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== History ==
== History ==
===January 4, 1988–April 2, 1993===
===1988–1993===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Old Nick Jr logo.png|200px|thumb|right|One of the many Nick Jr. logos used from 1988 to 2009.{{deletable image-caption|Thursday, 13 February 2020|F7}}]] -->
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Old Nick Jr logo.png|200px|thumb|right|One of the many Nick Jr. logos used from 1988 to 2009.{{deletable image-caption|Thursday, 13 February 2020|F7}}]] -->
Throughout the 1980s, Nickelodeon aired programs for preschoolers (most prominently ''[[Pinwheel (TV series)|Pinwheel]]'' and ''[[Today's Special]]'') on weekdays from 8:00am - 2:00pm) and weekend mornings. This was similar during the Silver Ball era, in which during preschool programming, one such ID had the Nickelodeon Silver Ball logo flipping to the [[National Education Association]] logo with an announcer saying that Nickelodeon's programming "is recommended by the National Education Association".
Throughout the 1980s, Nickelodeon aired programs for preschoolers (most prominently ''[[Pinwheel (TV series)|Pinwheel]]'' and ''[[Today's Special]]'') on weekdays from 8:00am - 2:00pm) and weekend mornings. This was similar during the Silver Ball era, in which during preschool programming, one such ID had the Nickelodeon Silver Ball logo flipping to the [[National Education Association]] logo with an announcer saying that Nickelodeon's programming "is recommended by the National Education Association".
Line 34: Line 34:
Until July 1990, ''[[Pinwheel (TV series)|Pinwheel]]'' was featured, originally for three hours (two in the morning and one at noon), then for one hour starting in spring 1989. When Nick Jr.'s original series ''[[Eureeka's Castle]]'' premiered in September, ''Pinwheel'' was split into two separate half hours in the morning and afternoon, where it remained until July 1990. Much of Nick Jr.'s other programs at the time were of Japanese or foreign origin (including ''[[Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show]]'', ''[[Adventures of the Little Koala]]'', ''[[The World of David the Gnome|David the Gnome]]'', ''[[Noozles]]'', ''[[Maya the Honey Bee|Maya the Bee]]'', and ''[[The Littl' Bits]]'').
Until July 1990, ''[[Pinwheel (TV series)|Pinwheel]]'' was featured, originally for three hours (two in the morning and one at noon), then for one hour starting in spring 1989. When Nick Jr.'s original series ''[[Eureeka's Castle]]'' premiered in September, ''Pinwheel'' was split into two separate half hours in the morning and afternoon, where it remained until July 1990. Much of Nick Jr.'s other programs at the time were of Japanese or foreign origin (including ''[[Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show]]'', ''[[Adventures of the Little Koala]]'', ''[[The World of David the Gnome|David the Gnome]]'', ''[[Noozles]]'', ''[[Maya the Honey Bee|Maya the Bee]]'', and ''[[The Littl' Bits]]'').


