Nick Jr. Energizes Preschoolers All Summer Long With LazyTown

Nick Jr. Energizes Preschoolers All Summer Long With LazyTown

Comic/Action Series Premieres New Episodes in June, Preceded by Memorial Day LazyTown Marathon and Debut of Nick Jr.'s 'Power Play Summer,' Hosted by Stephanie

LazyTown's Pink-Haired Charmer Stephanie to Host Nick Jr. Summer Packaging and Memorial Day LazyTown Marathon on Monday, May 30

Week of Brand-New Episodes to Air June 6 - 10, at 10:30a.m. (ET/PT)

NEW YORK, May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Nick Jr. kicks off its summer schedule on Memorial Day (Monday, May 30), with a six-episode marathon of the groundbreaking comic/action series LazyTown and the debut of "Power Play Summer," the network's new summer packaging hosted by LazyTown's enthusiastic, pink-haired heroine Stephanie (played by Julianna Rose Mauriello). A week-long rollout of new LazyTown episodes will premiere beginning Monday, June 6, in the series regular timeslot at 10:30 a.m. (all times ET/PT) on Nick Jr.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050510/NYTU159 )

"It's going to be a 'bing-bang' summer on Nick Jr.," said Brown Johnson, Executive Creative Director, Nickelodeon Preschool Television. "Stephanie, Sportacus and the whole Nick Jr. audience will literally move the power play meter by dancing, hopping and laughing together."

"Stephanie is the perfect play along host for our 'Power Play Summer' -- she's optimistic, full of energy and who doesn't love her pink hair!" she said.

During "Power Play Summer," host Stephanie will encourage viewers to move the Nick Jr. power play meter -- an on-screen meter that measures the activity level of preschoolers at home -- over the top by playing along with activities like jumping jacks, learning the 'bing bang' dance and even wiggling their bodies. In several segments, Stephanie will be joined by her LazyTown friends Sportacus, Ziggy, Pixel and some real kids. "Power Play Summer" will air through August.

LazyTown will also join the NOGGIN daily lineup this summer, with the show scheduled to begin airing on the commercial-free, educational network for preschoolers, on Monday, July 11, at 12 p.m.

LazyTown was created in Iceland by professional athlete and aerobic champion Magnus Scheving and is set in a strange and wonderful village where eight-year-old Stephanie and her friends are caught between a charismatic, health-conscious superhero named Sportacus (played by Scheving) and lazy bad guy Robbie Rotten (played by Stefan Karl), who spends his time lounging around and eating junk food. A mix of live-action, puppets and CGI animation, LazyTown is dedicated to making physical activity and healthy lifestyles for kids entertaining.

Two-time European Champion and silver medalist in the World Championship of Aerobics, LazyTown creator and star Magnus Scheving is a world class athlete, entertainer and writer in his native Iceland. During his travels around the world lecturing on health and fitness, parents always asked Scheving about exercise and nutrition for children. As a response, he created LazyTown in 1991 with the book "Go, Go Lazy Town!" and the property was built into a household name in Iceland with businesses including publishing, live theatrical performances and a radio station. LazyTown made its debut as a television show on Nick Jr. in August, 2004.

LazyTown is shot in Iceland with an international cast and crew, using one of the most technologically advanced HDTV video and film facilities in the world. Working with Hypercube Inc., the production has implemented an extremely advanced HDTV 24P digital cinematography environment which immediately produces finished movie quality results in real-time, while the action is happening.

Nick Jr. is a specially designed programming block airing on Nickelodeon weekdays from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. (ET/PT) and weekends on CBS (check local listings). Completely dedicated to preschoolers ages 2-5, Nick Jr.'s Emmy, Peabody and Parents' Choice Award-winning programs are curriculum based, fun and commercial free. At Nick Jr., kids play to learn with innovative, original shows created just for them.

Nickelodeon, now in its 26th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in 89 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for more than nine consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

* Art Available Upon Request.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050510/NYTU159
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Lauren Sklar, +1-212-846-7653, lauren.sklar@nick.com, or Jodi
Davis, +1-212-654-6646, jodi.davis@noggin.com, both for Nickelodeon

Web site: http://www.nick.com/

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