Nickelodeon Unwraps a Joyful Slate of Holiday Specials for Kids From Tots to Tweens in December

Nickelodeon Unwraps a Joyful Slate of Holiday Specials for Kids From Tots to Tweens in December

Festive Fare Includes the All-New, Two-Hour TV Movie Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh Toonful Yuletide Premieres of The Wonder Pets!, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! and The Fairly OddParents; Plus Tween-Pleasing Hits iCarly, True Jackson, VP and The Naked Brothers Band

Henry Winkler and Kimbo Slice Lend Chuckles and Cheer to Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh; Whoopi Goldberg and Natasha Bedingfield Guest-Star on The Naked Brothers Band Christmas Special

NEW YORK, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nickelodeon delivers a bounty of primetime presents to make kids and tweens merry throughout the month of December, including seven all-new seasonal specials and an array of holiday favorites. In the spirit of the season, Nick reunites two of the most popular stars in the history of kids TV - Drake Bell and Josh Peck -- for a brand-new, two-hour original TV movie, Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh, premiering Friday, December 5, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT). Then spreading more chuckles and cheer, the number-one kids' network delivers toonful Yuletide premieres of Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! (December 5) The Wonder Pets! (December 8) and The Fairly OddParents (December 12). And on December 13, from 8-9:30 p.m. (ET/PT), Nick unwraps new back-to-back holiday episodes of the live-action hits iCarly, True Jackson, VP and The Naked Brothers Band.

At once a comic adventure and a poignant story for the season, Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh guest-stars Henry Winkler and MMA fighter Kimbo Slice respectively as the fair-minded judge and Josh's good-hearted ex-cellmate who help the brotherly duo keep their Christmas promise to a family of foster kids. And on a merry, musical note headliner Drake Bell rings in the season - and engages the foster kids and his band -- with rocking renditions of Jingle Bells and The 12 Days of Christmas.

On Monday, December 8, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), the The Wonder Pets! "Save the Nutcracker!" puts a contemporary spin on Tchaikovsky's holiday classic. At week's end, Christmas itself is at risk on The Fairly OddParents' as Timmy Turner must convince Santa that the holiday is worth saving when "Wishmas" threatens to replace it forever, in the new special, "Merry Wishmas!" premiering Friday, December 12, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).

Tweens will rejoice as a spirited trio of new live-action holiday special episodes of the Nick hits iCarly, True Jackson, VP, and The Naked Brothers Band will light up Nick's airwaves the night of Saturday, December 13. iCarly's "iChristmas" leads off at 8 p.m. with a take-off of the Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life. In "iChristmas," Carly (Miranda Cosgrove) angrily wishes she had a "normal" brother after Spencer's (Jerry Trainor) magnetic tree sculpture catches fire incinerating the presents beneath it. Mitch the angel appears to show her what her life would be like with a buttoned-up brother. On True Jackson, VP, at 8:30 p.m., Lulu thinks Max's accountant may be Santa Claus after observing his striking resemblance to Kris Kringle, not to mention his jolly chuckle, "Jingle Bells" ringtone and North Pole vernacular. On The Naked Brothers Band, premiering at 9:00 p.m., Whoopi Goldberg, Natasha Bedingfield and Leon Thomas get Nat into the Christmas spirit before his holiday blues ruin a benefit the band is holding for Save the Children. The holiday special features a performance of the song "Yes We Can" performed by Nat Wolff, Natasha Bedingfield, and Leon Thomas.

Nick Jr. celebrates the holidays with "Frosty Fridays," mini-marathons of holiday episodes every Friday of the month, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (ET/PT). Preschoolers can enjoy a brand-new episode of Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! on Friday, December 5, at 1:30 p.m. The marathons will also include seasonal episodes of Nick Jr.'s hit series The Wonder Pets!, The Backyardigans, Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, and Yo Gabba Gabba!

Following is a rundown of Nickelodeon's Primetime Holiday Lineup (all times are ET/PT):

Friday, Dec. 5
8:00 p.m. Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh (two-hour TV movie premiere)
-- The big comic adventure reuniting Nick's superstar duo Drake Bell and
Josh Peck unfolds as a mall Santa and his sack of toys - alias Drake
and Josh - promise an adorable little girl that her foster family will
have "the best Christmas ever." It's a pledge that will change their
holiday and their lives - and one that's tough to keep after Drake's
antics at a holiday party land responsible Josh in the slammer. Both
boys are hauled into court after Drake tries to break his brother out
of jail, and Judge Newman (Henry Winkler) rules that if little Mary
Alice (Bailee Madison) and her family don't have the best Christmas
ever, it's back behind bars for Drake and Josh. Little sis Megan's
(Miranda Cosgrove) clever pranks keep a heartless parole officer at
bay, but the guys bump heads and clash on the path to make good on
their unbreakable promise, leaving kids to expect the unexpected -
including Josh's ex-cellmate Bludge (Kimbo Slice) making an appearance
as a rather unusual Santa. Bell rings in the season with rockin'
renditions of Jingle Bells and The 12 Days of Christmas.

