Muppet Wiki

✅ Log in to Muppet Wiki to hide ads.

Interested in helping out? Please visit Special:Community to learn how you can collaborate with the editing community.

READ MORE

Muppet Wiki
Advertisement
Muppet Wiki
46,065
pages
Pajanimals.logo
Premiere November 2, 2008
Finale March 8, 2013
Network Sprout (US)
Seasons 2
Episodes 10 (shorts), 52 (series)
Pajanimals

The Pajanimals cast

Pajanimals is a musical children's television series produced by the Jim Henson Company and Sixteen South Limited. The show centered around the musical adventures of four young animals preparing for bed. The characters were designed by Jeff Muncy and built by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.

Series History[]

Pajanimals, originally a Henson co-production with 4KIDS Entertainment, premiered on November 2, 2008, in the US (on PBS Kids Sprout). The series originally consisted of ten three-minute segments that aired on a rotating basis.

The shorts were 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, an order for new episodes in a half-hour time slot expanded the series to two eleven-minute segments, for a total of 26 broadcast episodes. The episodes debuted in October 2011. Henson and Sprout now co-produced the show with Sixteen South Limited in Northern Ireland.[1] Since the premiere of these episodes, the original shorts have not aired.

The series aired on Nick Jr. in its co-producing country, the United Kingdom.

The full series focused on issues of more general concern to a young audience, such as nervousness about a dentist's visit, or learning to share comfortably, but retained a backdrop of bedtime rituals.

On July 7, 2012, the show made its broadcast premiere in the US as part of NBC Kids, a Saturday morning programming lineup programmed by Sprout.[2]

Characters[]

Additional Characters (Series)[]

Pajanimals new cast

The Pajanimals with Jerry Bear.

Michael Winsor

Michael Winsor and Moon

  • 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.
  • Otis the Owl (Paul Currie) - A very smart owl in the Friendly Forest, he can't help but give a loud hoot when he gets excited.
  • 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 Pearl (Donna Kimball) - A turtle who lives under the sea and enjoys bowling and tap-dancing.
  • 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 and Dad- The off-screen parents of the Pajanimals, heard in voice only. Mom performs the "La La Lullaby" song to help them fall asleep.

Episodes[]

see w:c:pajanimals:episodes

Songs[]

Pajanimals_La_La_Lullaby

Pajanimals La La Lullaby

The series (and shorts) feature original songs written by Michael and Patty Silversher, with lyrics by Alex Rockwell and Judy Rothman.

The program's theme song 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. The theme song did not air as part of the original shorts, but a modified version, sung only by the mother, is included in the series.

The series features a number of new songs, including "I'm Your Light in the Night Sky" by The Moon, and in some cases repurposed versions of the ones from the original shorts, customized to fit the themes of the series.

Credits[]

Executive Producers: Halle Stanford, Jeff Muncy, Alex Rockwell, Lisa Henson; Brian Henson (shorts)
Created by: Jeff Muncy and Alex Rockwell
Directed by: David Gumpel (shorts)
Sprout Executive Producer: Andrew Beecham (series)
Executive in Charge of Production: Lisa O'Brien (series)
Produced by: Chris Plourde (shorts); Colin Williams (series)
Music Composed by: Michael and Patty Silversher
Lyricists: Patty Silversher, Alex Rockwell, Judy Rothman Rofè
Musical Arrangements/Audio/Post Sound by: Dino Herrmann (shorts)
Puppeteers:
shorts: Alice Dinnean, Donna Kimball, John Kennedy, Victor Yerrid
series: Donna Kimball, Sarah Lyle, Michael Winsor; Victor Yerrid (season 1), Olly Taylor (season 2)
Puppet Captain: John Kennedy (shorts), Victor Yerrid (series)
Puppet Wranglers: Marian Keating (shorts); Mike Smith, Anna McCaughtry (series)
Creative Supervisor: Jason Weber (series)
Puppets by Jim Henson Creature Shop:
shorts: Connie Peterson, Rollie Krewson, Tom Newby, Jason Weber
series, puppet build: Rollie Krewson, Ann Marie Holdgruen, Tom Newby, Tim Legasse, Anney Ozar, Heather Asch, Constance Peterson, Polly Smith
Character Design: Jeff Muncy (series credit only)
Assistant Puppeteers: Paul Currie, Lesa Gillespie, Francine Woods (series), Beccy Henderson (series)
Content/Curriculum Consultants: Sleepy Planet/The Sleepeasy Solution (shorts); Jill Spivack and Jennifer Waldburger (series)
Vocal Director: Neil Martin (series)
Story Editor: Alex Rockwell (series)
Production Designer: Jim Dultz (shorts), Shane Bunting (series)
Art Department: Nigel Pollock, Lauren Young, Sian Alaw Jones, David Carson, Sarah Speers (series)
Director of Photography: Dave A. Barrett (shorts), Peter Jones (series)
Editor: David Gumpel (shorts)

External links[]

Visit the:

Sources[]

Advertisement