===Grow, Learn, and Play (1993–1994)===
===Grow, Learn, and Play (April 5, 1993–September 2, 1994)===
On {{Start date|1993|4|5}}, Nick Jr. premiered a new series, ''[[Cappelli & Company]]'', and received a new rebrand which prominently featured a new Nick Jr. logo consisting of an orange parent and a blue child, and the slogan ''Grow, Learn, and Play''. Several Nick Jr. promos and bumpers featured kids playing near the Nick Jr. logo and a theme song with the slogan sung to the melody of [[London Bridge Is Falling Down|''London Bridge'']], and a few featured ''Cappelli & Company'' host [[Frank Cappelli]]. Nick Jr. also started using a female announcer (who was replaced by a different one in 1994, 1998 and 2003) in its promos and bumpers. Nick Jr. began to invest more into producing original interstitial series (including 1994's ''Muppet Time'', forty two-minute shorts from [[The Jim Henson Company]]) in order to stay within a self-imposed limit of five minutes of commercials per hour.
On {{Start date|1993|4|5}}, Nick Jr. premiered a new series, ''[[Cappelli & Company]]'', and received a new rebrand which prominently featured a new Nick Jr. logo consisting of an orange parent and a blue child, and the slogan ''Grow, Learn, and Play''. Several Nick Jr. promos and bumpers featured kids playing near the Nick Jr. logo and a theme song with the slogan sung to the melody of [[London Bridge Is Falling Down|''London Bridge'']], and a few featured ''Cappelli & Company'' host [[Frank Cappelli]]. Nick Jr. also started using a female announcer (who was replaced by a different one in 1994, 1998 and 2003) in its promos and bumpers. Nick Jr. began to invest more into producing original interstitial series (including 1994's ''Muppet Time'', forty two-minute shorts from [[The Jim Henson Company]]) in order to stay within a self-imposed limit of five minutes of commercials per hour.
On April 4, 1994, the "Jim Henson's Muppet Hour" sub-block was created by pairing ''[[Jim Henson's Muppet Babies|Muppet Babies]]'' reruns with the new acquisition, ''[[The Muppet Show]]''.
On April 4, 1994, the "Jim Henson's Muppet Hour" sub-block was created by pairing ''[[Jim Henson's Muppet Babies|Muppet Babies]]'' reruns with the new acquisition, ''[[The Muppet Show]]''.
Due to Nick Jr.'s declining ratings as well as competition from [[PBS]]' [[PBS Kids|PTV]] block and [[TLC (TV network)|TLC]]'s ''[[Ready Set Learn]]'' block, Nickelodeon decided to spend $30 million on revamping their Nick Jr. block in 1994.<ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1994/BC-1994-03-28.pdf Nick to spend $30 million on kids (page 53)] from Broadcasting & Cable</ref>
Due to Nick Jr.'s declining ratings as well as competition from [[PBS]]' [[PBS Kids|PTV]] block and [[TLC (TV network)|TLC]]'s ''[[Ready Set Learn]]'' block, Nickelodeon decided to spend $30 million on revamping their Nick Jr. block in 1994.<ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1994/BC-1994-03-28.pdf Nick to spend $30 million on kids (page 53)] from Broadcasting & Cable</ref>


===Play to Learn (1994–2003)===
===Play to Learn (September 5, 1994–August 29, 2003)===
On {{Start date|1994|9|5}}, Nick Jr. rebranded and introduced Face, an animated host that introduced shows and interstitials and led into commercial breaks. In the context of his segments, Face was capable of materialising objects such as an astronaut, a robot, a clown, a window, a traffic light, stars, and even wood. He was also capable of creating a number of foley sound effects and voices including a signature three-note [[trumpet]] noise usually following the name "Nick Jr." at the end of almost every bumper. Also, he changed colors, moods, and feelings. Face was voiced by [[Chris Phillips (voice actor)|Chris Phillips]], who also narrated several Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. promos. The original Face promos were produced by [[Nickelodeon Digital|Nick Digital]] (from 1994 to 1996 and 2000 to 2003) and DMA Animation (from 1996 to 2000). In October, Nick Jr. introduced two new original series, ''[[Gullah Gullah Island]]'' and ''[[Allegra's Window]]'', resulting in 50% rating gains for the block.
On {{Start date|1994|9|5}}, Nick Jr. rebranded and introduced Face, an animated host that introduced shows and interstitials and led into commercial breaks. In the context of his segments, Face was capable of materialising objects such as an astronaut, a robot, a clown, a window, a traffic light, stars, and even wood. He was also capable of creating a number of foley sound effects and voices including a signature three-note [[trumpet]] noise usually following the name "Nick Jr." at the end of almost every bumper. Also, he changed colors, moods, and feelings. Face was voiced by [[Chris Phillips (voice actor)|Chris Phillips]], who also narrated several Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. promos. The original Face promos were produced by [[Nickelodeon Digital|Nick Digital]] (from 1994 to 1996 and 2000 to 2003) and DMA Animation (from 1996 to 2000). In October, Nick Jr. introduced two new original series, ''[[Gullah Gullah Island]]'' and ''[[Allegra's Window]]'', resulting in 50% rating gains for the block.


