NEW YORK, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Preschoolers will "just press play," as NOGGIN, the commercial-free, educational preschool network from Nickelodeon, introduces a new form of interactive viewing for preschoolers, on its new, original, live-action series, The Upside Down Show. Starring world-renowned comedy duo, The Umbilical Brothers (David Collins and Shane Dundas), the 13- episode half-hour preschool series developed by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street and Dragon Tales, will debut on NOGGIN on Monday, October 16 with two back-to-back episodes from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (ET). Beginning Friday, November 10, The Umbilical Brothers can be seen performing in Manhattan at The New Victory Theater with their comedy show Speedmouse.
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NOGGIN will premiere a new episode every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4:30 p.m. (ET) for four weeks straight through Friday, November 10. The Upside Down Show will air regularly on NOGGIN weekdays at 11:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. (ET).
Set in a fantastical living room with more doors than walls, The Upside Down Show stars David and Shane, two brothers who live with their fun-loving sidekick Puppet, their invisible pet fly Fido, and the Shmuzzies, adorable fluff balls who speak "Shmuzzish" and love to rhyme. Each episode begins as the brothers "hand" an imaginary remote control to the viewers at home so they can "control" the duo's physical motion by fast forwarding, rewinding or pausing their movement. Breaking "the fourth wall" of the television set, the brothers encourage their audience to participate in their antics and accompany them on their excursions. Every week, the duo embarks on a journey to explore new infinite worlds like the Very Hairy Room, Wind Room or Puppy Room, and everyday destinations like the beach, the airport or the movies. But Shane and David need help from their friends and viewers at home, as they don't know where their destination is or how to get there! They take detours through magical doors in their apartment which allow the brothers -- and the preschoolers playing along -- to investigate the world around them.
The Upside Down Show provides a fresh new way for preschoolers to interact by learning critical thinking skills, rich vocabulary and relational concepts and life skills through pretend play. The series elevates the concept of imaginative play to a new platform in which children build valuable reasoning skills, develop creative problem solving abilities and enhance their understanding of and joy in the world around them. The remote control featured on the series becomes a fun tool to help children learn unique vocabulary and relational concepts, as well as to play along with these completely original, imaginary stories.
The following preschool platforms will also kick off the launch of The Upside Down Show:
- On Monday, September 25, Noggin.com will begin streaming a 'sneak peek'
clip from the premiere episode of The Upside Down Show ("Art Museum").
- On September 25, the following NOGGIN and Nick Jr. Video On Demand
services will commence windowing a clip from "Art Museum": Comcast,
Charter, Cablevision, Verizon FiOS and Cox.
- Beginning Monday, October 2, all Nick Jr. Video On Demand services will
commence windowing the entire second episode of The Upside Down Show
("Farm").
- This fall, The Upside Down Show ringtones and wallpaper will be
available on various wireless carriers.
"David and Shane may be the two funniest men on the planet. They are silly, spontaneous, ridiculous, amazing and on the perfect wavelength for preschoolers," said Brown Johnson, Executive Creative Director, Nickelodeon Preschool Television. "The Brothers make ordinary things extraordinary -- from taking a trip to the art museum or the beach to visiting wacky places like the sticky room, the no-room room, or the sandwich room, where they achieve 'total sandwich.' They make me laugh every time!"
"We're very excited about the debut of The Upside Down Show, which is very different than other preschool shows," said Liz Nealon, Sesame Workshop's Executive Vice President/Creative Director. "Pairing the irresistible antics of the Umbilical Brothers with the Workshop's understanding that young children learn best through imaginative play has created a special kind of alchemy. We've worked hard to make sure that this offbeat and funny show also serves up serious school readiness -- teaching and reinforcing cognitive thinking and language skills, and fostering a sense of mastery and self- confidence, all while keeping kids laughing and engaged."
The first two episodes of The Upside Down Show will feature the following stories:
- (Premiere Episode): "Art Museum" -- Shane creates an artistic
masterpiece to hang on the refrigerator, until he and David discover
they don't actually have a refrigerator! At the suggestion of their
neighbor Mrs. Foil and with help from Puppet and their pet fly Fido, The
Brothers look for an art museum to hang the piece of art. Along the
way, Shane and David get stuck in the Sticky Room, lost in the Fog Room,
and meet a young talented finger painter in the Museum of Finger
Painting. The Brothers introduce "Pause," "Rewind," "Fast Forward" and
"Instant Replay" buttons on the imaginary remote, and the viewers at
home press the "Humongous" and "Minute" buttons to help Shane and David
reach their final destination.
- (2nd Episode): "Farm" -- Shane and David have a band called The Talking
Airheads, which features Shane on guitar; David on drums and a cowbell;
Fido the fly on trumpet; and The Shmuzzies on the Marimba. But the band
faces a setback when David's cowbell -- which happens to be attached to
an imaginary cow named Clarabelle -- disappears! On their journey to
find the cow, The Brothers spend time in the Great Big Bell Room, fish
for the cowbell in the Boat Out At Sea Room and go for a ride in the
Bicycle Room. Viewers help Shane and David along by pressing the
"Seesaw" and "Steady' buttons on the remote control.
NOGGIN's award-winning website (http://www.noggin.com/) will feature a variety of content to complement the premiere of The Upside Down Show, including an online game where preschoolers can personalize an imaginary play experience with Shane and David by creating their own interactive video. The site will also feature downloadable clips from the series and several activities including The Upside Down Show printables, crafts, E-cards and more. Nick Jr.'s award-winning website (http://www.nickjr.com/) will also launch The Upside Down Show interactive game and activities, in addition to featuring a dedicated playlist of clips from series on Nick Jr. Video.
The Upside Down Show was co-created by The Umbilical Brothers and veteran Sesame Street writer, Belinda Ward. Sesame Workshop's Supervising Producer Kurt Mueller hatched the original concept and assembled the creative team. The Executive Producer is Michael Bourchier of Blink Films in Sydney.
As the world-renowned Australian comedy duo The Umbilical Brothers, David Collins and Shane Dundas have traveled internationally, including New York, Europe, South Africa, and Australia with their original hit shows Thwak, Heaven by Storm, and Speed Mouse. Also making their mark on the small screen, they are the creators of the voices and sound effects of Nickelodeon's Maisy (which currently airs on NOGGIN) and have appeared in numerous high profile TV commercials in Australia.
Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit educational organization making a meaningful difference in children's lives around the world. Founded in 1968, the Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street. Today, the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in 120 countries, using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its programs and products are engaging and enriching. Sesame Workshop is behind award- winning programs like Dragon Tales, Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat, Pinky Dinky Doo and ground breaking multimedia productions in South Africa, Egypt and Russia. As a nonprofit, Sesame Workshop puts the proceeds it receives from sales of Sesame Street, Dragon Tales, Sagwa, and Pinky products right back into its educational projects for children around the world. Find the Workshop online at http://www.sesameworkshop.org/.
NOGGIN, the commercial-free, educational preschool network from Nickelodeon, currently reaches 52 million households via cable, digital cable and satellite TV. NOGGIN, which airs from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (ET), is like preschool on TV, with educational programming both on-air and online at http://www.noggin.com/. NOGGIN and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.
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