NOGGIN Kicks Off Literacy Campaign & New Hit Pinky Dinky Doos

From AWN Headline News:

NOGGIN Kicks Off Literacy Campaign & New Hit Pinky Dinky Doos

In support of NOGGIN's "Get Ready To Read" national literacy campaign, the commercial-free, educational preschool network 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 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 March 2, NOGGIN's award-winning website (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 viewers. 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 one million new books for preschoolers in need, each PSA will direct viewers to www.noggin.com/read, where they can "click" to generate free, new books the needy.

March 26-30, NOGGIN will premiere five new, half-hour episodes from PINKY DINKY DOO, a co-production with Sesame Workshop and Cartoon Pizza's Jinkins and David Campbell. Preschoolers and their caregivers may listen to two new PINKY DINKY DOO audio podcasts by logging onto 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, www.noggin.com will feature several reading games and activities. On 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, 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 am to 6:00 p.m. (ET), is like preschool on TV, with educational programming both on-air and online at www.noggin.com.