PBS KIDS GO! Holiday Favorites and Fun Facts Invite Kids to Celebrate the Season
Alexandria, VA December 5, 2005 - PBS KIDS GO! celebrates the holiday season on December 16 with its first-ever "PBS KIDS GO! Winter Pop-Up-Palooza" (check local listings). The two-hour event includes the one-hour special, "Arthur's Perfect Christmas;" MAYA & MIGUEL's "Miguel's Wonderful Life;" and CYBERCHASE's "Starlight Night," with seasonal facts popping up on the screen throughout the block.
"Through PBS KIDS GO! Winter Pop-Up-Palooza, PBS is not only sharing some diverse cultural traditions with early elementary school kids, but also encouraging kids to think about the interactive questions on the screen and teaching them interesting facts in a fun, creative context," said John F. Wilson, Senior Vice President, Programming, PBS.
Throughout each episode, fun facts about holiday traditions, the winter season and other details related to the PBS KIDS GO! shows will pop-up on the screen to engage and entertain kids. For example, during ARTHUR, kids will find out the first place the sun rises on Christmas Day and in MAYA & MIGUEL, viewers will learn what "Nochebuena" means.
Facts are extended online with additional themed activities and games such as online polls and making holiday cards and recipes at pbskidsgo.org.
PBS KIDS GO! Winter Pop-Up-Palooza Episode Descriptions
ARTHUR
Arthur's Perfect Christmas
All of Arthur's friends celebrate Christmas differently and in fact, some don't celebrate Christmas at all. Will Arthur be able to handle a Christmas that's not quite like what he's used to? The stress of making Christmas perfect is getting to both Buster and his mom. Maybe what they need is a holiday all to themselves, "Baxter Day." Elwood City is a melting pot of holiday celebrations. There is Kwanza and Chanukah, some celebrate by feeding the homeless and some practice a traditional Swedish celebration. Arthur and his friends realize that the differences in celebrating are what make the holiday so special.
MAYA & MIGUEL
Miguel's Wonderful Life
It's Christmas, and the Santos family is getting ready for the festivities. Maya, in her enthusiasm, manages to mess things up for Miguel: she spills juice on his book report, volunteers him to hang a piñata in class (a task which makes him take a humiliating fall), volunteers him to wear a too-big Santa suit and follow her around wishing their neighbors happy holidays (his pants fall down in front of everyone), and smudges a painting he was making as a gift to his parents. Frustrated, Miguel angrily declares that he wishes he never had a sister. The next day, he awakens to find his wish has come true; Maya doesn't exist, and nobody's ever heard of her. Paco (who has inexplicably become incredibly articulate) follows him around, commenting as Miguel takes in how the world has changed. At first, it seems like all his Maya-made troubles are over... but then Miguel sees how the lack of Maya's influence has adversely affected the world: Maggie and Chrissy aren't friends because they had a difference of opinion (which Maya had previously helped them overcome), Mr. Nguyen isn't their teacher because he felt unappreciated (Maya had made him feel appreciated), Jimmy McCorkle became a bully, etc. Finally realizing how much worse everything is without Maya, Miguel regrets he ever made the wish, and wishes it all to be reversed. Poof! The world goes back to normal. Maya is back, Miguel's painting is still ruined, and Miguel couldn't be happier to have a twin sister.
CYBERCHASE
Starlight Night
It's Starlight Night, the annual holiday when all the stars in Cyberspace are refreshed for the New Year. But Hacker concocts a scheme to darken the stars of cyberspace forever. He sends Buzz and Delete to stop all production of the new star circuits and take inventor Archimedes away to the Northern Frontier. With the ceremony only hours away, the kids and Digit must find a simple way to make the complex circuits and rescue Archimedes - all before Hacker turns out the lights in cyberspace! If you can spot an easy problem inside a hard one, the simpler solution can help you solve the harder problem.
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About PBS KIDS
PBS KIDS is committed to providing the highest quality non-commercial content and learning environment for children across the country. Providing age-appropriate, diverse programming for kids, PBS KIDS' programs consistently earn more prestigious awards than any other broadcast or cable network. Only PBS KIDS has earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. With additional PBS resources to complement its programming, including PBS KIDS online (pbskids.org), PBS KIDS GO! (pbskidsgo.org), PBS Parents (pbsparents.org), PBS TeacherSource (pbsteachersource.org), PBS Ready To Learn services and literacy events across the country, PBS KIDS is providing the tools necessary for positive child development. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 348 public television stations, serving nearly 90 million people each week and reaching 99% of American homes.
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CONTACT:
Jill Corderman/PBS KIDS, 703.739.5788/703.582.1517, jcorderman@pbs.org