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via Nickelodeon press release:

NICKELODEON TO DEBUT OVER 100 EPISODES OF BRAND-NEW EDUCATIONAL PRESCHOOL SERIES IN 2014-2015 SEASON

Network to Add Two More Preschool Greenlights to Its Top-Rated Preschool Line-Up:

Shimmer & Shine and Fresh Beat Band of Spies

NEW YORK – March 13, 2014 – Nickelodeon, the number-one entertainment brand for kids, will premiere more than 100 episodes of brand-new educational preschool series in the 2014–2015 season as part of the network’s biggest pipeline of content ever.  Joining the just-launched Wallykazam!, and the upcoming Dora and Friends: Into the City! and Blaze and the Monster Machines, Nickelodeon’s preschool slate is getting two more newly greenlit series for the upcoming season: Shimmer & Shine, an animated show starring twin genies-in-training and featuring an emotional-intelligence curriculum; and Fresh Beat Band of Spies, an animated version of the hit live-action series The Fresh Beat Band, teaching problem-solving.

“This season, we are introducing Nickelodeon’s biggest pipeline of content for every demo and in every genre,” said Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon Group.  “Our preschool slate reinforces Nickelodeon’s standing as the best place for shows that are both smart and fun, powered by great stories, relatable characters and a meaningful curriculum that has been our hallmark.”

Nickelodeon is TV’s top destination for preschoolers and their parents, with a current portfolio of hits like Dora the Explorer, PAW Patrol, Bubble Guppies, Peter Rabbit and Team Umizoomi–which will all have new episodes premiering in the upcoming season, as well.  The network owns four of the top five preschool shows on all television, including the two top-rated shows: PAW Patrol; and Wallykazam!, which teaches literacy and represents Nick’s highest-rated preschool series premiere in almost 10 years.

Nickelodeon’s new preschool series rolling out in the 2014-2015 season include:

• Dora and Friends: Into the City! (20 episodes) – Dora and Friends: Into the City! is a brand-new animated preschool series featuring the iconic character Dora in new adventures, with new friends and a new interactive curriculum.   The series is set in a fictional, pan-Latino city, where Dora is 10 years old, in school and at the center of a peer group that works together to give back to the community—having both real-life and magical adventures along the way.  As always, Dora is an adventurer, a good friend and problem-solver.  Dora and Friends helps teach Spanish and introduces new educational areas to the curriculum, including social-emotional skills like community service and peer relationships.  Dora and Friends is created by Chris Gifford and Valerie Walsh Valdes (Dora the Explorer), and will launch late-summer on Nickelodeon.

• Blaze and the Monster Machines (20 episodes) – This brand-new CG-animated series, debuting this fall, introduces preschoolers to the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).  This is the first preschool show that features a curriculum dedicated to all areas of STEM.  Viewers will join an eight-year-old boy named AJ and his incredible monster truck Blaze on super-sized adventures.  AJ and the viewer help Blaze as they explore the physics of how things move, master mathematics and discover how everyday technologies work.  Blaze and the Monster Machines is created by Jeff Borkin (Team Umizoomi, Blue’s Clues) and Ellen Martin (Bubble Guppies, The Backyardigans).

• Shimmer & Shine (20 episodes) – This brand-new animated series follows the magical adventures of fraternal twin genies, Shimmer and Shine, who unintentionally create chaos while attempting to grant wishes for their human best friend, Leah.  The new series features an emotional-intelligence curriculum that highlights mistakes as an important avenue to learning and doing better next time.  Shimmer & Shine, set to premiere in 2015, is created by Farnaz Esnaashari-Charmatz and produced at Nickelodeon Animation Studios.

• Fresh Beat Band of Spies (20 episodes) – In this brand-new animated series based on the hit live-action show, The Fresh Beat Band, the four best friends — Kiki, Marina, Twist and Shout – are also a group of undercover spies.  The pop band uses their individual talents and the coolest transforming spy gadgets to outwit a goofy cast of bad guys and solve an endless series of wild and wacky mysteries.  The series, which teaches problem-solving to preschoolers, is created by Nadine van der Velde and Scott Kraft, the same duo behind The Fresh Beat Band.  Fresh Beat Band of Spies is currently in production and will premiere on Nickelodeon in 2015.

Nickelodeon Preschool is “the smart place to play,” with a legacy of providing educational and entertaining programming that empowers kids to learn while they play.  Through the years, Nickelodeon Preschool has consistently created highly engaging, age-appropriate, education and innovative shows like Blue’s Clues, Dora the Explorer, Team Umizoomi, Bubble Guppies and Wallykazam!.  Educational consultants are used to develop a deep, unique curriculum for each show and storybook versions of every episode are tested with kids to ensure quality.  The content is available on TV, online, mobile, and tablets, allowing kids to interact with and learn from their favorite characters across multiple platforms.