Pajanimals



Pajanimals is an original short-form musical series produced by the Jim Henson Company and 4KIDS Entertainment. The series was created for PBS KIDS Sprout's evening block, The Good Night Show. Pajanimals features the musical adventures of four young animals preparing for bed. Pajanimals premiered on November 2, 2008. The song "La La Lullaby" was aired nightly as part of The Good Night Show, while the other segments were aired on a rotating basis.

The series is designed to help comfort preschool viewers with bedtime themes and transitional issues such as separating from mom at the end of the day, healthy routines, sleeping through the night and being comfortable with the lights out.

In 2011, PBS Sprout ordered new episodes in a half-hour timeslot, consisting of two eleven-minute segments, for a total of 26 broadcast episodes. The episodes debuted in October 2011. . Since the premiere of these episodes, the original shorts have not aired.

The characters were designed by Jeff Muncy and built by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.

On July 7, 2012, the show made its broadcast premiere in the US as part of NBC Kids, a new Saturday morning programming lineup programmed by Sprout. Episodes broadcast on NBC Kids are presented in high-definition where available.

On October 6, 2012, a new season of The Pajanimals began airing on NBCKids.

Additional Characters (Full Series)

 * Bedtime Bunny (Donna Kimball) - A bunny who oversees the Land of Hush; she often falls asleep in the middle of conversations
 * Mr. Happy Birthday (Josh Elwell) - A porcupine who lives in Birthday Land and whose job is to oversee the birthdays of all the children in the world; he sometimes inadvertently pops balloons with his quills. He can never remember the collective name of the Pajanimals, referring to them by names such as "Pajalopies."
 * Moon (Michael Winsor) - A personification of the moon; the Pajanimals sometimes visit him and he performs the song "I'm Your Light in the Night Sky"
 * Jerry Bear (Victor Yerrid) - A friendly bear who lives in the Friendly Forest; he loves to give bear hugs and is always very excited to see the Pajanimals
 * Coach Whistler (Paul Currie) - A coach from the Land of Play who is big on team spirit
 * Ellie Octopus (Sarah Lyle) - An octopus who lives under the sea; she loves to give "octopus huggles," but is a bit scared of the Pajanimals at first
 * Edwin the Magician (Paul Currie) - A magician who is always seen in a different job each time the Pajanimals visit him
 * Granny Turtle (Donna Kimball) - A turtle who lives under the sea and enjoys bowling.
 * Hank and Frank (Victor Yerrid and Paul Currie) - Beavers who live in the Land of Built It. They work together to build amazing wood structures.
 * Mom (unknown voice) - The mother of the Pajanimals; she tells the Pajanimals to sleep tight and she'll see them in the morning light. She performs the "La La Lullaby" song to help them fall asleep.
 * Dad (unknown voice) - The father of the Pajanimals; he is sometimes heard wishing the Pajanimals good night or otherwise talking to them.

Crew - Original Shorts

 * Executive Producers: Halle Stanford, Jeff Muncy, Alex Rockwell, Brian Henson, Lisa Henson
 * Created by: Jeff Muncy
 * Directed by: David Gumpel
 * Produced by: Chris Plourde; Colin Williams (half-hour version)
 * Content Consultant: Sleepy Planet/The Sleepeasy Solution
 * Music Composed by: Michael Silversher and Patty Silversher
 * Musical Arrangements by: Dino Herrmann
 * Production Designer: Jim Dultz
 * Director of Photography: Dave A. Barrett
 * Associate Director: Chris Plourde
 * Stage Manager: AJ Johnson
 * Set Construction: Paul Riley
 * Leadman: Erin Eagleton
 * Puppeteers: Alice Dinnean, Donna Kimball, John Kennedy, Victor Yerrid
 * Puppet Captain: John Kennedy
 * Puppet Wrangler: Marian Keating
 * Puppets by the Jim Henson Creature Shop: Connie Peterson, Rollie Krewson, Tom Newby, Jason Weber
 * Production Coordinator: Stephanie James
 * Script Supervisor: Iwana Kanclerz
 * Cameras: James Atkinson, Chris Ferugson, Bryan McKenzie
 * Audio: Dino Herrmann, Lothar Bellutta
 * Gaffer: Rubin Diaz
 * Key Grip: Paul Lambiase
 * Production Staff: Andrew Nielsen, Sam Molleur
 * Business Affairs: Dan Scharf, Allyson Smith
 * Accounting: Brittan Brown
 * Assistants to the Producers: Joe LeFavi, Robert Fewkes
 * Editor: David Gumpel
 * Post Sound: Dino Herrmann
 * Assistant Editor: James Atkinson

