Jim Henson, KCET Prep New Preschool Science Series

HOLLYWOOD, May 2: The Jim
Henson Company and KCET are working together on Sid the Science Kid, a new preschool science series featuring
exclusive digital puppetry animation, for debut this September on PBS KIDS.

Sid the Science Kid, featuring 40 half-hour episodes, debuts September
1 on PBS KIDS. The series is being created using the Henson Digital Puppetry
Studio, a proprietary technology that allows performers to puppeteer and voice
digital characters in real time.

Sid the Science Kid uses comedy to celebrate children’s natural
curiosity about science and explores their “why?” questions in everyday life.
It features the inquisitive 5-year-old Sid, who tackles ideas such as “Why do
bananas go ‘bad’”?, “How does my juice box straw work?” and “How does a bird
fly without a plane?.” In each episode, viewers will be introduced to Sid’s
friends and family who help him find the answers to these questions. Funding
for Sid the Science Kid is
provided by First 5 California, PBS and The Rose Hills Foundation.

Launching at the same time
as the TV series is the online interactive website at pbskids.org/sid. The
website will feature three discovery zones: The Super Fab Lab at Sid’s school,
the playground and Sid's kitchen. Each zone will host numerous games that
together encompass all of the series curricular themes. The site also features
a child-friendly video player that lets kids view show clips, including songs
and real-world segments; mentoring tips for parents, teachers and caregivers;
and a book of printable activities that will include coloring pages and offline
activities found in the show.

Brian Henson, Lisa Henson
and Halle Stanford of The Jim Henson Company, along with Bradley Zweig, serve
as executive producers on the series. Joyce Campbell is executive producer for
KCET, while Mary Mazur is the executive in charge of production for KCET. The
Jim Henson Company is handling all ancillary use of the property, including
licensing, video and merchandising. The website is being produced by KCET New
Media, which is partnering with multimedia design studio FableVision.

“The company is buzzing
with activity to bring Sid and all of his friends to life and it has been
gratifying to get such fantastic support from PBS and its affiliates as well as
the retail and licensing community,” said Lisa Henson, the co-CEO of The Jim
Henson Company and executive producer on the series. “Our puppeteers, artists,
computer engineers, writers and staff are looking forward to introducing
preschoolers to Sid’s world in September as he explores science topics in true
Jim Henson Company style—with wonder, enthusiasm and a healthy dose of
humor.”

“PBS KIDS has the
exceptional opportunity to convey more science, discovery and exploration
themes to our preschool audience through Sid the Science Kid,” said Linda Simensky, the senior director of
children’s programming at PBS. “KCET and The Jim Henson Company’s commitment to
providing engaging, educational content to kids is a perfect fit with PBS KIDS
and the innovative production technique through the Henson Digital Puppetry
Studio is sure to make the show stand out among other children’s series.”

—By Irene Lew