The Backyardigans Sing and Dance Into Fall with Week of Premiere Episodes Beginning Monday, September 19, on Nick Jr.

The Backyardigans Sing and Dance Into Fall with Week of Premiere Episodes Beginning Monday, September 19, on Nick Jr.

Animated Series Takes Four Brand-New Adventures, Culminating in Encore Marathon on Friday, September 23, from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. (ET/PT)

* Art and tapes available upon request.

NEW YORK, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Nick Jr.'s high-spirited neighbors The Backyardigans will kick off fall with a week-long rollout of brand new episodes, beginning Monday, September 19 at 10 a.m. (all times ET/PT) with the Bossa Nova-themed adventure "Castaways." Each half-hour episode of the CGI- animated series features a unique music/dance genre with four original songs, along with real choreographed movements recreated in animation. The week's other premiere episodes feature South African Township Jive, Polka and Calypso music styles.

The premiere week roll-out is as follows:

Monday, September 19 at 10 a.m. - "Castaways"

Uniqua, Tyrone and Pablo are castaways on a desert island. To a Bossa Nova beat, they set up their island life - finding water to drink, food to eat and building a cozy hut. But strange things keep happening - and they wonder if someone else, maybe Austin, is hiding out on their island paradise.

Tuesday, September 20 at 10 a.m. - "Eureka!"

Uniqua and Tasha are brilliant scientists looking for dinosaur bones, and Pablo and Tyrone are crusty, dusty prospectors searching for gold. South African Township Jive music twangs and confusion reigns as they all scour the South Dakota hills in search of their treasures - but will they find it?

Wednesday, September 21 at 10 a.m. - "Polka Palace Party"

Tyrone is a cowboy polka musician and with his tuba in tow, he's on his way to the Cheyenne Polka Palace to play at Sherman the Worman's brother Herman's surprise birthday party. Along the way, in a stunning series of coincidences, he meets musical cowpokes Uniqua, Pablo and Austin. He helps them out of some jams and they form a band to play at Herman's party.

Thursday, September 22 at 10 a.m. - "Cave Party"

In the Ice Age, if you need something you have to invent it. Mountain cave people Tasha and Austin invite the Valley Cave people (Tyrone, Pablo and Uniqua) over to howl at the moon. To the tune of Calypso music, the Valley Cave people make their way through the frozen landscape, inventing things to help them travel, while the Mountain Cave people get ready for their guests and end up inventing "the party."

Friday, September 23 from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. - Mini-marathon of week's episodes

Encore presentations of "Castaways," "Eureka!" "Polka Palace Party" and "Cave Party."

In every episode of The Backyardigans, five high-spirited neighbors meet in their adjoining backyards and use their imaginations to transform themselves into different locations for epic adventures. The Backyardigans are: Pablo, an energetic, enthusiastic and excitable penguin; Pablo's best friend Tyrone, an easy-going, confident young moose; Uniqua, a one-of-a-kind character with an adventurous nature; Tasha, a deceptively sweet and girlish hippo; and Austin, a resourceful and shy kangaroo. The Backyardigans airs regularly weekdays on Nick Jr. at 10 a.m. and weekends on CBS (check local listings).

The Backyardigans was created by Janice Burgess, who joined Nick Jr. in 1995 as a production executive for the award-winning series Blue's Clues and Little Bill. Burgess also serves as Executive Producer. Robert Scull is Executive Producer and Supervising Director, and Jonny Belt is Co-Executive Producer and Supervising Creative Director. Scull and Belt also teamed up for Little Bill and Whoopi's Littleburg, both on Nick Jr. The Backyardigans original music is composed by accomplished musician Evan Lurie, one of the original members of the eclectic New York group "The Lounge Lizards."

Each of The Backyardigans animated dance steps are choreographed by Beth Bogush, a former director of the Alvin Ailey Dance School's children's program and performed by real dancers whose movements are then recreated in animation. The show's rich animation style features lush, fantasy backgrounds created with CGI and 3D techniques.

The Backyardigans is a co-production with Nick Jr. and Corus Entertainment's Nelvana.

Nelvana Limited is one of the world's leading international producers and distributors of children's programming and products. Nelvana is owned by Corus Entertainment, a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in both specialty TV and Radio. The company's other interests include music, television broadcasting and advertising services. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed in the Toronto (CJR.B) and New York (CJR) Exchanges. Corus' website can be found at www.corusentertainment.com

Nick Jr. is a specially designed programming block airing on Nickelodeon weekdays from 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. (ET/PT) and weekends on CBS (check local listings). Completely dedicated to preschoolers ages 2-5, Nick Jr.'s Emmy, Peabody and Parents' Choice Award-winning programs are curriculum based, fun and commercial free. At Nick Jr., kids play to learn with innovative, original shows created just for them.

Nickelodeon, now in its 26th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 89 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for ten consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Lauren Sklar, +1-212-846-7653, or lauren.sklar@nick.com; or Jodi Davis, +1-212-654-6646, or jodi.davis@noggin.com

Web site: http://www.nick.com/ http://www.corusentertainment.com/

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