Crew - Full Series

 * Executive Producers: Lisa Henson, Halle Stanford, Alex Rockwell, Jeff Muncy
 * Sprout Executive Producer: Andrew Beecham
 * Executive in Charge of Production: Lisa O'Brien
 * Starring: Donna Kimball, Sarah Lyle, Michael Winsor, Victor Yerrid, Olly Taylor (second season)
 * Music by: Michael and Patty Silversher
 * Produced by: Colin Williams
 * Created by: Jeff Muncy and Alex Rockwell
 * Puppets by: Jim Henson's Creature Shop
 * Creative Supervisor: Jason Weber
 * Production Manager: Jason Seck
 * Puppet Build: Rollie Krewson, Ann Marie Holdgruen, Tom Newby, Tim Lagasse (as Tim Legasse), Anney Ozar, Heather Asch, Constance Peterson, Polly Smith
 * Character Design: Jeff Muncy
 * Puppet Captain: Victor Yerrid
 * Assistant Puppeteers: Paul Currie, Lesa Gillespie, Francine Woods
 * Puppet Wranglers: Mike Smith, Anna McCaughtry
 * Lyricists: Patty Silversher, Alex Rockwell, Judy Rothman Rofè
 * Vocal Director: Neil Martin
 * Story Editor: Alex Rockwell
 * Curriculum Consultants: Jill Spivack and Jennifer Waldburger
 * Production Finance: Brittan Brown
 * Legal Affairs: Dan Scharf
 * Script Coordinator: Michael Foulke
 * Creative Affairs Coordinator: Meghan Sheridan
 * Associate Producer: Fiona Keane
 * Head of Production: Julie Gardner
 * Production Manager: Carol Moorhead
 * Production Assistant: Jonathan Keatings
 * Production Coordinators: Noleen Stevenson, Cristin Ruddy
 * Production Designer: Shane Bunting
 * Art Department: Nigel Pollock, Lauren Young, Sian Alaw Jones, David Carson, Sarah Speers
 * Director of Photography: Peter Jones
 * Camera Department: Angus Mitchell, Steven Roach, Conor Rotherham, John Fitzsimmons
 * Assistant Directors: Darren Fee, Paul McPolin
 * Sound: Marty Harrison, Jonny Waite
 * Electrical: Brian Livingstone, Seamus Lynch, Steve Livingstone
 * Construction Manager: Eammon Twomey
 * Script Supervisor: Andrea Bamford
 * Publicist: Sarah Young
 * Catering: Simply Good Food
 * Legal: Industry Media
 * Security: Goldcard Security
 * Post Production Supervisor: Ivan Rawlings
 * Editing: Brian Philip Davis, Roger Ford-Hutchinson, Chris McGeown, Leanne Andrews
 * Sound Post Production: Ka-Boom
 * Song Recording: Start Together Studio

Episodes
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Shorts
PBS Sprout produced a series of Pajanimals shorts consisting of ten three-minute segments which aired on a rotating basis. An additional short, "La La Lullaby," aired nightly as part of The Good Night Show. Five 10-minute Video-On-Demand companion segments were produced for caregivers, featuring interviews with experts who address common sleep issues for preschoolers. 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. Squacky has the squirmies and wants to get out of bed, but his fellow Pajanimals remind him that nighttime is for sleeping. The Pajanimals sing about their "lovies" that help them to get to sleep at night. 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). The Pajanimals sing fondly of their moms and imagine what they might be doing at night. The Pajanimals sing a song about how sleeping at night help gives one enough energy for the next day. 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. 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. The Pajanimals do fun exercises to tire themselves out before bedtime - including a song where they "jiggle, jumble and jump". 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". The Pajanimals sing a soothing lullaby song before laying down for bed.
 * Episode 101: Stick to the Plan
 * Episode 102: Stay in Bed, Put on Your Sleepy Head
 * Episode 103: I Love to Love My Lovies
 * Episode 104: How Do I Know It's Morning Time?
 * Episode 105: Goodnight to Mom
 * Episode 106: Sleeping Makes Me Feel Alright
 * Episode 107: What's That Sound?
 * Episode 108: Lights in the Dark
 * Episode 109: Let's Make Our Bodies Tired
 * Episode 110: A Scary Dream
 * The Good Night Show: La La Lullaby

Series
PBS Sprout ordered new episodes in a half-hour timeslot, consisting of two eleven-minute segments, for a total of 26 broadcast episodes. The episodes debuted on October 11, 2011. Michael Winsor and Sarah Lyle took over from John Kennedy and Alice Dinnean for the series. 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. When the Pajanimals go out trick-or-treating, they return home with bags full of sweets. Their parents have told them to eat only once a day, but Cowbella can't resist temptation and consumes her entire bag in one go. Now Cowbella is so full of energy that it seems he may never get to sleep, so the Pajanimals visit Bedtime Bunny to try to find a way to calm her down.
 * Episode 101: Blankie in the Laundry
 * Episode 102: A Super Sweet Night
 * Episode 103: Tomorrow is a Brand New Day