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On {{Start date|2003|8|29}}, the original Face interstitials ended their 9-year run.
On {{Start date|2003|8|29}}, the original Face interstitials ended their 9-year run.


===Nick Jr. Play Along (2003–2004)===
===Nick Jr. Play Along (September 1, 2003–October 8, 2004)===
On {{Start date|2003|9|1}}, Nick Jr. received a rebrand that introduced more than a dozen new logos; ''[[Rubbadubbers]]'' premiered the next day. A new interstitial series called ''Nick Jr. Play Along'' debuted, which were hosted by two fun live-action hosts: Robin (played by actress [[Hillary Hawkins]]<ref>{{cite web|title = Hillary Hawkins|url = http://www.hillaryhawkins.com|website = Hillary Hawkins|access-date = 2015-07-29}}</ref>) and Zack (played by actor Travis Guba<ref>{{cite web|title = About|url = http://www.travisguba.com/about.html|website = www.travisguba.com|access-date = 2015-07-29}}</ref>). Alongside Robin and Zack were two [[Sock puppet|sock puppets]] called the Feetbeats. Face was given a new look on September 1 too. Face added eyebrows and a chin and straightened his eyes by inverting their colors from white dots on black eyes to larger black dots on white eyes, and was voiced by [[Nickelodeon on CBS|Nick on CBS]] announcer Babi Floyd, replacing Chris Phillips, Face's original voice actor. The new Face promos were produced by Vee-Pee Cartoons. Nick Jr. also removed most of its older interstitial series, although they, along with Face's old design briefly returned in 2004 due to negative reception.
On {{Start date|2003|9|1}}, Nick Jr. received a rebrand that introduced more than a dozen new logos; ''[[Rubbadubbers]]'' premiered the next day. A new interstitial series called ''Nick Jr. Play Along'' debuted, which were hosted by two fun live-action hosts: Robin (played by actress [[Hillary Hawkins]]<ref>{{cite web|title = Hillary Hawkins|url = http://www.hillaryhawkins.com|website = Hillary Hawkins|access-date = 2015-07-29}}</ref>) and Zack (played by actor Travis Guba<ref>{{cite web|title = About|url = http://www.travisguba.com/about.html|website = www.travisguba.com|access-date = 2015-07-29}}</ref>). Alongside Robin and Zack were two [[Sock puppet|sock puppets]] called the Feetbeats. Face was given a new look on September 1 too. Face added eyebrows and a chin and straightened his eyes by inverting their colors from white dots on black eyes to larger black dots on white eyes, and was voiced by [[Nickelodeon on CBS|Nick on CBS]] announcer Babi Floyd, replacing Chris Phillips, Face's original voice actor. The new Face promos were produced by Vee-Pee Cartoons. Nick Jr. also removed most of its older interstitial series, although they, along with Face's old design briefly returned in 2004 due to negative reception.


On {{Start date|2004|10|8}}, the Nick Jr. Play Along and the new Face interstitials ended their 1-year run.
On {{Start date|2004|10|8}}, the Nick Jr. Play Along and the new Face interstitials ended their 1-year run.


