Tag: The Hub

TV Tuesday: Updates from Disney Junior, Nickelodeon, PBS Kids and The Hub

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

As we start to get into the back to school groove, the tv industry has been busy gearing up for new seasons, sparkly new shows and the release of a whole new host of characters.
In addition to other weekly features, I’m hoping to start a quick update on Tuesdays with the latest info on new shows and updates surrounding the characters we all know and love.  Here’s a round up of what’s going on in the children’s tv:

Nickelodeon

Just in time for the dog days of summer, there’s a new show on Nickelodeon that focuses on a six pack of rescue pups. Nickelodeon’s new CG-animated preschool series Paw Patrol is where, “no job is too big, no pup is too small.”

The rescue pups, Chase, Marshall, Rocky, Rubble, Zuma and Skye, led by a tech-savvy boy named Ryder, features a curriculum of citizenship, social skills and problem-solving.  To underscore the show’s theme of responsibility and humane treatment of animals, and in conjunction with the Paw Patrol launch, Nickelodeon has partnered with the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).  Head to Nick Jr.’s site to watch the Paw Patrol trailer, print activity packs

Disney

Doc McStuffins has hit the road with a tricked out Airstream Trailer, dubbed the Doc Mobile.  The hit show emphasizes good health and compassion through stories of a young girl, who cares for her ailing stuffed animals and other toys.

The Doc Mobile features an area for kids to perform a “check-up” on their own toys plus other activities and age-appropriate health and wellness lessons including nutrition and physical development and fitness.  The Doc Mobile makes a stop in NYC tomorrow at the Disney Store in Times Square from 10 am- 4pm

To find out where the Doc Mobile is headed next, check out this link.

Doc McStuffins’ season two premieres on Friday, September 6, with upcoming stars including: Geena Davis, Jeffrey Tambor, Tony Hale, Molly Shannon, Sutton Foster, Amy Sedaris and Peter MacNicol.

PBS

Labor Day is “Neighbor Day” on PBS KIDS with the premiere of an all new episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood on Monday, September 2.  In honor of #Neighborday, PBS Kids is offering a free episode download on iTunes.  Be sure to snatch this up before the offer ends on September 3.
And speaking of Daniel Tiger awesomeness, it was recently announced that Daniel Tiger Toys will be at Toys R Us Exclusively next month. These highly anticipated toys are made by JAKKS Pacific, and include plush, playsets and collectible figures featuring the star of the animated TV series, Daniel Tiger, and his friends, Katerina Kittycat, Miss Elaina, Prince Wednesday and O the Owl.

In addition to the toys, other merchandise includes games and puzzles from University Games, books from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing imprint Simon Spotlight and personalized t-shirts available on Toysrus.com and at Toys“R”Us Times Square through partner Ty’s Toy Box.  Among the initial lineup of toys announced, I’m particularly excited about Neighborhood Trolley with Daniel Tiger figure and Daniel Tiger and friends plush!  I’ll have a more in-depth feature on PBS soon, but I’m super excited about this DT news.

Hub

Over at The Hub, they’re looking beyond back to school and end of summer fun and highlighting Halloween.  The Hub announced that Martha Stewart will appear as the Halloween expert as part of the panel of celebrity judges scheduled to participate in the network’s nationwide costume competition on the “Hub Network’s First Annual Halloween Bash,” to be broadcast Saturday, October 26.

The channel is encouraging viewers to enlist their imagination and creativity for this unique costume contest.  Submissions began Friday, August 16 and 50 semi-finalists representing each state in America will win a trip to Los Angeles to be a part of the two-hour event. One lucky winner will take home $25,000 and will have a chance at a walk-on role on the Hub Network’s Daytime Emmy Award-winning series, “R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour: The Series.”
The competition is open to all ages, including individuals or a maximum of five people per group submission. Participants are encouraged to create eye-popping, hair-raising and spooky costumes within one of the following six categories:

·         Howl-arious – Shows the lighter side of Halloween with a take on a fun, funny or otherwise hilarious costume.

·         Spook-tacular – Get ready to frighten America by showcasing the most spine-chilling costume for all the ghosts and ghouls out there.

·         Mad Genius – Unique, original, innovative and never seen before. A knight in
armor fashioned from bottle caps, bat wings made from old umbrellas, or a
cardboard-box jetpack, the possibilities are endless. Display a costume unlike
any other — show your Mad Genius.