 * Episode 104: Super Squacky


 * Episode 105: The Not-So Great Outdoors


 * Episode 106: Dream a Happy Dream

Apollo and Cowbella each like the color purple and want a purple crayon. When Apollo and Cowbella don't want to share the same color, Squacky and Sweetpea Sue turn to Jerry Bear for help. Sweetpea Sue is bothered by loud noises like Squacky playing his drums too loud. When a thunderstorm at night bothers Sweetpea Sue, the Pajanimals turn to Jerry Bear for help.
 * Episode 107: A Colorful Problem
 * Episode 108: Night Will Sing Us to Sleep
 * Episode 109: Missing Mom and Dad

Squacky has developed a fear of the dark even in his mind. When Squacky has a hard time sleeping because of this, the Pajanimals turn to the Moon for help. The Pajanimals are preparing to go on a airplane to Aunt Tilly's house for a week tomorrow. When Sweetpea Sue is worried about leaving home, the Pajanimals turn to the Moon for help. The Pajanimals are anxious to go to the Fun Park tomorrow. Apollo is the only one tall enough to ride the rocket ride when the others aren't close to his height. When this starts to bother him, the Pajanimals turn to Bedtime Bunny for help.
 * Episode 110: Light in the Sky
 * Episode 111: Home Sweet Home
 * Episode 112: The Rocket Ride
 * Episode 113: A Present for Mom

The Pajanimals celebrate Sweetpea Sue's birthday Cowbella was jealous when Apollo's birthday is tomorrow and doesn't feel like attending. The Pajanimals turn to Mr. Happy Birthday for help. Sweatpea Sue is afraid of octopi. To help her get over her fear of octopi, the Pajanimals take Squacky's bed to the sea where they meet Ellie Octopus. Cowbella doesn't feel like taking a bath tomorrow. To help convince Cowbella change her mind, the Pajanimals turn to Ellie Octopus for help. Share Day is at school tomorrow and Sweetpea Sue is nervous about sharing Daisy Puff with the class. When this continues to bother Sweetpea Sue, the Pajanimals turn to Ellie Octopus for help. 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. Apollo is disappointed that he keeps losing every race. When this continues to bother Apollo, the Pajanimals go to Coach Whistler for help. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Cowbella accidentally gets paint on Sweetpea Sue's Daisy Puff which angers Sweetpea Sue. When Sweetpea Sue doesn't want to forgive Cowbella for this incident, Apollo and Squacky end up turning to Edwin (who is pretending to be the Royal Magician) for help and see that Edwin also has a problem when he accidentally turned the Royal Baker into a frog.
 * Episode 114: Happy Birthday, Sweetpea Sue
 * Episode 115: Apollo's Special Day
 * Episode 116: An Octopus Hug
 * Episode 117: No Bath for Me
 * Episode 118: Share Day
 * Episode 119: Puppy Love
 * Episode 120: Winning Isn't Everything
 * Episode 121: Try Try Again
 * Episode 122: Game Day
 * Episode 123: Under the Bed
 * Episode 124: Queen for a Night
 * Episode 125: House of Pancakes
 * Episode 126: I'm Sorry, Really Sorry

