Pajanimals

Pajanimals
Created by	Jeff Muncy Alex Rockwell
Directed by	David Gumpel
Starring	Donna Kimball Sarah Lyle Michael Winsor Victor Yerrid
Opening theme	"Pajanimals Theme"
Ending theme	"La-La-Lullaby"
No. of seasons	1
Production
Executive producers	Brian Henson Lisa Henson Jeff Muncy Alex Rockwell Halle Stanford
Running time	12 Minutes
Original release
Network	PBS Kids Sprout
Release	November 2, 2008 (shorts) October 10, 2011 (full-length series)

Jim Henson's Pajanimals (a portmanteau of the words Pajamas and Animals) is a children's TV series on PBS Kids Sprout. The Pajanimals are a characters that were made by the makers of The Muppets at The Jim Henson Company.

Plot

The show is about the Pajanimals who sing songs about bedtime. The characters are Apollo, Sweetpea Sue, Squacky, and Cowbella.

Full-Length Series

On April 6, 2011, The Jim Henson Company announced that it is partnering with PBS Kids Sprout and Sixteen South (the producer of Sesame Tree), to produce a full-length series of 52x11 episodes (or 26x22) of Pajanimals which is set to debut on October 10, 2011. The full-length TV series introduces some character exclusive to this show who the Pajanimals go for bedtime advice or any other problems.

Characters

• Apollo (performed by Michael Winsor) - A bossy green and purple dog.

• Squacky (performed by Victor Yerrid) - An energetic and excitable blue and yellow duck.

• Sweetpea Sue (performed by Donna Kimball) - A quiet and smart orange pink horse. She sleeps with a stuffed flower called Daisy-Puff.

• Cowbella (performed by Sarah Lyle) - A famous Italian white and purple cow.

• Mom - An unseen character who is the mother of the Pajanimals.

• Dad - An unseen character who is the father of the Pajanimals.

• Bedtime Bunny - A sleepy rabbit who is exclusive to the full-length TV series. She lives in the Land of Hush. The Pajanimals would often to to her for bedtime advice when they ride Sweetpea Sue's bed to her.

• Jerry Bear - A bear who is exclusive to the full-length TV series. He lives in the Big Friendly Forest.

• Moon - A bespectacled moon in a nightcap who is exclusive to the full-length TV series. The Pajanimals would often go to him for bedtime advice when they ride Apollo's bed to him.

• Mr. Happy Birthday - A porcupine who is the mascot of all birthdays and is exclusive to the full-length TV series. He lives in Birthday Land. The Pajanimals would occasionally go to him for birthday advice when they ride Sweetpea Sue's bed to him. Mr. Happy Birthday has a tendency to mispronounce the word Pajanimals.

• Ellie Octopus - An octopus that lives in the sea and is exclusive to the full-length TV series. In her first appearance in "An Octopus Hug," Sweetpea Sue was afraid of octopi until she met Ellie. The Pajanimals would often go to her for bedtime advice when they ride Squacky's bed to her.

• Coach Whistler - A walrus coach who lives in the Land of Play and is exclusive to the full-length TV series. The Pajanimals would often go to him for gaming advice when they ride Squacky's bed to him.

• Edwin - An orange-skinned, bespectacled man who lives in Storybook Land and is exclusive to the full-length TV series. The Pajanimals would often go to him for bedtime advice when they ride Cowbella's bed to him. He can assumes different roles during the Pajanimals' visits to Storybook Land.