Monday, Dec. 8
8:00 p.m. The Wonder Pets! "Save the Nutcracker!" (premiere)
-- In "Save the Nutcracker!," directed by Emmy Award winner Jennifer
Oxley, it's Christmas Eve and a Mouse King emerges from a picture book
and steals the Wonder Pets' Nutcracker present from the classroom.
Linny the Guinea Pig, Turtle Tuck and Ming-Ming Duckling pursue the
Mouse King into the book, dancing through a wintery wonderland filled
with sugar plum fairies and sweet treats to the music of Tchaikovsky's
"The Nutcracker" ballet. The trio persuades the Mouse King to give
back the Nutcracker and be happy with what he already has in his
kingdom. The Wonder Pets travel back to the classroom and on
Christmas morning, they crack open their nut which magically decorates
the classroom and brings the Nutcracker to life.
8:30 p.m. Dora the Explorer "A Present for Santa"

Tuesday, Dec. 9
8:00 p.m. The Fairly OddParents "Christmas Every Day"
8:30 p.m. The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius "Holly Jolly Jimmy"

Wednesday, Dec. 10

8:00 p.m. SpongeBob SquarePants "Patchy the Pirate Presents the SpongeBob SquarePants Christmas Special"

8:30 p.m. The Fairly OddParents "Christmas Every Day"

Thursday, Dec. 11
8:00 p.m. The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius "Holly Jolly Jimmy"

8:30 p.m. SpongeBob SquarePants "Patchy the Pirate Presents the SpongeBob SquarePants Christmas Special"

Friday, Dec. 12
8:00 p.m. The Fairly OddParents "Merry Wishmas!" (premiere)
-- When Timmy wishes that every kid could get one magical coupon for the
most-wanted Christmas gift they didn't get, Cosmo and Wanda turn into
magic mailmen and deliver "wish coupons" to every kid in Dimmsdale.
Suddenly "Wishmas" explodes into a bigger holiday than Christmas, and
an out-of-work Santa moves in with the Turners. Timmy's got a whole
year to convince Santa to return to the North Pole and start making
toys again, but before he knows it Wishmas is poised to replace
Christmas forever! Timmy has to act fast to get all the kids in
Dimmsdale to help him convince Santa that Christmas is worth saving.
In the end, Timmy learns a valuable lesson: Christmas isn't about what
you get, it's about what you give.

8:30 p.m. Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh (2-Hour Movie)

Saturday, Dec. 13
8:00 p.m. iCarly "iChristmas" (premiere)
-- In this take-off of the Christmas classic "It's a Wonderful Life,"
Carly (Miranda Cosgrove) wishes she had a "normal" brother after
Spencer's (Jerry Trainor) magnetic tree sculpture catches fire
incinerating all of her presents. Magically a Christmas angel named
Mitch appears and sets out to earn his wings by showing her what her
life would be like if Spencer were a ho-hum, buttoned-up lawyer: Sam's
(Jennette McCurdy) in a Juvenile Detention Center since "normal"
Spencer never allowed the girls to play together. Freddie's (Nathan
Kress) smitten with an obnoxious girl at school. Only if Mitch gets
his wings, will Carly's Christmas and her life be happy once again.

8:30 p.m. True Jackson, VP "Telling Amanda" (premiere)
-- Ryan overhears Amanda's boyfriend making other plans for lunch, so he,
Lulu and True (Keke Palmer) decide to follow him -- only to discover
he's cheating on her. True decides it's best to tell Amanda, which
only makes her give True more work. Meanwhile, Max enlists Lulu to
help his accountant with an audit, and Lulu thinks he may be Santa
Claus after observing his striking resemblance to Kris Kringle, not to
mention his jolly chuckle, "Jingle Bells" ringtone and North Pole
vernacular.

9:00 p.m. The Naked Brothers Band "Christmas Special" (premiere)
-- Nat (Nat Wolff) has the holiday blues since Rosalina's (Allie DiMeco)
letters from abroad have a steadily decreasing number of X's and O's.
If Nat doesn't find something to give him the Christmas spirit, it
could ruin a benefit the band is holding for Save the Children, which
is hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. Meanwhile, Alex (Alex Wolff) is in
competition with the adorable Timmerman Brothers to create the world's
worst online Christmas video. The special features "Yes We Can"
performed by Nat Wolff, Natasha Bedingfield and Leon Thomas, as well
as the humorous holiday songs "My Mistletoe Hat" (The Timmerman
Brothers), "Termites Munching on the Christmas Tree" (Alex Wolff) and
"Christmas Stinks" (Nat Wolff).