===Love to Play! (2004–2007)===
===Love to Play! (October 11, 2004–September 7, 2007)===
On October 11, 2004, Nick Jr. received another rebrand containing interstitials co-produced by [[Little Airplane Productions]] featuring the block's new host Piper O'Possum (voiced by [[Ali Brustofski]]), and the new slogan "Love to Play!". Nick Jr.'s female announcer was replaced with Kobie Powell and Chris Phillips. Nick Jr. used its new on-screen bug to promote its website, but it was changed on {{Start date|2006|3|6}} after the FCC forbade this and used Nick Jr.'s 2003–2004 regular screen bug and Nick's regular splat logo again. The last time they used the two on-screen bugs for Nickelodeon (Nick.com) and Nick Jr. (NickJr.com) was January 2006 till the end of February 2006 or {{Start date|2006|3|3}}. ''[[LazyTown]]'', ''[[Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends]]'', and ''[[The Backyardigans]]'' (the latter of which premiering alongside the rebrand) premiered on Nick Jr. in 2004; they were briefly shown on [[Noggin (brand)|Noggin]] during Thanksgiving week before joining Noggin's regular schedule later.
On October 11, 2004, Nick Jr. received another rebrand containing interstitials co-produced by [[Little Airplane Productions]] featuring the block's new host Piper O'Possum (voiced by [[Ali Brustofski]]), and the new slogan "Love to Play!". Nick Jr.'s female announcer was replaced with Kobie Powell and Chris Phillips. Nick Jr. used its new on-screen bug to promote its website, but it was changed on {{Start date|2006|3|6}} after the FCC forbade this and used Nick Jr.'s 2003–2004 regular screen bug and Nick's regular splat logo again. The last time they used the two on-screen bugs for Nickelodeon (Nick.com) and Nick Jr. (NickJr.com) was January 2006 till the end of February 2006 or {{Start date|2006|3|3}}. ''[[LazyTown]]'', ''[[Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends]]'', and ''[[The Backyardigans]]'' (the latter of which premiering alongside the rebrand) premiered on Nick Jr. in 2004; they were briefly shown on [[Noggin (brand)|Noggin]] during Thanksgiving week before joining Noggin's regular schedule later.


On {{Start date|2007|9|7}}, the Piper O'Possum interstitials ended their 3-year run.
On {{Start date|2007|9|7}}, the Piper O'Possum interstitials ended their 3-year run.


===Play With Us (2007–2009)===
===Play With Us (September 10, 2007–September 25, 2009)===
On {{Start date|2007|9|10}}, Nick Jr. received yet another rebrand. The block's bumpers (which were often similar to Noggin's "Puzzle Time" interstitials) encouraged preschoolers to "Play With Us" and featured the Nick Jr. logo in the form of two stuffed animals animated in stop-motion. This marks the first time that Nick Jr. had no host since 1994. Nick Jr. also stopped airing interstitial series and increased the amount of commercials it aired. Starting on {{Start date|2008|3|3}}, Nick Jr. began its broadcast at 8:30 am.
On {{Start date|2007|9|10}}, Nick Jr. received yet another rebrand. The block's bumpers (which were often similar to Noggin's "Puzzle Time" interstitials) encouraged preschoolers to "Play With Us" and featured the Nick Jr. logo in the form of two stuffed animals animated in stop-motion. This marks the first time that Nick Jr. had no host since 1994. Nick Jr. also stopped airing interstitial series and increased the amount of commercials it aired. Starting on {{Start date|2008|3|3}}, Nick Jr. began its broadcast at 8:30 am.


On {{Start date|2009|1|30}}, 3 days before its rebrand as ''Nickelodeon's Play Date'', the original Nick Jr. block aired for the last time with ''[[Ni Hao, Kai-Lan]]'' being its last show.
On {{Start date|2009|1|30}}, 3 days before its rebrand as ''Nickelodeon's Play Date'', the original Nick Jr. block aired for the last time with ''[[Ni Hao, Kai-Lan]]'' being its last show.