·         Blast from the Past – Take a stroll down memory lane with a timeless costume. Memories, nostalgia and yesteryear brought to life. Show your take on great figures from before the 20thcentury or a retro 50’s sock hop get up, 60’s flower child or other “period” inspired costumes.

·         Animal Kingdom – Transform into a living creature from the past or present. Be a roaring lion, a school of jellyfish, a firefly, or a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

·         Everyday Stuff – We’re looking for the coolest refrigerator/freezer, remote control, mailbox, block of Swiss cheese, telephone and more.  Be creative and transform the ordinary into the extra-ordinary.

For more information on the contest check out hubworld.com/Halloween to view a two-minute tutorial detailing complete details and entry information about the nationwide costume competition. The deadline to enter is Sunday, September 29.

THE Mom of Moms: Q and A with Marion Ross

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

She’s played feisty grandmas, cartoon grandmas and not-so-perfect matriarchs, but many of us know Marion Ross best as the perfectly-coiffed Mrs. C., Richie and Joanie Cunningham’s Mom from Happy Days.  Back before the internet and too many electronic devices, there were tv shows like Happy Days that celebrated the perfectly imperfect nuclear family of a different era.  She may have tangoed with the Fonz and disciplined Richie and Joanie, but Mrs. Cunningham will forever be THE mom of moms.

Tonight, The Hub will be playing the best of Mrs. C, a Happy Days marathon in honor of Mother’s Day. Marion Ross took the time to chat with me about her iconic role as Mrs. Cunningham and shared wise words for single moms, working moms and new moms.  And you guessed it:  Marion was just as effervescent as Mrs. C.

NKT: Hi, Marion!  So, what do you think the kids are saying about the upcoming Happy Days marathon?

MR: I think the new generation isn’t too familiar with Happy Days, but when I tell the young kids that I’m Sponge Bob Square Pants’ grandma, they’re all a-twitter.  And then they show me their Sponge Bob underwear!

NKT: How did your role on Happy Days influence your own experience offscreen as a mother?

MR: It was very handy for me because I would practice at work and play “house” with Richie and Joanie, and my own children at home were about 3 years younger.  So, my kids wouldn’t have had their “situations” yet, and I could study it a bit, which help me a lot.  I was always a step ahead of my kids.  I always loved how the writers treated the crises on the show.  I was a single mother, divorced, so I’m sure I would’ve been more nervous and panicky, but the writers always treated it as a journey—as a very ordinary thing.  The first time Richie drinks, it wasn’t the end of the world;  these are natural things that happen along the line.  The first kiss, all of that; it helped me prepare for what was next with my own kids.

NKT: Obviously, Moms of this generation are different from a few decades ago, but mother’s intuition is timeless.  What piece of advice would you offer to new moms?

MR: For new moms I have to tell them to “not miss this.”  Don’t miss THIS; everyone gets so busy with careers and chores, it’s easy to forget to take it all in.  The young years go by so fast, it’s so important to take time to really enjoy time with your kids or you’re going to miss it.  First things first:  somebody said that to me, way back when I was fretting about my career.  I think that’s why a show like Happy Days is so treasured because, in a way, many of us would like to get some of those simpler times back.

NKT: Do you have any wisdom that you’d like to share with working moms? How did you balance it all?

MR: I think I did a good job balancing it all.  I was single, but I was able to balance it all because I didn’t have a personal life.  I had work, but going to work was fun because I got to play “house.”  And first of all, I didn’t know how to have a personal life.  And when you don’t know how to do it, you just don’t have it.  And once the work got successful, I had so much paperwork and trivia.  Someone said to me, “What’s your reward now?’ Now you get to work harder than ever.” That’s when I thought, I don’t have enough help.  So when you find the extra money and can afford it, I’d recommend getting help.  It can be too much for one person to handle.  And then I got an assistant who became my everything;  my husband, my helper…
When I had littler children, I didn’t have a dishwasher or a dryer; I had to cart everything to the corner to get it all done.  Nowadays, we have everything.

NKT: What are some your takeaways from your role on Happy Days?  Any memorable scenes/episodes that still resonate?

MR: One of my favorites was when I danced the Tango with the Fonz.  Another one was where I tried to revitalize my marriage and bellydanced for Howard.  The writers never asked you if you could do these things, they just wrote them and we did it.  It was always so fun and interesting.

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