Episodes

Shorts

1. Stick to the Plan - Sweetpea Sue helps her fellow Pajanimals to follow the steps in getting ready for bed -- first taking a bath, then brushing their teeth and finally putting on their pajamas.
2. Stay in Bed (Put On Your Sleepy Head) - Squacky has the squirmies and wants to get out of bed, but his fellow Pajanimals remind him that nighttime is for sleeping.
3. I Love to Love My Lovie - The Pajanimals sing about their "lovies" that help them to get to sleep at night.
4. How Do I Know If It's Morning Time? - Squacky wants to get out of bed and play, but can't because it's not yet morning (which annoys all of the other pajanimals).
5. Goodnight to Mom - The Pajanimals sing fondly of their moms and imagine what they might be doing at night.
6. Sleeping Makes Me Feel Alright - The Pajanimals sing a song about how sleeping at night help gives one enough energy for the next day.
7. What's That Sound? - When Apollo is bothered by nighttime sounds, his friends help him to hear how the noises can become a soothing lullaby. The Pajanimals sing about sounds they hear at night. Squacky sings about water dripping in the bathroom, Sweetpea Sue sings the wind blowing through the leaves, and Apollo gazes out at the moon singing about the sounds all around them.
8. Lights in the Dark - Apollo is afraid of the dark, so his fellow Pajanimals share with him the things that light their way at night. Squacky shows how he makes shadow puppets with his night light, while Sweetpea Sue sings about how the dark help calms and comforts her.
9. Let's Make Our Bodies Tired - The Pajanimals do fun exercises to tire themselves out before bedtime and sing a song where they "jiggle, jumble and jump".
10. A Scary Dream - When Cow Bella has a nightmare, the other Pajanimals try to calm her though song by explaining that it's just a dream, a "story in your head".
11. La La Lullaby - The Pajanimals sing a soothing lullaby song before laying down for bed.

Full Episodes

1. Blankie in the Laundry - Squacky's blankie accidentally gets stained and has to be washed overnight. When Squacky doesn't know what to snuggle with while blankie is in the wash, the Pajanimals turn to Bedtime Bunny for help.
2. A Super Sweet Night -
3. Tomorrow is a Brand New Day -
4. Super Squacky -
5. The Not-So Great Outdoors -
6. Dream a Happy Dream -
7. A Colorful Problem -
8. Night Will Sing Us to Sleep -
9. Missing Mom and Dad -
10. Light in the Sky -
11. Home Sweet Home -
12. The Rocket Ride -
13. A Present for Mom -
14. Happy Birthday Sweetpea Sue -
15. Apollo's Special Day - Cowbella was jealous when Apollo's birthday is tomorrow and doesn't feel like attending. The Pajanimals turn to Mr. Happy Birthday for help.
16. An Octopus Hug -
17. No Bath for Me -
18. Share Day -
19. Puppy Love - The Pajanimals are given a job by their parents to take care of the dog Fluffy for the next day. When the Pajanimals are unsure of how to take turns taking care of Fluffy, they turn to Coach Whistler for help.
20. Winning Isn't Everything - Apollo is disappointed that he keeps losing every race. When this continues to bother Apollo, the Pajanimals go to Coach Whistler for help.
21. Try Try Again - The Pajanimals are going to be taught how to play baseball tomorrow by their father. The problem there is that Apollo is nervous at the fact that he won't do well at baseball. To help Apollo with his problem, the other Pajanimals turn to Coach Whistler for help.
22. Game Day - Squacky finds himself addicted to a hand-held video game. This proves to be a problem when the others Pajanimals want Squacky to play with them tomorrow, and Squacky has a hard time sleeping. The Pajanimals turn to Coach Whistler for help.
23. Under the Bed - Squacky's new ball "Ballie" rolls under his bed, but he's afraid to go under the bed to get it due to a "monster living under the bed." He can't sleep, so the Pajanimals go to see Edwin (who is pretending to be a knight) to learn about facing their fears.
24. Queen for a Night - Cowbella has been a little bit bossy lately yet claims that she wants the others to listen to her. The Pajanimals end up turning to Edwin (who is pretending to be a King) for help.
25. House of Pancakes - Sweetpea Sue can't wait for pancakes on Saturday until the Pajanimals' mom announces at the last minute that they will have waffles tomorrow. When Sweetpea Sue is bothered by this, the Pajanimals end up turning to Edwin (who is pretending to be a chef) for help.

Cast

Muppet Performers

• Donna Kimball - Sweetpea Sue
• Sarah Lyle - Cowbella
• Michael Winsor - Apollo
• Victor Yerrid - Squacky

Reception

A Common Sense Media review says "This soothing series combines delightful tales and melodic songs to give families the opportunity to relax and unwind before diving into bedtime routines.

External Links

• Pajanimals at Henson.com
• Pajanimals at Internet Movie Database
• Pajanimals at Muppet Wiki