PBS KIDS to Debut Dinosaur Train

LOS ANGELES, January 8: Dinosaur
Train, a new CGI-animated series
from The Jim Henson Company, will make its premiere on PBS KIDS in fall 2009,
bolstered by a number of online activities at pbskids.org.

Created by Craig Bartlett
(Hey Arnold!), Dinosaur
Train is currently in production
for 40 half-hour episodes. The new series combines preschoolers' fascination
with both dinosaurs and trains while encouraging basic scientific thinking and
skills, presenting information about natural science, natural history and
paleontology.

The Jim Henson Company
will oversee all ancillary exploitation of the property, including licensing
and merchandising. PBS will handle DVD distribution to consumer and education
markets. Dinosaur Train is
co-produced with Singapore animation company BIG Communications, with the
participation and assistance of the Singapore Media Development Authority. The
U.K. production and financial support is being provided by Ingenious Media.

"Based on input from
paleontologists, science educators and early childhood-education experts, Dinosaur
Train has developed an ambitious
and creative curriculum that harnesses children's enthusiasm for and curiosity
about dinosaurs, sparking children's interest in life science and natural
history," said Lisa Henson, the co-CEO of The Jim Henson Company.
"PBS KIDS has been an incredible partner with our current series Sid
the Science Kid, and our new
project Dinosaur Train extends
our mutual vision of creating quality, educational preschool programming by
encouraging even more young viewers to get excited about science and the role
it plays in our lives every day."

"PBS is thrilled to
bring in a second series from The Jim Henson Company," added John Boland,
the chief content officer for PBS. "There is a great need for future
leadership in science, technology, engineering and math, and with series like Dinosaur
Train, PBS is leveraging its media
assets to help guide children through these core curriculum areas."

—By Kristin Brzoznowski