9:30 p.m. The Fairly OddParents "Merry Wishmas!"

Sunday, Dec. 14
6:00 p.m. True Jackson, VP "Telling Amanda"
6:30 p.m. The Naked Brothers Band "Christmas Special"
7:00 p.m. Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh (2-Hour Movie)

Monday, Dec. 15
8:00 p.m. iCarly "iChristmas"

8:30 p.m. SpongeBob SquarePants "Patchy the Pirate Presents the SpongeBob SquarePants Christmas Special"

Tuesday, Dec. 16
8:00 p.m. True Jackson, VP "Telling Amanda"
8:30 p.m. The Fairly OddParents "Merry Wishmas!"

Wednesday, Dec. 17
8:00 p.m. iCarly "iChristmas"
8:30 p.m. The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius "Holly Jolly Jimmy"

Thursday, Dec. 18
8:00 p.m. The Naked Brothers Band "Christmas Special"
8:30 p.m. The Fairly Odd Parents "Merry Wishmas!"

Following is a rundown of Nick Jr.'s "Frosty Fridays" (all times are ET/PT):

NICK JR: "FROSTY FRIDAYS"
Dec. 5 (9:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.)
9:00 a.m. The Backyardigans "The Yeti"
9:30 a.m. Go, Diego, Go! "Diego the Hero"
10:00 a.m. The Wonder Pets! "Save the Penguin"
10:30 a.m. Dora the Explorer "South Pole"
11:00 a.m. Ni Hao, Kai-lan "The Snowiest Ride"

11:30 a.m. Max & Ruby "Max's Mix Up/Max's Snow Bunny/Max's Snow Day"

12:00 pm. Dora the Explorer "Dora Saves the Snow Princess"
1:00 p.m. The Backyardigans "The Yeti"

1:30 p.m. Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! "A Great and Grumpy Holiday/The Super-Special Gift" (premiere)

-- Wubbzy and his friends go up to Mt. Zubba Bubba to get a Christmas
tree for Wuzzleburg Square and are chased off the property by Old Man
Grumpus. Wubbzy sets out to soften Grumpus' heart by decorating the
perfect tree to surprise him. Grumpus is still as mad as a hornet
until he sees Wubbzy's present: his very own small-scale train. The
humbugger is so delighted that he brings the decorated tree down to
Wuzzleburg for the big Christmas celebration.
-- Wubbzy wants to thank Daizy for her help decorating the Wubb Club by
getting her a super-special Christmas gift but is stymied when she
asks for a rainbow. He journeys to the North Pole to see if Santa
Claus can help him and on the way he helps out the Abominable Snowman
and a Baby Penguin. When he reaches the North Pole, he helps Santa
deliver his toys and forgets to ask for Daizy's rainbow. But Santa
gives him a super-special gift for helping, and Wubbzy passes it on to
Daizy. When she opens it, a rainbow pops out and arcs across the sky.

Dec. 12 (9:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.)
9:00 a.m. The Backyardigans "Secret of Snow"
9:30 a.m. Go, Diego, Diego! "Diego Saves Christmas
10:00 a.m. The Wonder Pets! "Save the Nutcracker"
10:30 a.m. Dora the Explorer "A Present for Santa"

11:00 a.m. Max & Ruby "Max & Ruby's Christmas Tree/Grandma's Present/Max & Ruby's Snow Plow"

11:30 a.m. Yo Gabba Gabba "Christmas"
12:00 p.m. Dora the Explorer "South Pole"
12:30 p.m. Go, Diego, Diego! "Diego Saves Christmas
1:00 p.m. The Backyardigans "Secret of Snow"
1:30 p.m. Wow Wow Wubbzy! "O Figgity-Fig Tree/Snow Day"

Dec. 19 (9:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.)
9:00 a.m. The Backyardigans "The Snow Fort"
9:30 a.m. Go, Diego, Go! "Macky the Macaroni Penguin"
10:00 a.m. The Wonder Pets! "Save the Reindeer"
10:30 a.m. Dora the Explorer "South Pole"
11:00 a.m. Ni Hao, Kai-lan "The Snowiest Ride"
11:30 a.m. Yo Gabba Gabba "Christmas"
12:00 p.m. Dora the Explorer "A Present for Santa"
12:30 p.m. Go, Diego, Go! "Macky the Macaroni Penguin"
1:00 p.m. The Backyardigans "The Snow Fort"

1:30 p.m. Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! "A Great and Grumpy Holiday/The Super-Special Gift"

Nickelodeon, now in its 29th 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 more than 96 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 14 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B)

Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Rebecca Boswell, +1-212-846-8914, Rebecca.Boswell@nick.com, or
Margo Zinberg, +1-310-752-8207, Margo.Zinberg@nick.com, both of Nickelodeon

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