===Nickelodeon branding (2009–2014)===
===Nickelodeon branding (September 28, 2009–May 2, 2014)===
{{main|Nick Jr.}}
{{main|Nick Jr.}}
On {{Start date|2009|2|2}}, the original Nick Jr. block rebranded as ''Nickelodeon's Play Date.'' The block's branding was based on Noggin's branding, and many bumpers featured drawings, finger puppets or cupcakes. The bumpers' music was a choir of kids vocalizing, and [[Nicolette Pierini]] was the announcer of each bumper. On September 28 of that year, the Nick Jr. channel was launched replacing Noggin. In 2011, ''Nickelodeon's Play Date'' received a new rebrand featuring characters from the block's shows. The following year, the ''Play Date'' branding was replaced with a modified version of the Nick Jr. channel's new branding known as ''Nick: The Smart Place to Play''. Despite Nickelodeon displaying its shows credits during the last 30 seconds before it since 2012, the branding retained the split-screen credits for Nick Jr. shows airing on the block until {{Start date|2014|5|2}}.
On {{Start date|2009|2|2}}, the original Nick Jr. block rebranded as ''Nickelodeon's Play Date.'' The block's branding was based on Noggin's branding, and many bumpers featured drawings, finger puppets or cupcakes. The bumpers' music was a choir of kids vocalizing, and [[Nicolette Pierini]] was the announcer of each bumper. On September 28 of that year, the Nick Jr. channel was launched replacing Noggin. In 2011, ''Nickelodeon's Play Date'' received a new rebrand featuring characters from the block's shows. The following year, the ''Play Date'' branding was replaced with a modified version of the Nick Jr. channel's new branding known as ''Nick: The Smart Place to Play''. Despite Nickelodeon displaying its shows credits during the last 30 seconds before it since 2012, the branding retained the split-screen credits for Nick Jr. shows airing on the block until {{Start date|2014|5|2}}.


===Return of Nick Jr. branding (2014–present)===
===Return of Nick Jr. branding (May 5, 2014–present)===
On {{Start date|2014|5|5}}, Nickelodeon's preschool block rebranded back to the Nick Jr. name while still using the Nickelodeon name for the screen bug (and promos starting in 2015). When aired on the Nick Jr. channel, commercials for programs broadcast on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block usually end with "Only on Nick" to differentiate the titles. On the same day, the Nick Jr. block also began to use Nickelodeon's on-screen credits to include more commercial offsets. On {{Start date|2015|6|10}}, the Nick Jr. website was completely redesigned to match up with the Nick Jr. app.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kidscreen.com/2015/06/10/nick-jr-site-gets-a-redesign-debuts-new-preschool-series/|title=Nick Jr. site gets a redesign, debuts new preschool series|access-date=5 September 2018}}</ref>
On {{Start date|2014|5|5}}, Nickelodeon's preschool block rebranded back to the Nick Jr. name while still using the Nickelodeon name for the screen bug (and promos starting in 2015). When aired on the Nick Jr. channel, commercials for programs broadcast on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block usually end with "Only on Nick" to differentiate the titles. On the same day, the Nick Jr. block also began to use Nickelodeon's on-screen credits to include more commercial offsets. On {{Start date|2015|6|10}}, the Nick Jr. website was completely redesigned to match up with the Nick Jr. app.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kidscreen.com/2015/06/10/nick-jr-site-gets-a-redesign-debuts-new-preschool-series/|title=Nick Jr. site gets a redesign, debuts new preschool series|access-date=5 September 2018}}</ref>


Revision as of 18:50, 4 January 2021

For the television channel, see Nick Jr.
Nick Jr.
NetworkNickelodeon
LaunchedJanuary 4, 1988; 36 years ago (1988-01-04)
Country of originUnited States
OwnerViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks (ViacomCBS)
HeadquartersNew York City
Formerly known as
  • Nickelodeon's Play Date (2009–2012)
  • Nick: The Smart Place to Play (2012–2014)
  • Nick Jr. on Nick (2014–2019)
Original language(s)English
Voices ofWendell Craig (1988–1993)
Chris Phillips (1994–2003)
Ilyana Kadushin (1998–2003)
Hillary Hawkins (2003–2004)
Travis Guba (2003–2004)
Babi Floyd (2003–2004)
Ali Brustofski (2004–2007)
Kobie Powell (2004–2012)
Nicolette Pierini (2009–2011)
Jessica DiCicco (2012–present)
Official websitewww.nickjr.com

Nick Jr. is an American programming block seen on weekday mornings on Nickelodeon. The block premiered on January 4, 1988. As its name suggests, it is aimed at children from age 2 to 6 who have not started full-day school yet. It is owned by ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks, a division of ViacomCBS.

