Los Angeles, CA – September 16, 2008 — The Jim Henson Company will debut two all-new innovative CGI-animated series, Dinosaur Train and The Skrumps, at MIPCOM Jr. That announcement was made today by Peter Schube, President & COO, The Jim Henson Company. Created for 3-6 year old children, Dinosaur Train featuring a colorful steam engine that carries all kinds of dinosaurs to the many prehistoric eras, is currently in development as 52 x 11’ episodes for PBS Kids®. The world of Dinosaur Train is seen through the eyes of Buddy, a preschool-age Tyrannosaurus Rex. Rescued and hatched by a female Pteranodon, Buddy soon realizes that he looks quite different from his siblings. In response to Buddy’s enthusiasm to learn more about himself and other dinosaurs, mom takes her family for adventures on the Dinosaur Train. Kids will get on board with Buddy and his family to meet all kinds of dinosaurs and learn new fascinating facts about these incredible creatures.
Also debuting at the market for pre-sales is The Skrumps, a series based on characters created by artist John Chandler and made popular by his line of collectible figures and illustrated storybooks. The Skrumps, a uniquely colorful troupe of Skrumpland residents, is currently in active development for long-form direct-to-dvd production with a future television series also anticipated. The characters are performed using the Henson Digital Puppetry Studio. Several short videos, including a music video and several character video-blogs were initially produced and distributed on Yahoo Kids! in January 2007 to launch the brand. The Skrumps were also featured in their first interactive game launched on Yahoo in March 2008.
“Based on input from paleontologists, science educators, and early childhood education experts, Dinosaur Train has developed an ambitious, creative curriculum and harnesses children’s enthusiasm for and curiosity about dinosaurs, sparking children’s interest in life science and natural history,”\ commented Schube. “The innovative and irreverent quality of The Skrumps continues our legacy of creating families of engaging characters that audiences around the world will connect with and we are excited to launch this new property across all media including on-line content and television productions, as well as merchandising and licensing.”
“The Skrumps and Dinosaur Train offer tremendous creativity and a level of quality that broadcasters associate with The Jim Henson Company, and we are extremely proud to present both series to the international television marketplace for the first time at MIPCOM,” added Sam Ewing, the company’s recently appointed Head of International Sales, New Programming.”
For media inquiries, please contact:
Nicole Goldman
Vice President, Marketing and PR
The Jim Henson Company
323.802-1608
Ngoldman@henson.com
Michelle Orsi or Carol Holdsworth
Three.Sixty Marketing & Communications
310.372.2309 or 805.252.1848
michelle@360-comm.com; carol@360-comm.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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