PBS KIDS Tops Fall Nielsen Ratings, Kicks Off December With Special Holiday Episodes Featuring Favorite Characters

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- PBS KIDS is celebrating this holiday season with strong ratings. PBS KIDS shows held four of the top ten spots in children's programming among kids 2 - 5 for September, October and November 2010, according to Nielsen ratings.  CURIOUS GEORGE® was ranked number one in September and tied for number one in November, and THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! held the number one spot in October.

These series, along with other PBS KIDS favorites, will be airing special holiday episodes throughout December. THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! will premiere its first holiday special episode "Reindeer Games," which helps children learn the science behind how reindeer use antlers to dig in the snow and find food. Other favorite programs' holiday episodes teach kids the meaning of the season and help build literacy, science and math skills.

PBSKIDS.org also offers fun games and mobile apps to keep kids engaged during the holiday season, including the web-based online safety game WEBONAUTS INTERNET ACADEMY, and the new DINOSAUR TRAIN Eggspress App for iPhone and iPod touch.  The whole family can also watch holiday and other episodes any time on the PBS KIDS video player.

Following is a listing of the episodes airing on PBS KIDS throughout December (check local listings for air dates and times).

THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! -- "Reindeer Games" NEW

Nick and Sally can't find their sled that's buried under the snow. Cat's friend Magnus the reindeer is great at finding things in the snow.  Off they go to the Jingly Bell Forest where Magnus shows them how he digs with his feet and shovels snow with his antlers.  And when Nick and Sally find Magnus' old antlers, they can shovel snow now too and find their sled!

CURIOUS GEORGE -- "A Very Monkey Christmas"

Curious George and The Man with the Yellow Hat are having a wonderful time getting ready for Christmas. There's only one dilemma - neither of them can figure out what to give the other for a present! In the end, both gift-giving predicaments are simply and beautifully resolved, revealing the true spirit of the holiday season.

DINOSAUR TRAIN -- "Dinosaurs in the Snow" and "Cretaceous Conifers"

"Dinosaurs in the Snow"

Buddy and his Pteranodon family ride the Dinosaur Train to the North Pole - where it's cooler out and the skies are dark all winter long! The kids get to play in the snow and slide on a frozen pond for the first time.

"Cretaceous Conifers"

The whole Pteranodon family travels to Troodon Town to help Mom celebrate her favorite holiday, Winter Solstice. They learn about evergreen conifer trees and help decorate them at a holiday party.    

SUPER WHY! -- "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

'Twas the Night Before Christmas, and all through Storybrook Village, not a creature was stirring…except for Whyatt, who has an important question for Santa! So the Super Readers catch up with Santa and his reindeer as they gallop from rooftop to rooftop and unravel the mystery of Santa's childhood, discovering along the way how to help spread the magic of the holiday.

SID THE SCIENCE KID -- "Sid's Holiday Adventure"

Sid loves celebrating the winter holidays where he lives, because it's always sunny and warm.  But this year, Sid and his family are visiting relatives where it's chilly and cold.  Sid wonders why it can't be warm everywhere.  At school, Sid discovers that temperatures are different all over the world!

WORDWORLD -- "The Christmas Star" and "A Christmas Present for Dog"

"The Christmas Star"

It's the night before Christmas and Frog needs a star to hang on his Christmas tree. Duck thinks this will be the perfect present for Frog, and tries to lasso one out of the sky for him. Try as he might, Duck is unable to catch a star for Frog, and cries himself to sleep. But while he sleeps, someone leaves him a wonderful present: the letters S-T-A-R…

"A Christmas Present for Dog"

It's Christmas morning, and all the WordFriends are excited by the presents Santa has brought for them! Pig has a sled, Bear has a doll and Ant has a cookie. But not all the letters for Dog's present came down his chimney. All he has is a B-A-L. Bear gets filled with the Christmas spirit and makes a sacrifice to ensure Dog's Christmas will be merry!