With Mother's Day coming tomorrow, Sweetpea Sue wants the Pajanimals to do something super-special for Mom. They decide to clean up their room to surprise her and when this works out well, they decide to do all her jobs the next day, but begin to find themselves in over their heads. They decide to visit The Moon, who helps them come up with ideas for how to celebrate their mom. Cowbella is embarrassed after having an accident on the way to the bathroom, but Sweetpea Sue tells her that everyone makes mistakes. After another accident, though, Cowbella is very upset. Quite worried, she can't get to sleep, so the Pajanimals go under the sea and visit Granny Pearl the turtle. She assures Cowbella that sometimes some things take longer to learn than others. When the Pajanimals form a band, Apollo keeps forgetting the lyrics to their new song and quits out of frustration. The Pajanimals visit Edwin in Storybook Land, who is playing King. Edwin advocates that Apollo practice so he can get better. When Squacky and Cowbella have a fight over a plastic guitar, Mom puts them in time out and sends them to their "calm down spots." It works and the two calm down. Sweetpea recommends that when they're mad, they use their words. When they go to bed, they worry that Mom is mad at the because she told them never to do things like hitting or pulling hair, which they did in their fight. They visit the Land of Hush and speak with Bedtime Bunny, who tells the that Mom gave them a time-out because she loves them and wanted to give the a chance to calm down, not because she was mad at them. When Apollo and Sweetpea Sue exclude Squacky and Cowbella from a card game, saying that it's a "big kids game," the two are hurt and angry. That night, the Pajanimals visit the Land of Play and talk with consult Coach Whistler. He helps Apollo and Sweetpea to see that games are only fun when no one is left out, especially when it's your family that wants to join in. Squacky and Apollo build their very own pillow fort. At first, Sweetpea and Cowbella don't want to play, but when they see how great the two boys's fort is, they want back the stuff they gave them to make it, so that they can build their own fort. Both groups are upset, so they visit the Land of Build It, where they meet up with the beavers Hank and Frank. They advocate teamwork in their building, showing them how they couldn't build the things they build if they didn't work together. When the Pajanimals find themselves in the unusual position of being fully ready for bed well before bedtime, Sweetpea Sue decides that they should have a Pajanimal Dance Party. They do her favorite dance - the Twirly Whirly, then Squacky's, the Pajama Freeze Dance. Cowbella's choice is the Jiggle Giggle Dance, but during the dance, Squacky and Cowbella bump each other's heads and get mad at each other. Apollo tells them that they need to end the fight, and they can do so by saying "I'm sorry" to each other. They do so, and sing a song about it. They then finish the party with Apollo's choice, the Pajarama Bounce. That night, the Pajanimals sing themselves to sleep with the full "La La Lullaby" song (as in the original shorts), rather than their mother performing the song. The Pajanimals like to have fun trick-or-treating for Halloween, but Cowbella is scared of the spooky costumes. To help her, they visit Storybook Land and meet Edwin, who is pretending to be a knight. Cowbella talks with him, who tells her that being scared is part of the fun on Halloween. He suggests that if she gets too scared to just remember that they're only costume and the people wearing them are only kids. Even so, it's okay to be afraid sometimes. This reassures Cowbella and she comes to happily anticipate Halloween.
 * Episode 201: Mom is Amazing
 * Episode 202: Accidents Can Happen
 * Episode 203: Sing a Pajanimal Song
 * Episode 204: Time Out for Two
 * Episode 205: Let's Play Together
 * Episode 206: Team Fort
 * Episode 207: Pajanimal Dance Party
 * Episode 208: Spooky Costumes
 * Episode 209: Off to My School Adventure


 * Episode 210: Mind Your Manners

Songs
The series features original songs written by Michael and Patty Silversher with lyrics by Michael and Patty Silversher, Alex Rockwell and Judy Rothman.

The theme song for the series features the Pajanimals and Mom singing about the fact that they are "ready for beddy-bye". Each character is introduced as the song shows them getting ready for bed -- Apollo is looking forward to a goodnight hug, Cow Bella is in bed "snug as a bug", Squacky has picked out a book to share, and Sweetpea Sue is getting ready to put on her pajamas. The program's theme song was not aired on Sprout in the original shorts, but was made freely available online. It was also included on the program's soundtrack album and the DVD release. An instrumental version of the theme was used for the closing credits, which was again not presented on Sprout.

The full series uses a new version of the theme song, performed only by the mother, with slightly modified lyrics. The closing credits feature the mother performing a shortened version of "La La Lullaby." This series features a number of new songs, and in some cases repurposed versions of the ones from the original shorts, customized to fit the themes of the full series and to be performed in part by the program's new guest characters. New songs include "I'm Your Light in the Night Sky" by The Moon and "In the Land of Hush" by Bedtime Bunny.

Soundtrack
On August 3, 2009, the soundtrack was released exclusively on Amazon.com on CD and for digital download. The songs were rerecorded for the official soundtrack, featuring additional instrumentals and vocals not heard on the versions of the songs aired on television.

Track Listing:
 * 1) Pajanimals Theme Song
 * 2) Night Will Sing us All to Sleep
 * 3) Lights in the Dark
 * 4) La-La-Lullaby
 * 5) Jiggle Jumble Jump
 * 6) Scary Dream
 * 7) Stick to the Plan
 * 8) Sleepy Head
 * 9) Nighttime Playtime
 * 10) Goodnight to Mom
 * 11) Ode to Sleep

DVDs
The DVD Pajanimals: Good Night, Pajanimals!was released December 1, 2009 by NCircle Entertainment.

Plush Toys
Plush toys of each of the main characters are now available in multiple sizes, including 15".

Miscellaneous

 * Snuggle Up Story Mat - A mat that features each of the characters, includes a soft book that transforms into a pillow