Jim Henson Company, KCET to Produce Series for PBS KIDS

HOLLYWOOD, September 6:
The Jim Henson Company and the PBS West Coast flagship station KCET have
partnered to produce What’s the Big Idea?, a new educational series beginning production this fall to debut on
PBS KIDS in 2008.

The series will promote
science readiness for children by encouraging their curiosity about the world
around them. In a sketch-comedy format, What’s the Big Idea? focuses on an inquisitive youngster named Josh who
explores everyday questions that preschoolers find fascinating. The 40×30-minute
series will be created using the Henson Digital Performance Studio, which is a
proprietary technology that allows puppeteers to perform digital characters in
real time to create a more spontaneous result.

What’s the Bid Idea? will be executive produced by Brian Henson, Lisa
Henson and Halle Stanford of The Jim Henson Company and KCET’s Mary Mazur and
Joyce Campbell. The Jim Henson Company is handling all ancillary exploitation
of the property including licensing, video and merchandising.

In partnership with the
multimedia design studio FableVision, an online component is being developed to
bolster the series at pbskids.org.