Nick Jr. has announced that it will debut new, original mini pilots across multiple platforms with the first window kicking off on wireless carriers beginning Tuesday, June 6. The three mini pilots, originated from Nick Jr.s Institute of Applied Play, will premiere on wireless carriers marking the networks first-ever launch of original short-form content on a wireless platform. Nick Jr. will continue the multi-platform roll-out of the mini pilots PASS THE PINHA, JINNY STARFLY and ALL ABOARD on Nick Jr. Video, Nick Jr.'s broadband video service available on Nickjr.com and on-air on Nick Jr. television. Each of the mini pilots range in length from one to three minutes.
The Institute of Applied Play is Nick Jr.'s creative lab, where the network partners with new talent including illustrators and writers on a variety of projects. The Institute of Applied Play explores a fantastic array of production techniques to produce interstitials for multiple platforms. On average, Nick Jr. produces more than 15 shorts per year.
The Institute of Applied Play is Nick Jr.s playground for meeting new creators and artists, said Brown Johnson, exec creative director, Nickelodeon Preschool Television. Were excited to showcase their handiwork across all of these platforms.
In the live-action and animated short JINNY STARFLY, produced, written and directed by Syr-Ivan Bennett, two kids patiently wait for a caterpillar to turn into a butterfly. But their patience begins to wane. Is it make-believe? Nick Jr.s animated science expert Jinny Starfly flies in to show them how the caterpillar changes and that its not magic its science.
In the animated short PASS THE PINHA, created and directed by Elanna Allen, Bing the musical bird and her siblings find a Brazilian fruit called a pinha, which makes a super samba Brazilian sound when shaken. But little Bing rocks out so much that she drops the pinha, which shatters. They sadly gather around the broken fruit, until Bing nibbles on a piece and sings her conga sound. The others join in, munching and dancing to their samba song.
In the animated short ALL ABOARD, created by Nancy Wolff, a billy goat and a raccoon turn a boring morning in to a choo-choo train game. They discover that all you need are some friends and imagination to turn a seemingly boring day into an exciting ride.
The shorts that come out of the Institute of Applied Play have a history of being used as back-door pilots. Nick Jr.s original series THE WONDER PETS!, which premiered in March 2006 started out as a series of interstitials called LINNY THE GUINEA PIG. NI HAO, KAI-LAN, an upcoming new animated series slated to premiere in Fall 2007, began as a series of shorts called DOWNWARD DOGHOUSE. Additionally, Nick Jr.s short-form series MIGHTY BUG 5, started out as an interstitial called THE GRUMPY BUG. All can be seen on Nickjr.com.
Nickelodeon, in its 27th year, is the #1 entertainment brand for kids. The company includes television programming and production in the U.S. and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeons U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the #1-rated basic cable network for more than ten consecutive years.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
