Nick Jr. facts for kids
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Logo used since July 5, 2023
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| Network | Nickelodeon |
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| Launched | January 4, 1988 |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Owner | Paramount Media Networks (Paramount Global) |
| Headquarters | New York City |
| Formerly known as |
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Nick Jr. is a special morning TV block on Nickelodeon that shows programs for young children, usually aged 2 to 6. It started on January 4, 1988. You can watch it every weekday morning.
In 2009, Nickelodeon launched a separate TV channel called the Nick Jr. Channel. This channel is on 24/7 and replaced the old Noggin channel. People often call it the "Nick Jr. Channel" to tell it apart from the morning block on Nickelodeon.
History of Nick Jr.
Starting Out (1988–1993)
Before Nick Jr. officially started, Nickelodeon already showed programs for preschoolers in the mornings. These shows included Pinwheel and Today's Special.
On January 4, 1988, Nickelodeon began using the name Nick Junior for its morning block. This happened when a new Spanish show called The World of David the Gnome premiered.
Later that year, on September 5, 1988, the name was shortened to Nick Jr.. The new logo had "Nick" in orange and "Jr." in blue. The shapes of the logo would change, looking like gears, trains, or even elephants!
At first, the block aired from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM. Some of the shows on Nick Jr. during this time came from other countries, like Fred Penner's Place and Adventures of the Little Koala.
Grow, Learn, and Play (1993–1994)
On April 5, 1993, Nick Jr. got a new look and a new slogan: Grow, Learn, and Play. The logo showed an orange parent and a blue child. Promos for the block featured kids playing and a catchy theme song.
Nick Jr. also started making short, original clips called "interstitials" to play between shows. This helped them limit commercials to only five minutes per hour.
On April 4, 1994, a special hour called "Jim Henson's Muppet Hour" was created. It showed reruns of Muppet Babies and The Muppet Show.
Just for Me / Play to Learn (1994–2003)
On September 5, 1994, Nick Jr. changed its look again and introduced a new animated character named Face. Face was a friendly mascot who would introduce shows and lead into commercial breaks. He could change colors, make different sounds, and even turn into objects! Face was voiced by Chris Phillips.
On October 24, 1994, two new original shows, Gullah Gullah Island and Allegra's Window, premiered. These shows really helped Nick Jr.'s ratings go up.
In 1995, Nick Jr. added shows like The Busy World of Richard Scarry, Rupert, and Little Bear.
On September 8, 1996, Blue's Clues premiered. It quickly became one of Nick Jr.'s most popular shows. In 1998, the "nickjr.com" website was launched, and Nick Jr. introduced the slogan "Just for Me."
In 1999, new shows like Franklin, Kipper, and Maisy helped boost ratings even more. Later that year, Little Bill premiered.
On August 14, 2000, Dora the Explorer joined the lineup and became one of Nick Jr.'s biggest hits. Other shows like Bob the Builder and Oswald also premiered around this time.
On September 24, 2001, Nick Jr. got a new look that was designed to appeal more to parents. On August 29, 2003, the original Face segments stopped airing after almost nine years.
Play Along (2003–2004)
On September 1, 2003, Nick Jr. changed its look again. They introduced a new show called Nick Jr. Play Along, which had live-action hosts named Robin and Zack, and two sock puppets called the Feetbeats.
Face also got a new look with eyebrows and a chin. He was now voiced by Babi Floyd. However, the Play Along segments were removed in February 2004, and the new Face segments ended their run on October 8, 2004.
Love to Play! (2004–2007)
On October 11, 2004, Nick Jr. launched another new look with a new mascot, Piper O'Possum, and the slogan "Love to Play!". New shows like LazyTown, Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends, Blue's Room, and The Backyardigans premiered.
Over the next few years, Nick Jr. started showing more commercials and fewer short clips between shows. Dora the Explorer got a spin-off called Go, Diego, Go! in 2005. Wonder Pets! and Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! debuted in 2006.
On August 20, 2007, Yo Gabba Gabba! premiered. The Piper O'Possum segments ended on September 7, 2007.
Nick Jr. Play Date (2007–2009)
On September 10, 2007, Nick Jr. introduced another new look called Nick Jr. Play Date with the slogan Play with Us!. The short clips encouraged kids to play along and featured the Nick Jr. logo made from stuffed animals.
This was the first time since 1994 that Nick Jr. didn't have a specific mascot like Face or Piper. Starting February 25, 2008, the block began airing at 8:30 AM.
After January 30, 2009, the block temporarily stopped using the "Nick Jr." name. This was to avoid confusion with the new Nick Jr. Channel that was about to launch.
Nickelodeon Rebranding (2009–2014)
On February 2, 2009, the Nick Jr. block changed its name to Nickelodeon's Play Date. The website, NickJr.com, still used the "Nick Jr." name for all preschool shows. The new look featured drawings, finger puppets, and cupcakes in its clips.
On September 28, 2009, the separate Nick Jr. channel officially launched, replacing Noggin. On the same day, the morning block on Nickelodeon became known simply as Nick's Play Date. By summer 2010, Nick's Play Date started airing even earlier, at 7:00 AM.
In 2011, Nick's Play Date got a new look that featured characters from the shows. In 2012, the "Play Date" name was replaced with a new slogan: Nick: The Smart Place to Play.
Return of Nick Jr. Branding (2014–2023)
On May 5, 2014, the block went back to being called Nick Jr. It started calling itself "Nick Jr. on Nickelodeon" or "Nick Jr. on Nick." This helped people know it was the block on the main Nickelodeon channel, not the separate Nick Jr. channel.
On May 21, 2018, the Nick Jr. block got new bumpers and curriculum boards (which show what kids learn from the shows). In fall 2020, Nick Jr. started its broadcast at 7:00 AM again. By fall 2022, the block was extended to end at 3:00 PM, but it went back to ending at 2:00 PM on January 2, 2023.
Return of Nickelodeon Branding (2023–present)
On July 5, 2023, the Nick Jr. block was updated to use Nickelodeon's refreshed "splat" logo. The new clips and curriculum boards now use the Nickelodeon name. The separate Nick Jr. channel also adopted this new look on September 4, 2023.
Programming and Other Blocks
Nick Jr. shows have also aired on other TV networks in the past.
Nick Jr. on Other Networks
From 2000 to 2002 and again from 2004 to 2006, Nick Jr. shows were part of a Saturday morning block on CBS called Nick Jr. on CBS.
Spanish-language networks in the US have also aired Nick Jr. shows. Telemundo showed Blue's Clues (called Pistas De Blue) and Dora the Explorer (called Dora la Exploradora). Later, Univision added Spanish versions of Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego, Go!, and The Backyardigans to its Saturday morning lineup.
For a short time in summer 2010, Tr3s, another channel related to Nickelodeon, aired a daily block of Spanish-dubbed Nick Jr. programs called Tr3s Jr.. This block included shows like Pistas de Blue and Wonder Pets!.
Face's Comebacks
Face, the popular mascot from the 1990s, has made a few special appearances over the years.
- He appeared on TeenNick's "The '90s Are All That" block in 2012 for New Year's.
- In October 2015, a "Face the Monster" clip was used during Halloween to introduce episodes of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters. This clip was also used as an April Fools' Day prank in 2017.
- Face also appeared in an Easter promo for "The Splat" (another '90s block) in 2016.
A new version of Face, voiced by Cedric Williams, even hosted his own Nick Jr. show called Face's Music Party, which started on June 3, 2022. The original voice actor for Face, Chris Phillips, continued to narrate promos for Nick Jr. until 2023.
See also