History

January 4, 1988–April 2, 1993

Throughout the 1980s, Nickelodeon aired programs for preschoolers (most prominently Pinwheel and Today's Special) on weekdays from 8:00am - 2:00pm) and weekend mornings. This was similar during the Silver Ball era, in which during preschool programming, one such ID had the Nickelodeon Silver Ball logo flipping to the National Education Association logo with an announcer saying that Nickelodeon's programming "is recommended by the National Education Association".

After Nickelodeon's preschool block premiered a slew of new shows in 1987, it began using the Nick Junior branding on January 4, 1988 (1988-01-04),[1] coinciding with the premiere of The World of David the Gnome. A new rebrand for the block that shortened its name to Nick Jr. was slowly rolled out between September 1988 and mid-1989.[2] Nick Jr.'s new logo was orange for 'Nick' and blue for 'Jr.', and it varied in the shape or species (e.g.: two gears, trains, robots, planets, insects, comets, or elephants). Nick Jr.'s initial network IDs were filmed in live action featuring two children wearing Nick Jr. shirts walking to a refrigerator and opening it, revealing an animated cartoon character. From 1989 to 2000, other companies and animators produced IDs for Nick Jr.

Until July 1990, Pinwheel was featured, originally for three hours (two in the morning and one at noon), then for one hour starting in spring 1989. When Nick Jr.'s original series Eureeka's Castle premiered in September, Pinwheel was split into two separate half hours in the morning and afternoon, where it remained until July 1990. Much of Nick Jr.'s other programs at the time were of Japanese or foreign origin (including Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show, Adventures of the Little Koala, David the Gnome, Noozles, Maya the Bee, and The Littl' Bits).

Grow, Learn, and Play (April 5, 1993–September 2, 1994)

On April 5, 1993 (1993-04-05), Nick Jr. premiered a new series, Cappelli & Company, and received a new rebrand which prominently featured a new Nick Jr. logo consisting of an orange parent and a blue child, and the slogan Grow, Learn, and Play. Several Nick Jr. promos and bumpers featured kids playing near the Nick Jr. logo and a theme song with the slogan sung to the melody of London Bridge, and a few featured Cappelli & Company host Frank Cappelli. Nick Jr. also started using a female announcer (who was replaced by a different one in 1994, 1998 and 2003) in its promos and bumpers. Nick Jr. began to invest more into producing original interstitial series (including 1994's Muppet Time, forty two-minute shorts from The Jim Henson Company) in order to stay within a self-imposed limit of five minutes of commercials per hour. On April 4, 1994, the "Jim Henson's Muppet Hour" sub-block was created by pairing Muppet Babies reruns with the new acquisition, The Muppet Show. Due to Nick Jr.'s declining ratings as well as competition from PBS' PTV block and TLC's Ready Set Learn block, Nickelodeon decided to spend $30 million on revamping their Nick Jr. block in 1994.[3]

Play to Learn (September 5, 1994–August 29, 2003)

On September 5, 1994 (1994-09-05), Nick Jr. rebranded and introduced Face, an animated host that introduced shows and interstitials and led into commercial breaks. In the context of his segments, Face was capable of materialising objects such as an astronaut, a robot, a clown, a window, a traffic light, stars, and even wood. He was also capable of creating a number of foley sound effects and voices including a signature three-note trumpet noise usually following the name "Nick Jr." at the end of almost every bumper. Also, he changed colors, moods, and feelings. Face was voiced by Chris Phillips, who also narrated several Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. promos. The original Face promos were produced by Nick Digital (from 1994 to 1996 and 2000 to 2003) and DMA Animation (from 1996 to 2000). In October, Nick Jr. introduced two new original series, Gullah Gullah Island and Allegra's Window, resulting in 50% rating gains for the block.

On September 8, 1996 (1996-09-08), the first episode of Blue's Clues premiered in prime-time on Nickelodeon, then it debuted on Nick Jr. the next day. Nick Jr. also premiered four new interstitial series and received a new rebrand produced by Pittard Sullivan. Blue's Clues quickly dethroned Gullah Gullah Island as Nick Jr.'s most popular series. In 1998, Nick Jr. rebranded again and introduced the "Just for Me" slogan.

