Pinwheel (TV series)
The first preschool series on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.
Pinwheel is an American educational children's television series created by educator Vivian Horner for preschoolers aged 2 to 5. It was the first series broadcast on the rebranded Nickelodeon and later the first on its Nick Jr. block. The show is set in a boarding house called Pinwheel House, powered by a pinwheel on the roof, and features short, self-contained segments including songs, skits, and animations from around the world.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Preschool; Educational
- Runtime
- 60 minutes
- Creator
- Vivian Horner
- Inspired by
- Rainbow Media (1977-1978); Viacom (1978-1979)
- Executive producers
- Vivian Horner; Lois Fortune
- Producer
- Sandy Kavanaugh
- Opening theme
- "Welcome to Pinwheel House" (1977–1979); "Pinwheel Theme"
- Ending theme
- "Goodbye from Pinwheel House" (1977–1979); "Pinwheel Theme"
Facts from the source article.
History
Pinwheel was the work of Vivian Horner and Sandy Kavanaugh, two former Children's Television Workshop educators. It was made for QUBE, an experimental cable system in Columbus, Ohio, after its developers asked for a preschool show. Pinwheel was then cut into hour-long episodes that ran in three- to five-hour blocks. For other countries, Nickelodeon repackaged the show into half-hour episodes. It also played in Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
Premise
The show takes place in and around a large Victorian boarding house called Pinwheel House, which gets its power from a pinwheel on one of its roof peaks. Human actors and puppets share the screen, talking about topics like sharing, being thoughtful, nature, and colors. The episodes filmed in Ohio featured many songs, mostly sung by a character named Jake. Short children's films from Coe Film Associates were played as breaks between the main live-action and puppet segments. New cast members Arline Miyazaki, Betty Rozek, and Dale Engel joined as Kim, Sal, and Smitty, while Craig Marin and Olga Felgemacher created fresh puppet characters.
Characters
Franci (Franci Anderson) is a storyteller who writes and performs plays, keeps a terrarium with small alien marionettes called the Wonkles, and sketches while telling stories; she appeared only in the first season. Jake (George James) is a boarder who collects unusual sounds in boxes and keeps many musical instruments in his room. Smitty (Dale Engle) and Sal (Betty Rozek) are an elderly couple who run a newspaper called The Daily Noodle; Smitty tries to photograph the elusive Admiral Bird. Kim (Arline Miyazaki) is Aurelia's niece and the resident artist, often seen in a painter's smock. Aurelia (Brad Williams) is the bohemian owner and mother figure of Pinwheel House, a fortune teller with a dial-tone crystal ball. Ebenezer T. Squint (Brad Williams) is a green-skinned inventor and part-time magician who lives in the basement, pretends to be antisocial, and collects dust and pests.
List of shorts
Nickelodeon secured rights to international short segments, mostly from Coe Film Associates, including shows already in English such as The Magic Roundabout. Pinwheel showcased a variety of cel-animated and stop-motion shorts from different countries. The shorts included The Adventures of the Mole, The Adventures of Mr. Rossi, Alfie Atkins, Balthazar le Mille-pattes, Bod, Brumme og Co., Bernard and Barney, Bunny in the Suitcase, Chapi Chapo, Charlie's Climbing Tree, Crystal Tipps and Alistair, Curious George, Emily, Hattytown Tales, Indendørslege, Jim & Jam, King Rollo, Lille P.'s verden, Lilliput Put, Madeline (UPA short), The Magic Carousel, Mixometric, Die Sendung mit der Maus mouse spots, Die Abenteuer der Maus auf dem Mars, Musti, The Naughty Owlet, Paddington, Peelie and Poolie, Piggeldy and Frederick, The Pilis, Professor Balthazar, Sally, Schnoodle, Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings, Unser Sandmännchen, and Vad är det som låter?
More in American Children's Musical Television Series
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