Pajanimals."
Features include "The Dark Crystal," "Labyrinth," "MirrorMask," and
"Unstable Fables" and television productions include "Fraggle Rock"
and the sci-fi cult series "Farscape."
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 postproduction
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™, 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's Henson Alternative brand has
recently announced the national tour of "Stuffed and Unstrung," a
live puppet improvisational show named one of the top 10 "Best
Stage Shows of 2010" by Entertainment Weekly. www.henson.com; www.facebook.com/hensoncompany;
www.twitter.com/hensonparents
About Sprout®
Available in over 50 million homes, Sprout is the first 24-hour
preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for
children ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers. 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 a preschooler from breakfast to bedtime with its
distinctive, interactive programming and original hosted
blocks. Sprout's VOD offering is the #1 on demand service for
younger children with over one billion views.
Sprout is a partnership among NBCUniversal, HIT Entertainment,
PBS and Sesame Workshop. Its program lineup of gold-standard,
curriculum-based preschool shows includes: Sesame Street®,
Bob the Builder™, Barney & Friends™, The Wiggles®, Thomas &
Friends™, Caillou®, The Berenstain Bears™, Roary the Racing
Car™, dirtgirlworld and more.
About Sixteen South Limited
Based in Northern Ireland, Sixteen South Limited loves making
children's television that is worth watching. The company
makes very high quality, compelling children's programming for UK
and international broadcasters and works in live action, puppetry
and animation. The creators of Sesame Tree, a co-production
with Sesame Workshop in New York, and Big City Park, a
co-production with BBC Scotland, Sixteen South has produced 66
episodes of the two series, both of which screen on CBeebies for UK
broadcast. Sixteen South continues to develop a slate of
fresh properties for international markets.