In 1999 and 2000, Nick Jr. replaced most of its older series with newer series such as Franklin, Kipper, Maisy, and Little Bill which helped increase the block's ratings. Nick Jr. briefly aired reruns of Shining Time Station in the Summer of 2000 to promote Thomas and the Magic Railroad before replacing it with Dora the Explorer, which became one of Nick Jr.'s most successful series. Maggie and the Ferocious Beast premiered on the same day as when Nick Jr. started airing Shining Time Station. Bob the Builder and Oswald premiered in 2001. On September 3, 2001 (2001-09-03), Nick Jr. received a new rebrand produced by AdamsMorioka (who had previously rebranded Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite) and Editional Effects.

On August 29, 2003 (2003-08-29), the original Face interstitials ended their 9-year run.

Nick Jr. Play Along (September 1, 2003–October 8, 2004)

On September 1, 2003 (2003-09-01), Nick Jr. received a rebrand that introduced more than a dozen new logos; Rubbadubbers premiered the next day. A new interstitial series called Nick Jr. Play Along debuted, which were hosted by two fun live-action hosts: Robin (played by actress Hillary Hawkins[4]) and Zack (played by actor Travis Guba[5]). Alongside Robin and Zack were two sock puppets called the Feetbeats. Face was given a new look on September 1 too. Face added eyebrows and a chin and straightened his eyes by inverting their colors from white dots on black eyes to larger black dots on white eyes, and was voiced by Nick on CBS announcer Babi Floyd, replacing Chris Phillips, Face's original voice actor. The new Face promos were produced by Vee-Pee Cartoons. Nick Jr. also removed most of its older interstitial series, although they, along with Face's old design briefly returned in 2004 due to negative reception.

On October 8, 2004 (2004-10-08), the Nick Jr. Play Along and the new Face interstitials ended their 1-year run.

Love to Play! (October 11, 2004–September 7, 2007)

On October 11, 2004, Nick Jr. received another rebrand containing interstitials co-produced by Little Airplane Productions featuring the block's new host Piper O'Possum (voiced by Ali Brustofski), and the new slogan "Love to Play!". Nick Jr.'s female announcer was replaced with Kobie Powell and Chris Phillips. Nick Jr. used its new on-screen bug to promote its website, but it was changed on March 6, 2006 (2006-03-06) after the FCC forbade this and used Nick Jr.'s 2003–2004 regular screen bug and Nick's regular splat logo again. The last time they used the two on-screen bugs for Nickelodeon (Nick.com) and Nick Jr. (NickJr.com) was January 2006 till the end of February 2006 or March 3, 2006 (2006-03-03). LazyTown, Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends, and The Backyardigans (the latter of which premiering alongside the rebrand) premiered on Nick Jr. in 2004; they were briefly shown on Noggin during Thanksgiving week before joining Noggin's regular schedule later.

On September 7, 2007 (2007-09-07), the Piper O'Possum interstitials ended their 3-year run.

Play With Us (September 10, 2007–September 25, 2009)

On September 10, 2007 (2007-09-10), Nick Jr. received yet another rebrand. The block's bumpers (which were often similar to Noggin's "Puzzle Time" interstitials) encouraged preschoolers to "Play With Us" and featured the Nick Jr. logo in the form of two stuffed animals animated in stop-motion. This marks the first time that Nick Jr. had no host since 1994. Nick Jr. also stopped airing interstitial series and increased the amount of commercials it aired. Starting on March 3, 2008 (2008-03-03), Nick Jr. began its broadcast at 8:30 am.

On January 30, 2009 (2009-01-30), 3 days before its rebrand as Nickelodeon's Play Date, the original Nick Jr. block aired for the last time with Ni Hao, Kai-Lan being its last show.

Nickelodeon branding (September 28, 2009–May 2, 2014)

Main article: Nick Jr.