BARNEY & FRIENDS -- "Gift of the Dinos and a Visit to Santa"

It's Christmas in the park and BJ dreams of getting a new glove to go with his beloved big league baseball, while Riff hopes for new drumsticks to use his cherished drum.  When Barney reminds them that Christmas is about more than getting gifts, they decide to give each other his dream gift…even if it means parting with a most-loved belonging.  They learn the true meaning of Christmas, and, in the end, "Santa Barney" makes everything right by restoring the drum and baseball.

CAILLOU -- "Caillou's Christmas" and "Winter!"

"Caillou's Christmas"

Caillou goes out caroling for the very first time with Mommy, Daddy, Rosie, Grandpa and Grandma. He finds out caroling is lots of fun - you get to stay up late and surprise your friends with carols, and you even get treats! They finish up the night with a big finale at the seniors' home and Caillou imagines he's really 'dashing through the snow' in a horse and sleigh.

"Winter!"

Wintertime brings lots of new experiences. Sarah teaches Caillou to build a snowman, Dad helps him stay upright on his ice skates (and picks him up when he falls down), and Mom shows Caillou the fine points of downhill skiing, including how not to be afraid of the ski lift. When Caillou and Dad get to the vendor too late to buy a good Christmas tree, they decorate one in the yard instead. All the beautiful colored lights chase away the winter gloom. Also, Caillou learns about the Chinese New Year.  He even tries some Chinese delicacies, but most exciting of all, he gets to see the famous dragon dance!

ARTHUR -- "Arthur's New Year's Eve"

What exactly happens at midnight, December 31st? There are plenty of rumors, but no one seems to know for sure. Arthur is determined to stay up and discover the horrifying truth.

WORDGIRL -- "Oh Holiday Cheese!"

Who moved the Botsfords' cheese? In a brand new episode of WORDGIRL, Dr. Two Brains uses his cheese-swiping ray to ruin the holiday spirit of young Becky Botsford and her family. Can WordGirl save the party and teach Dr. Two Brains an important lesson about his curmudgeonly ways?

CYBERCHASE -- "When Penguins Fly" and "Starlight Night"

"When Penguins Fly"

Penguins can't fly - or can they? In Cyberspace, on one special night each year, the penguins of Penguia take flight to deliver gifts to young borgs across the virtual universe. For the first time ever, the CyberSquad's friend Fluff is participating, and invites his pals Matt, Jackie, Inez and Digit to join him in the impressive Penguin March. But Hacker, up to his usual ruinous tricks, doesn't want a happy holiday (let alone happy little borgs) so he creates a giant ditch in front of the Ice Palace and traps all the penguins in its icy depths! The CyberSquad must get the penguins ice-shoes so they can climb out before midnight, but how many do they need? Can the CyberSquad save the penguins and their favorite holiday too?

"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 forever. He sends Buzz and Delete to stop all production of new star circuits and take inventor Archimedes 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!

MAYA & MIGUEL -- "Miguel's Wonderful Life"

What might life be like without Maya? At first, it seems like Miguel's 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 Maya's not there to help them sort out their differences and Mr. Nguyen isn't their teacher because Maya wasn't there to make him feel appreciated. Miguel soon regrets wishing Maya away, and poof! The world goes back to normal. Maya is back and Miguel couldn't be happier to have a twin sister.

About PBS KIDS

PBS 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.  More than 21 million children watch PBS KIDS on TV, and more than 21 million engage with PBS KIDS online each quarter. For more information on specific PBS KIDS programs supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit PBS.org/pressroom.

Ratings Source:

Nielsen NPower, 08/30/2010 - 11/28/2010, Live+7 Day national AA program ratings among children ages 2-5 for PBS and select competitive cable networks (Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, The Hub, Nickelodeon, and Nick Jr.). Rankings are based on unique program names for shows telecast at least three times during each month. 

Curious George is a production of Imagine, WGBH and Universal. Curious George and related characters, created by Margret and H.A. Rey, are copyrighted and trademarked by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company and used under license.  Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP.  Television Series:  © 2010. Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

SOURCE PBS KIDS