NOGGIN Celebrates Storytelling with a New Premiere Week of Pinky Dinky Doo and Unveils New Literacy Segments Featuring Isaiah Washington and Cedric The Entertainer, in March

NEW YORK - Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- In support of NOGGIN's "Get Ready To Read" national literacy campaign, the commercial-free, educational preschool network from Nickelodeon will feature new literacy-based programming throughout the month of March. The network will unveil new literacy segments with Isaiah Washington and Cedric the Entertainer, and a premiere week of five new, half-hour episodes of the hit animated series Pinky Dinky Doo, based on the popular book series by Jim Jinkins.

On Friday, March 2, NOGGIN's award-winning website (http://www.noggin.com/) will premiere two new "Story Time" segments and two new literacy PSAs featuring Isaiah Washington reading "City Symphony" and Cedric the Entertainer reading "The Tortoise and the Hare" to NOGGIN hosts Moose and Zee and the viewers at home. Beginning Monday, March 5, the spots will roll-out on-air on NOGGIN. "Story Time" is NOGGIN's interstitial series that uses storytelling to help preschoolers develop language and critical thinking skills. In support of NOGGIN's partnership with First Book to generate 1,000,000 new books for preschoolers in need, each PSA will direct viewers to http://www.noggin.com/read, where they can "click" to generate free, new books to those in need.

Beginning Monday March 26 through Friday, March 30, NOGGIN will premiere five new, half-hour episodes from Pinky Dinky Doo, a co-production with Sesame Workshop and Cartoon Pizza's Jim Jinkins and David Campbell. Additionally, preschoolers and their caregivers can listen to two new Pinky Dinky Doo audio podcasts by logging onto http://www.noggin.com/ beginning March 26. Each 10-minute podcast is derived from the two Pinky Dinky Doo stories featured in the new March 26 episode.

In support of the new Pinky Dinky Doo episodes, "Story Time" segments, and the network's early literacy campaign, http://www.noggin.com/ will feature several reading games and activities. Beginning March 2, the site will feature the Pinky Dinky Doo "Great Big Fancy Word" game, a new Moose and Zee doodlepad activity, a 64 Zoo Lane storymaker and a "Blue's Clues Gold Challenge" game. Additional literacy-based printables will feature the "Pinky Great Big Fancy Word" coloring book, and "Words of Wonder" printables including words to the "City Symphony" poem and "The Tortoise and the Hare" story, plus lyrics to a Moose and Zee music video.

NOGGIN's March premiere week schedule for Pinky Dinky Doo is as follows. Each episode features two stories:

  Monday, March 26 (3:00 p.m., ET)
  - "Tyler Dinky Doo and the Legend of Twigfoot" - Tyler doesn't want to
    bathe because he won't wash off his temporary tattoo.  Pinky tells a
    story about how Tyler got so dirty playing in Smackdab Park, that when a
    walnut fell in his hair, a tree sprouted up, potatoes grew from his ears
    and mushrooms popped up on his feet.  When Tyler finally agrees to a
    bath, he can't fit back into the apartment because the tree on his head
    is too big.  Podcast of "Tyler Dinky Doo and the Legend of Twigfoot"
    (3/26)
  - "Pinky and the Big Rainy Day" - It's raining and Tyler is disappointed
    that his outdoor concert is cancelled, so Pinky tells him a tale about a
    day in Great Big City when it literally rained cats and dogs.  Before
    long, Pinky's street is swarming with meowing and barking animals.  It
    gets so loud that everybody in the neighborhood has to cover their ears
    until the cats start meowing in harmony to a song that comes on the
    radio.  Podcast of "Pinky and the Big Rainy Day" (3/30)

  Tuesday, March 27 (3:00 p.m., ET)
  - "Pinky Dinky Doo and the Pizza Artist" - Tyler is drawing a picture of
    Mommy, but has trouble getting her face just right.  Pinky tells him how
    she accompanied Monsieur Guinea Pig to the museum to hang his painting
    and they met Pappy Pepperoni, who asked Guinea Pig to paint his
    portrait.  When Monsieur Guinea Pig has trouble getting Pappy's face
    just right, Pinky has Pappy hold a pizza in front of his face.
  - "Pinky Dinky Doo and the Party Animals" - Tyler can't sleep because he
    left his stuffed elephant at school, so Pinky tells him a story about
    how she woke up in the middle of the night to stuffed animal party in
    her living room.  Sir Pedro the penguin explains that the party is for
    Kingsley, the dinosaur.  When Kingsley gets stuck at the toy store and
    can't make it to his own party, Pinky has to think big.

  Wednesday, March 28 (3:00 p.m., ET)
  - "Tyler's Tall O'Meter" - Tyler wants to be bigger, so tells him a story
    of about measuring herself on her Tall O' Meter.  When the device said
    she hadn't grown, she decides to be gargantuan and sets the machine to
    "super-speedy," growing so tall that she's high in the sky and can't fit
    back inside her bedroom.  Pinky asks for a little help from her little
    brother to get back down to her regular "dinky" size.
  - "Pinky Dinky Doo and the Cloud People" - As Tyler hides from noisy
    thunder, Pinky tells him a story to make him feel safe.  Pinky and Mr.
    Guinea Pig watch clouds at the park when they hear loud booming thunder.
    Pinky uses her peddle-powered storm-chasing airplane to investigate, and
    discovers the thunder is a brother and sister cloud fighting over who
    will carry the rain.

  Thursday, March 29 (3:00 p.m., ET)
  - "Tyler Dinky Doo's Sporting News" - Tyler isn't happy about being on the
    soccer team, so Pinky tells a story about Great Big Soccer City, where
    everyone, except Pinky, loves soccer.  Pinky just wants to play her
    tuba, but after much prodding, attempts and kicks the ball in the wrong
    goal!  Pinky puts on such a rousing tuba performance from the sidelines,
    that her friends decide to join her and rest during every game.
  - "Dragon Needs a Sippy Cup" - Tyler is upset he has to use a cup with a
    lid, so Pinky tells him a tale to make him feel better.  Pinky and Mr.
    Guinea Pig visit King Spillsalot so they can help him figure out why his
    castle keeps shaking.  They check the castle's cellar and discover a
    purple dragon who has been spilling his drinks, too.  Every time the
    dragon spills, he stomps up and down, shaking the castle.

  Friday, March 30 (3:00 p.m., ET)
  - "Tyler Dinky Doo and the Pirate Crew" - Tyler doesn't want to clean his
    messy room, and Pinky tells him a tale to inspire him.  Pinky and Tyler
    are picked up by a floating pirate ship and brought to the chronically
    messy Pirate King to clean his ship.  Tyler isn't happy, but steps up to
    the job when a strong wind blows the sails away and nobody can find the
    extra set in all of the mess.
  - "Pinky Dinky Doo and the Missing Dinosaurs" - Tyler can't sleep when he
    hears noises, so Pinky tells him a story to calm his fears.  Pinky,
    Tyler, and Mr. Guinea Pig come upon the Museum of Really Old Stuff and
    hear strange noises.  They soon find that the museum's dinosaurs have
    disappeared.  The group locates the creatures playing rock music behind
    the museum, since they cannot practice inside the building.

NOGGIN, the commercial-free, educational preschool network from Nickelodeon, currently reaches 55 million households via cable, digital cable and satellite TV. NOGGIN, which airs from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (ET), is like preschool on tv, with educational programming both on-air and online at http://www.noggin.com/. NOGGIN and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.