On February 2, 2009 (2009-02-02), the original Nick Jr. block rebranded as Nickelodeon's Play Date. The block's branding was based on Noggin's branding, and many bumpers featured drawings, finger puppets or cupcakes. The bumpers' music was a choir of kids vocalizing, and Nicolette Pierini was the announcer of each bumper. On September 28 of that year, the Nick Jr. channel was launched replacing Noggin. In 2011, Nickelodeon's Play Date received a new rebrand featuring characters from the block's shows. The following year, the Play Date branding was replaced with a modified version of the Nick Jr. channel's new branding known as Nick: The Smart Place to Play. Despite Nickelodeon displaying its shows credits during the last 30 seconds before it since 2012, the branding retained the split-screen credits for Nick Jr. shows airing on the block until May 2, 2014 (2014-05-02).

Return of Nick Jr. branding (May 5, 2014–present)

On May 5, 2014 (2014-05-05), Nickelodeon's preschool block rebranded back to the Nick Jr. name while still using the Nickelodeon name for the screen bug (and promos starting in 2015). When aired on the Nick Jr. channel, commercials for programs broadcast on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block usually end with "Only on Nick" to differentiate the titles. On the same day, the Nick Jr. block also began to use Nickelodeon's on-screen credits to include more commercial offsets. On June 10, 2015 (2015-06-10), the Nick Jr. website was completely redesigned to match up with the Nick Jr. app.[6]

On May 21, 2018 (2018-05-21), the Nick Jr. block began calling itself "Nick Jr. on Nick", refreshing its imaging with new bumpers and curriculum boards.

On November 12, 2018 (2018-11-12), the Nick Jr. block reverted back to using the Nickelodeon name for the screen bug and later in advertisements. However, the Nick Jr. name is retained in the refreshed bumpers and curriculum boards.

Slogans

  • Nick Jr.'s Just For You! (January 4, 1988 – 1991)
  • Nick Jr. Is Here Just For You! (1991 – April 2, 1993)
  • Grow, Learn, and Play (April 5, 1993 — September 2, 1994)
  • Play to Learn (September 5, 1994 — 2003)
  • TV for the Next Generation (1994 – 1996)
  • TV Made Just For Preschoolers (1996 – October 2, 1998)
  • Just for Me (October 5, 1998 – August 31, 2001)
  • Where I Play to Learn (September 3, 2001 – August 29, 2003)
  • Where I Play Along (September 1, 2003 – October 8, 2004)
  • Love to Play (October 11, 2004 – September 7, 2007)
  • Play with Us! (September 10, 2007 – January 30, 2009)
  • It’s Like Preschool on TV (February 2, 2009 — February 29, 2012)
  • The Smart Place to Play (March 1, 2012 — May 20, 2018)
  • Ready to Play (May 21, 2018 – present)

Programming

Main article: List of programs broadcast by Nick Jr. (block)

Cross-programming with other networks

Cross-programming is a term used in broadcast programming.

From 2000 - 2006, Nick Jr. also ran a Saturday morning children's block for CBS featuring shows and interstitials from the Nick Jr. programming block. From 2002 - 2004.

Face's reappearances

Face (the '90s version) made an appearance during the 2012 New Year edition of The '90s Are All That, TeenNick's former 1990s-oriented late night block. Face's appearances consisted of out-of-context clips that make him appear to be drunk or making adult comments (e.g.: "Yeah, grow a pair!").

Face also appeared in an Easter promo for The Splat, The '90s Are All That's successor, in 2016, encouraging viewers to look for the Easter Bunny in '90s Nickelodeon shows.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Nickelodeon Early-Morning TV Broadcast from 1988 (with commercials)". YouTube. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  2. ^ "The Rugrats Timeline -- Through 1989". 2012-06-16. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
  3. ^ Nick to spend $30 million on kids (page 53) from Broadcasting & Cable
  4. ^ "Hillary Hawkins". Hillary Hawkins. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
  5. ^ "About". www.travisguba.com. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
  6. ^ "Nick Jr. site gets a redesign, debuts new preschool series". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
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