The More You Know...

Today I learned that Barney, the childhood hero to many and everybody's favorite home boy, Hip Hop Harry were actually portrayed by the same actor. That's right, David Joyner who helped our friend Barney bounce around the playground from 1992-2001 also shared some swag to former children's network Discovery Kids' Hip Hop Harry from 2006-2008. #FlashbackFridayShockoftheCentury

                                                       

We Are The Dinosaurs Marching, Marching...

Hi friends! It's a dandysaurus day to talk about Dinosaur Train!

Photo Credit: http://pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain

     Jim Henson's Dinosaur Train follows a fairly simple but super successful formula: Dinosaurs + Trains = hit show within the 2-8 male skewed demographic. However, this show proves to be more than just a cashmakersaurus. Dinosaur Train takes on non-conventional topics such as growing up in a blended family. The main character, Buddy, who is a tyrannosaurus, is adopted by a family of pteranodons (pictured left). Buddy has an interest in learning about all different types of dinosaurs as he and his family encounter many dinosaur species both on and off the Dinosaur Train. Not only are viewers exposed to different types of dinosaurs but also to the idea that learning and getting to know several different kinds of people with an open mind and heart is a great way to make friends and grow as a person. Dinosaur Train currently airs on PBS Kids in America and is available for digital download on itunes. Viewers can also play along with Buddy and his pals at http://pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain/ and by downloading the super funsaurs app, Dinosaur Train Classic in the Jurassic, Jr. on itunes. Have a dinoriffic day!

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

So I'm pretty stoked on the promise of this new show set to air on PBS September 3rd, 2012 entitled Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. It's supposed to pick up where Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood left off and introduce the Neighborhood to a whole new generation of youngsters. It's great to see that Daniel is alive and well with a family of his own. His 4-year-old son of the same name is the star of the show and all of his friends are the children of the original friends that reside in the land of Make-Believe. I wonder if King Friday XIII will be on the show because now he would be Prince Wednesday's grandfather and he was old even in Mr. Roger's era. He's probably in some royal retirement home by now. I love how they're sticking with the original characters. Mr. McFeely is even supposed to make a few appearances via an animated form. Trolley is set to play a more involved part in the show which is very exciting. The only odd thing character wise is that Daniel and family are orange and the original Daniel Tiger, as you'll remember, was grey but I do understand that orange is a more exciting color for pre-schoolers to watch. The story itself will be interesting to see as unlike the original, it's age range is narrowed down to kids 2-5. I'm very excited to see all of the similarities and differences with the original when the show airs in September but am going to try to watch it as its own separate property at the same time. Until the show airs, the official website is up with lots of fun games and character experiences. You can even drive Trolley! As excited as I am for this new show, I really sincerely hope that it doesn't replace reruns of the original Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. That would be a crying shame. How would we explain to our children what this new show is referencing without the resource of the old show's reruns? It's vital that the re-runs still air so there's a middle ground to bridge the generation gap and bring parents and children together. Anyway, here's links to articles about the new show. So excited to see Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and the interesting stories that come out of it.

http://pbskids.org/daniel/

http://communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/arts-entertainment-living/tuned-in-journal/29601-more-details-on-daniel-tigers-neighborhood