PBS KIDS Announces All-New Series, NATURE CAT...

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This Fall, there’s a new cat on the prowl over at PBS KIDS. NATURE CAT is the all-new original animated series from co-creators and brothers David Rudman (Cookie Monster on SESAME STREET, The Muppets) and Adam Rudman (Tom & Jerry, SESAME STREET, CYBERCHASE) that aims to inspire kids ages 3-8 to “get outdoors and develop connections with the natural world.”

The series was announced yesterday at the TCA Press Tour, with a multi-platform rollout planned. Full details below…

From the official announcement: Produced by Spiffy Pictures, NATURE CAT follows Fred, a house cat who dreams of exploring the great outdoors. In each episode, once his family leaves for the day, Fred transforms into Nature Cat, “backyard explorer extraordinaire.” Nature Cat can’t wait to get outside for a day of backyard nature excursions and bravery, but there’s one problem: He’s still a house cat with no instincts for nature. Like many of today’s kids, Nature Cat is eager and enthusiastic about outside activities, but is at times intimidated by them. With the help of his animal friends, Nature Cat embarks on action-packed adventures that include exciting missions full of nature investigation, “aha” discovery moments and humor, all while inspiring children to go outside and “play the show.”

NATURE CAT

“Research shows that children benefit greatly from playing outside, yet the amount of time kids spend outdoors has been steadily declining over the past several years. PBS KIDS is committed to using the power of media to foster children’s curiosity and inspire them to explore their interests long after the screen is turned off. Through NATURE CAT, our goal is to get kids excited about the wonders of nature and encourage healthy outdoor activities by modeling hands-on exploration with engaging, humorous stories and characters.”Lesli Rotenberg, General Manager, Children’s Media, PBS

Each episode of NATURE CAT will feature two 11-minute stories, as well as a live-action interstitial. In each 11-minute story, the characters model age-appropriate reasoning skills that can be applied to real-world exploration, such as classifying, counting and measuring. The stories will explore these themes through different lenses, encouraging young children to engage with the subject in different ways. The interstitials will build on the themes as well. Each one will demonstrate a variety of ways to experience nature — from “how to go hiking” to “how to pack a backpack.”

“Many of today’s children are growing up with less of a connection to nature, so we set out to create a very funny, action-adventure series that will inspire kids to get outside, starting in their own backyards and parks, and explore.”David Rudman

Grounded in a multifaceted science curriculum, NATURE CAT aims to expose children to a variety of nature concepts and systems, encourage shared discoveries and experiences as viewers explore the natural world and give parents and teachers ideas for nature-based activities.

“Our hope is that our viewers will develop an appreciation and love of nature and will reap the many benefits it has to offer.”Adam Rudman

NATURE CAT will demonstrate that discovery can happen anywhere – a backyard, a local park, the beach and even amidst the cracks of a city sidewalk. Nature Cat’s adventures take him through his family’s big backyard, into the woods and then into the “four corners” of his natural world: parks, ponds, caves, gardens, marshes, ravines, swamps, canyons, nature preserves and mountains. As they join Nature Cat and his friends on their adventures, young viewers will learn that to experience nature all they need to do is open the door, step outside and prime their senses.