Two new episodes and an online game debut on March 1 in commemoration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday week
Arlington, VA, February 11, 2013 – It’s Dr. Seuss’ 109th birthday on March 2, and PBS KIDS is celebrating with new content on-air, online and on mobile beginning March 1. Viewers can join everyone’s favorite cat in two new episodes of THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! as the Cat, Nick and Sally explore science concepts from as far away as space and as close as inside our own bodies. Kids will also be able to continue the science adventure with the new “Swirly Whirly Pearl Hunt” online game and video content online and on mobile.
“Every year at this time, children and families across the country pay tribute to Dr. Seuss and his legacy, and we’re thrilled to participate in the festivities with new content across platforms,” said Lesli Rotenberg, General Manager, Children’s Programming, PBS. “PBS KIDS is proud to offer two new episodes of THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! and a new online game that will take kids on science adventures that range from the solar system to the skeletal system, helping teach key concepts and encouraging their curiosity and thirst for learning.”
THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! will feature two brand new episodes. “Rumbly Tumbly / Planet Name Game” features a super shrunken trip into Thing One's stomach as well as a whirlwind trip to each of the eight planets, and “Top of the Sky / Jiggle Bones” follows the Cat, Nick and Sally as they travel to Audrey the Astronaut’s space station and visit Dr. Giggles to see why bones are important.
The celebration will continue online and on mobile. Video clips from both episodes will be available for free online at pbskids.org/video and on the PBS KIDS Video App starting March 1.
Viewers will also have a chance to interact with the Cat in the Hat with the new “Swirly Whirly Pearl Hunt” game. In this game, the Swirly Whirly Ocean is filled with aquatic creatures of all colors, shapes and sizes, and players can catch a ride on the Thinga-ma-jigger to travel deeper and deeper through silly, Seussian schools of fish. The Swirly Whirly Pearl is waiting somewhere far below, along with the chance to create a personalized school of mix-and-match sea creatures. “Swirly Whirly Pearl Hunt” will be available on pbskids.org/catinthehat on March 1.
Following is a listing of THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! episodes premiering March 1 (check local listings for air dates and times). Images from these episodes are available on PBS PressRoom.
“Rumbly Tumbly / Planet Name Game” “Rumbly Tumbly” Nick's hungry tummy is rumbling! But why do our stomachs make noises when they're hungry? A super shrunken trip into Thing One's stomach will show them the answer! They learn how chewing and stomach juices help to break down the food, and the tummy sounds are actually the stomach working. When your tummy is empty, the sounds are much louder! There's only one way to quiet Nick's rumbly tumbly… a chewy chocolate chunky chunk chip cookie!
“Planet Name Game” Nick and Sally have run out of things to name in the garden. Good thing Cat needs help putting his model of the solar system back together – they can help him name the planets! Off in the Space-a-ma-racer they go on a whirlwind trip around the universe, learning the names of the eight planets as they go.
“Top of the Sky / Jiggle Bones” “Top of the Sky” Sally, Nick and Cat are playing with their toy rocket. Using the Cat's "Whoa-Look-At-It-Go-Launcher," he shoots the rocket up, up, and up! But now they need to go find it. Off to the top of the sky! They keep going higher until they're in space! They meet Audrey the Astronaut who explains that there is no top to the sky. The sky turns into space and space goes on forever! Just when the kids think their rocket is lost, they find it in Audrey's space station. Though they can't launch their rocket to the top of the sky, launching it to the moon is just as cool!
“Jiggle Bones” Nick and Sally are wiggling and jiggling like the jelly mold in front of them. But they can't quite wiggle the same way. How come? “Bones of course!” announces the Cat. Bones keep their bodies from being wiggly and jiggly. But why do they need bones? A visit to Dr. Giggles will answer that question! They learn about the big strong bones that help us stand and walk, the small bones that help us bend and move, and the all important bones that help protect our squishy bits! Even though they won't let you wiggle and jiggle like jelly, bones are important!
About THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! was created in response to recent findings that children graduating from kindergarten are less prepared to learn about science than about other subjects. The series supports young children’s science learning by introducing scientific inquiry skills, teaching core science concepts and vocabulary, and preparing preschoolers for kindergarten and first grade science curriculum — all in whimsical style.
A team of science and early childhood experts developed the curriculum for the first season’s 40 episodes, each of which begins with a question posed by Sally or Nick. Although the Cat knows a lot of things, his insatiable curiosity to learn more about the world leads to adventures with Sally and Nick in his one-of-a-kind Thinga-ma-jigger, a marvelously Seuss-ian contraption that sprouts wings, pontoons, booster rockets, skis, and just about anything else needed to find the answer. The inquisitive gang travels to the bottom of the sea to observe giant sea worms, zips to the rain forest to visit animals living in Kapok trees, and shrinks to bee-size to visit a hive and learn how honey is made. Guided by the Cat, the kids figure things out by observing, collecting and managing clues, making connections, constructing and evaluating theories, and having discussions – all in a preschool-appropriate manner. Produced by Portfolio Entertainment Inc. and Collingwood O’Hare Productions, in association with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Random House Children’s Entertainment, Treehouse, and PBS KIDS, THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! is based on Random House’s best selling Beginner Book collection, “The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library.”
ABOUT RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT, LLC Random House Children's Entertainment, a division of Random House Children's Books, is dedicated to expanding the reach of children's stories beyond books to a variety of traditional and new media platforms. Drawing from the rich and varied library of books published by Random House, the company's mission is to create, produce, and distribute quality projects for young people that will educate, enlighten, and entertain. Random House Children's Books is the world's largest English-language children's trade book publisher. Creating books for toddlers through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books, novels, ebooks and apps, the imprints of Random House Children's Books bring together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and multimillion-copy series. Random House is also the longtime home of the beloved and bestselling Dr. Seuss books which continue to make learning to read fun for millions of children everywhere. Seussville (http://www.seussville.com) the official home of Dr. Seuss on the Web-is the place for children of all ages to play and learn with Dr. Seuss's wonderfully whimsical books and classic characters. Random House Children's Books is a division of Random House, Inc., whose parent company is Bertelsmann AG, a leading international media company.
ABOUT DR. SEUSS ENTERPRISES, L.P. The primary focus of the Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. is to protect the integrity of the Dr. Seuss books while expanding beyond books into ancillary areas. This effort is a strategic part of the overall mission to nurture and safeguard the relationship consumers have with Dr. Seuss characters. Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) said he never wanted to license his characters to anyone who would “round out the edges.” That is one of the guiding philosophies of Dr. Seuss Enterprises. Audrey S. Geisel, the widow of Dr. Seuss, heads Dr. Seuss Enterprises as CEO.
About PBS KIDSPBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for kids, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and community-based programs. For more information on specific PBS KIDS programs supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit PBS.org/pressroom. Follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.
Contacts: Maria Vera, PBS; 703.739.3225; mvera@pbs.org Meredith Gandy, 360PR; 646.568.3238; mgandy@360pr.com
