HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (April 8, 2010) – Beginning Monday, May 24, PBS KIDS will be airing four new episodes of the hit CG-animated preschool series DINOSAUR TRAIN™ from The Jim Henson Company. Children of all ages can climb aboard the DINOSAUR TRAIN with Buddy and the entire Pteranodon family as they embark on a roaring, exploring, World Tour adventure in these new summer-themed vacation episodes. Airing May 24-27, the special week finds the family packing up and boarding the train to discover the wonderful variety of dinosaurs inhabiting the globe as they journey to Asia, Europe and Africa. Also joining this trip is a new character Gilbert, the conductor’s young nephew.

The four all-new episodes will premiere on the popular PBS KIDS preschool destination, an educational, hosted two-hour morning television block. (Please check local listings). In addition, two new games will be featured on the Parents’ Choice Award-winning website, PBSKIDS.org/dinosaurtrain. The All Aboard game (launching in May) will give kids control of the Dinosaur Train as a junior conductor, helping to seat different types of dinosaurs as the train moves from station to station. And in Dinosaur Tracks (available now) Buddy and his friends are making tracks in the mud, kids can help them figure out which footprint comes next. PBSKIDS.org/dinosaurtrain welcomes more than 2.4 million visits each month, offering engaging content designed to continue dinosaur exploration beyond the television series, including printables, games, and a dinosaur field guide.

DINOSAUR TRAIN, the perfect marriage of the two things 3-6 year olds love the most – trains and dinosaurs, was created by Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!). The series embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains while encouraging basic scientific thinking and skills. Each 30-minute episode includes two 11-minute animated segments with live action sequences featuring well-known paleontologist, Scott Sampson, Ph.D. Dr. Scott brings to life the show’s natural science and natural history curriculum for preschoolers as he gives specific facts about dinosaurs and compares their features to animals of today. The series continues The Jim Henson Company’s legacy of quality children’s entertainment and joins Henson’s successful series SID THE SCIENCE KID™, which also airs on PBS KIDS.

Young viewers join Buddy and his adoptive family Mr. and Mrs. Pteranodon and his new siblings, Tiny, Shiny and Don [on a whimsical voyage through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans as they unearth basic concepts in natural science, natural history and paleontology] – redundant. The DINOSAUR TRAIN is a colorful locomotive, customized to accommodate all kinds of dinosaurs. Windows are perfect for the long-necked herbivores, and there’s plenty of head room in the Observation Car for the Giganotosaurus, giving all the species onboard a chance to check out the prehistoric world as they ride on the train. The DINOSAUR TRAIN has the ability to visit the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous worlds, while the Train’s Conductor, a knowledgeable Troodon, provides passengers with fascinating facts along the way.

In addition to the television series, there is also a DINOSAUR TRAIN interactive website at PBSKIDS.org/dinosaurtrain. Buddy, Tiny, Mr. Conductor and Dr. Scott will guide children as they discover natural history and the science of paleontology through fun games and activities. Parents, caregivers and educators can find resources and activities to extend the series learning at PBS Parents (PBSPARENTS.org) and PBS Teachers (PBSTEACHERS.org).

Synopses:
WEEK OF MAY 24
“Pteranodon Family World Tour;” “Gilbert the Junior Conductor” – The entire Pteranodon family embarks on a roaring, exploring, World Tour adventure! The Pteranodon family continues with Gilbert, the Conductor’s nephew.

“Confuciusornis Says;” “Tiny’s Tiny Doll” – The next stop on the Dinosaur Train World Tour takes the Pteranodon family to Confuciusornis Gardens, where they meet a very wise old dinosaur. During a stop on the Pteranodon family’s World Tour, Tiny accidentally leaves her beloved Tiny Doll behind in Velociraptor Valley and it takes several new dinosaurs to return it to her.

“Iggy Iguanodon;” “Shiny Can’t Sleep” – The Pteranodon family continues their World Tour and meets Iggy Iguanodon, a large, four-legged chap who shows them his unique way of walking. During the World Tour Shiny is homesick and having a hard time falling asleep on the train so Mrs. Conductor and Dad help her discover all of the wonderful nighttime surprises on the Dinosaur Train.

“Kenny Kentrosaurus;” “Don and the Troodons” – As the Pteranodon family’s World Tour continues, they travel to Africa to meet a Stegosaur named Kenny Kentrosaurus. The Pteranodon family oversleeps and has to hurry to make another guided walk on their World Tour!

DINOSAUR TRAIN, produced by The Jim Henson Company, is co-produced with Singapore animation company Sparky Entertainment, with the participation and assistance of the Singapore Media Development Authority. UK production and financial support is being provided by Ingenious Media. The series is executive produced by Lisa Henson, Brian Henson, Halle Stanford and Craig Bartlett.

About PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO!
PBS KIDS, for preschoolers, and PBS KIDS GO!, for early elementary school kids, offer all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and community-based programs. With positive role models and content designed to nurture a child’s total well-being, family and educator resources – including PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! television series, PBSKIDS.org , PBSKIDSGO.org , PBS Parents (PBSPARENTS.org ), PBS Teachers (PBSTEACHERS.org). PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation’s nearly 360 public television stations, serving more than 124 million people on-air and online each month. For more information on specific shows supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit PBS.org/pressroom

PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST OR BY VISITING
http://pressroom.pbs.org/programs/dinosaur_train

PHOTO CREDIT – © 2010 The Jim Henson Company. JIM HENSON’S mark & logo, DINOSAUR TRAIN mark & logo, characters and elements are trademarks of The Jim Henson Company. All Rights Reserved

Press Contacts
Nicole Goldman/Ann Schwarz
323-802-1608/323-802-1667
ngoldman@henson.com/aschwarz@henson.com

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The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include the Emmy® nominated “Sid the Science Kid,” “Dinosaur Train,” “Wilson & Ditch: Digging America” and “Pajanimals.” Features include “The Dark Crystal,” “Labyrinth,” “MirrorMask,” and “Unstable Fables” and television productions include “Fraggle Rock” and the sci-fi cult series “Farscape.”

With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities. Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry’s top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of-the-art and vintage equipment. The Company’s Henson Alternative brand has recently launched the national tour of “Stuffed and Unstrung,” a live puppet improvisational show named one of the top 10 “Best Stage Shows of 2010”
by Entertainment Weekly.

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