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GO ON SUMMER SAFARI WITH HIT PBS KIDS® PRESCHOOL SERIES 'MAMA MIRABELLE'S HOME MOVIES'
WASHINGTON (May 16, 2008)—Kids can spend the summer exploring the animal kingdom in their local theater, at home and online with the award-winning "Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies," the animated preschool series from National Geographic Kids Entertainment (NGKE) on PBS KIDS.
In June, NGKE and Kidtoons, a division of The Bigger Picture, an AccessIT company, will launch "National Geographic Kids' Big Screen Safari," an exclusive, nationwide in-theatre program featuring a diverse slate of NGKE's television programming, starting with "Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies." The promotion, aimed at parents and young children, will include 70 minutes of filmed content screening at 130 theatres over four consecutive weekends. The program marks the first time Kidtoons has devoted an entire month exclusively to one program supplier's content. For theater listings, visit www.kidtoonfilms.com.
Things heat up in July and August when five new weekend "Summer Playtime" episodes of "Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies" air on PBS KIDS (dates/times vary per market, check local listings). Programs include:
- July 12: "Play's the Thing" — Mama's home movies show Bo, Karla and Max that every animal likes to play differently, whether it's swinging, running or jostling. Theme: Play; playing together.
- July 19: "I Spy" — When Max fails to keep up with friends Bo and Karla in a game of "I Spy," Mama shows him that not only is it okay to move more slowly, but that there's a whole world of things to see when you're not zipping around like a zebra (or cheetah). Theme: Different rates of movement; appreciating your own point of view.
- July 26: "Hot & Cold Running Critters" — On an especially hot day on the savanna, Mama lets the gang in on all the tricks animals use to adapt to their climate. Theme: Adapting to one's environment.
- Aug. 2: "Hide and Seek" — While playing a game of hide and seek, Karla discovers that her stripes make her too easy to find, so Mama exposes the kids to the wonderful world of animal camouflage. Theme: Playing hide and seek; being observant.
- Aug. 9: "Gourmet Grazing" — When Karla says she's having too much fun playing to stop for lunch, Mama shows her that eating well can be exciting, too, especially with the wide variety of things to eat. Theme: Importance of healthy eating.
Throughout the summer, kids can interact with Mama Mirabelle and friends at pbskids.org with exciting games and activities to keep them busy and encourage them to turn off the TV and computer, get outside and explore nature. July's activities feature animal crafts and games that families can take on vacation plus recipes for cool savanna snacks to beat the heat. Children will also enjoy:
- Create-Your-Own Savanna-Gram: Personalize greeting cards by choosing from several animated backgrounds, adding favorite characters or video clips and including customized messages.
- My Savanna Cookbook: Design a recipe book and fill it with healthy, animal-themed recipes, like frozen banana monkey bars, cheddar cheese butterflies and mini-pizza animal faces.
- Handmade Crafts: Have fun with handmade pop-up animal greeting cards, paper bag puppet safaris, summer eco projects and animal memory and trivia games.
- Videos: Experience contemporary world music songs featuring live-action animal footage and animation of favorite Mama Mirabelle characters; learn new animal factoids and interact with Flip, Chip and Kip through the site's "Monkey Minute" videos; and enjoy a sample episode of "Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies" online anytime.
A warm-hearted, high-spirited show about a sassy, soulful elephant host named Mama Mirabelle and the young animal characters she cares for on the African savanna, "Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies" stars Vanessa Williams as the voice of Mama. The series combines an animated world that preschoolers will want to explore with stunning wildlife movies from the National Geographic and BBC award-winning archives.
Launched in September 2007 on PBS KIDS, the series has received numerous accolades during its first season, including a Daytime Emmy Award nomination, a 2008 Parents' Choice Award and an iParenting Media Award. Family Fun magazine says the series "uses spectacular live-action nature videos to teach the young savanna residents — and preschoolers at home — about wildlife around the world." Common Sense Media points out the series "brings home important life lessons" and ABC calls the show "charming and remarkable."
National Geographic Kids Entertainment is an independent production and U.S. distribution entity of National Geographic Ventures. Established in 2003, NGKE brings the renowned National Geographic brand to children's entertainment through the development, production and distribution of quality animated and live-action, entertainment-driven programming that excites kids to explore their world. NGKE will work with all major broadcast outlets in the United States and abroad. For more information about National Geographic, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.
PBS KIDS, for preschoolers, and PBS KIDS GO!, for early elementary school kids, are committed to providing the highest quality non-commercial content and learning environment for children across the country. Providing age-appropriate, diverse programming for kids, PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! programs consistently earn more prestigious awards than any other broadcast or cable network. Only PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! have earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. With additional PBS resources to complement its programming, including PBS KIDS online (pbskids.org), PBS KIDS GO! online (pbskidsgo.org), PBS Parents (pbsparents.org), PBS Teachers (pbs.org/teachers), PBS Ready To Learn services and literacy events across the country, PBS is providing the tools necessary for positive child development. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 355 public television stations, serving nearly 73 million people each week and reaching 99 percent of American homes.
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Contacts:
Carina Sayles
Sayles & Winnikoff Communications
609-397-6200
carina@sayleswinnkoff.com
Elizabeth Nickless
National Geographic Society
202-775-6163
enickles@ngs.org
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