droolicious : nick jr

Nick Jr. to Get Filthy on Feb. 27

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:30:00 GMT

The Backyardigans Fight Filth in “Robin Hood The Clean," Feb 27 on Nick Jr.

If we were handing out prizes for best-named children's promotion, Nick Jr. would (ahem) clean up with its upcoming "Filthy Friday" playdate. Debuting Friday, Feb. 27, at 9 a.m. ET, the lineup brings together three brand-new, cleaning-themed episodes of The Backyardigans, Olivia and Yo Gabba Gabba!

Straight from Nick's press department, here's what's on tap for Filthy Friday. Don't forget to wash your hands before settling down with a snack:

9:00 a.m. – The Backyardigans “Robin Hood The Clean”
It's the annual Festival of Dirt in the village of Filthingham where Mayor StinkyPants (Austin) reigns supreme. The townspeople (Tasha, Tyrone and Uniqua) are at their wits' end when the Mayor confiscates their last bar of soap and locks it away in the dungeon with their other personal hygiene items. Fed up, Tyrone sets off through Purewood forest to find Robin Hood the Clean (Pablo) to free them from StinkyPants and his foul ways. The music genre featured in this episode is Countrypolitan (i.e. Patsy Cline).

11:30 a.m. – OLIVIA “Olivia Paints a Mural/Olivia's Day at the Office”
Olivia is inspired after a visit to the museum with her family and decides she's going to become a great painter herself. She gets right down to business, painting a portrait of Ian. Each time she paints, she gets dirty and has to take a bath. When she sees a mural painting on a building wall, she wonders if she'll ever find a space big enough for her big ideas!

When Father takes Olivia and Ian to “bring your kids to work day,” Olivia is looking forward to a fun day with dad at the office. But when Father is given a new deadline for a big project, Olivia hatches a plan to help him out. First, however they have to track down Ian's missing frog.

1:30 p.m. – Yo Gabba Gabba! “Clean” (Guest Stars: Rachel Dratch, Chromeo, Biz Markie)
The Gabba gang learns the importance of cleaning up. They all play with toys and are reminded to clean up when they're finished. They learn to wash their hands, brush their teeth and sing a fun bath time song playing with bath toys. Musical guests Chromeo perform “Nice and Clean.” Other featured songs include: “Tiny Ugly Germs,” “Bath Time” and “West Dubb.” In this episode Rachel Dratch teaches a “Dancey Dance,” Chromeo performs and Biz Markie teaches his “Biz's Beat of the Day.”

Olivia's been a great series so far, and a Patsy Cline-style Backyardigans soundtrack should be just as impossible to get out of our heads as any other music from the series. If we end up having to set the DVR for just one episode, though, we'll shoot for getting hygiene lessons from Chromeo and Biz Markie.

Keep an eye on your local listings, and check Nick Jr. for all the latest.

Video Game Round-Up: Licensed Fun for Everyone, Part 1

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 22:03:00 GMT

With the holidays upon us, the steady trickle of video games for kids has turned into a landslide. There's plenty of educational gaming to be found (watch this space...), but this week's focus is on licensed games -- those flashy, store-aisle eyeball-grabbers that work in characters and plotlines from kids' favorite toys, movies and TV shows. Consider it sort of like eating your dessert first and then working backward toward the veggies.

Avatar: The Burning Earth (THQ; screenshot above)
Available For: Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, DS, GBA
The Deal: Nick's animated hit about an on-the-run golden child with element-manipulating powers returns to the console; this time, you're playing as lead character Aang, as well as his friends, to hone your (literal) elemental skills and fend off a Fire Nation assault: air battles, multiplayer action and arena combat ensue. It's a fighting game, albeit a cartoonish, Zen-like one, so little kids may not be ready for it yet -- though they're sure to argue otherwise.
Who'll Dig It: Besides Babble's own Lisa Carver, fans of Avatar (the storyline, characters and Asian-style animation are straight out of season 2) and of martial-arts games in general.

Barbie as the Island Princess (Activision)
Available For: Wii, PS2, DS, GBA, PC
The Deal: A game based on a movie based on a toy based on a beauty ideal, Barbie as the Island Princess finds you playing as the shipwrecked Princess Rosella -- with the option to unlock new characters and costumes as you move toward your ultimate destination, the prince's castle. A multiplayer mode and 28 minigames, along with footage not found in the DVD, add welcome replay value.
Who'll Dig It: Barbie fans of all ages; it's also a fun way to bond outside of the castle playset with your little Barbie collector, particularly if neither of you is an avid gamer.

Ben 10: Protector of Earth (D3)
Available For: Wii, DS, PS2, PSP
The Deal: The shape-shifting 10-year-old star of Cartoon Network's animated smash (and real-life spinoff) must stop the evil Vilgax from stealing the source of his power. Play as Ben's five alien alter-egos; battle friends in combat mode; and unlock challenges as you fight to save the world. Or, you know, just watch your kids clobber their way through the thing.
Who'll Dig It: Ben 10 fans will love being able to man the Omnitrix (don't ask) and get into their hero's business. You might be underwhelmed by the basic fight-to-win action if you're not down with the series, but if that's the case, why are you playing?

Cars: Mater National (THQ)
Available For: Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, PS2, DS, GBA, PC
The Deal: Racing games are like crack for kids; throw in the characters from Pixar's Cars, along with Monsters, Inc.'s Mike and Sully (here as monster trucks) and you won't be able to pull 'em away from the set. This time, you're competing in the Mater-National world championship, vying for a shot against Lightning McQueen while veering off course in over 20 minigames and a wide-open playing field.
Who'll Dig It: See above. It doesn't blow away the original Cars game, but given how easy these things are to beat, it's a nice expansion to the series.

Dora Saves the Mermaids (2K Play)
Available For: DS
The Deal: Though it's clearly aimed at the littlest gamers, Dora's new adventure -- in which she and Boots team up for a fun, simple journey to restore a mermaid's magic crown -- has some cool features: You can use the stylus to sweep garbage off a beach, or call to dolphins through the DS' microphone. And with basic counting and puzzle-solving activities included, it's got some educational perks, too.
Who'll Dig It: Dora fans, of course.

Nickelodeon Launches myNOGGIN for Ad-Free Online Learning

Aaron Burgess — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:32:00 GMT

More power to those of you who've managed to keep your little ones offline, but for the rest of us, Nickelodeon has launched myNOGGIN, a subscription-based, ad-free site aimed at preschoolers through first graders. Featuring a variety of curriculum-based learning games developed with an educational advisory board, and hosted by familiar characters Blue, Dora, Diego and Moose A. Moose, the site offers three subscription levels: $5.95 for 12 months, $7.95 for six months, and $9.95 for a month-to-month deal. You can try a demo, sign up for a free trial, and read more about the "connected learning" approach before committing, and, as with any sort of gaming experience, this one is only as meaningful as the time you invest in it alongside your kids (there's even a Parent Center where you sign in to track progress). In other words, a baby-sitter it isn't.

Big Deal: Make Yo Gabba Gabba T-Shirts!

Karen — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 16:05:00 GMT

I've scoured the internet for Yo Gabba Gabba merch, and I can't find any, but free is always good! Use a clean t-shirt and iron on transfer paper to create these tees from NickJr's website. Printable iron-ons come in 5 styles and as cute as they are colourful.