NEW SEASON OF AWARD-WINNING DRAGON TALES SET FOR FEBRUARY 2005 PREMIERE ON PBS KIDS

New Episodes of Popular Pre-School Series Focus on Cultural Diversity with the Addition of a New Hispanic Character, Enrique 

New York, January 3, 2005
“I wish, I wish with all my heart to fly with dragons in a land apart.” With a new emphasis on music and cultural diversity, Dragon Tales, one of PBS KIDS’ highest rated pre-school series, is set for a third season premiere February 21, 2005. The award-winning animated program, produced by the nonprofit educational organization Sesame Workshop and renowned television production studio Sony Pictures Television, creates an enchanting world and invites viewers to play and learn along with six-year-old Emmy, her four-year-old brother Max, and their dragon friends Cassie, Ord, Zak and Wheezie as they take on a variety of challenges. 

The new season, comprised of 13 new episodes, will utilize folk stories, music (8 new songs), and street games to explore historical contexts and highlight cultural differences and similarities. Special focus is given to the Hispanic American experience. Emmy and Max meet their new next door neighbor Enrique, a six-year-old boy from Colombia who is being raised by his father and his grandmother and is slow in making friends. But Emmy and Max reach out to him and soon all three of them are experiencing fun adventures with the dragons.

On February 21, PBS KIDS will kick-off the third season with a special Dragon Tales programming block. The new season will launch immediately following a special encore presentation of the very first episode of Dragon Tales when Max and Emmy first enter Dragon Land. This will be followed by two special episodes from previous seasons and will also include interstitials with real children talking about Dragon Land.

Rita Weisskoff, Ph. D., Content Director, Sesame Workshop noted: "More than ever, it's critical that children of all backgrounds see themselves in the popular media. We're excited that bringing our new character Enrique to Dragon Land gives us opportunities in our stories to celebrate Latino culture - food, games, music and language - in fun and compelling ways."

Grace Benn, Vice President, Programming, Sony Pictures Television added: “Needless to say, the response to Dragon Tales has been truly amazing. We are so excited about the opportunity to partner with Sesame Workshop and PBS to continue to produce a show that remains on the top of the list for kids two to five.”

The first episode addresses an issue that has an impact on many pre-school children, overcoming the fear of new situations and making new friends. Other topics covered in the third season include coping with a seemingly overwhelming task; overcoming embarrassment; having to deal with someone going away; learning the importance of teamwork whether you win or lose; persisting to try to help a friend feel better; being separated from a comfort item; learning something difficult and; learning to cope with not getting what you want when you want it. As part of Sesame Workshop’s company-wide initiative to help address the critical issue of children’s health and well-being, several episodes will also provide “Healthy Habits for Life” lessons including how to wake yourself up in the morning when you’re feeling sleepy and a sports show with an emphasis on trying.

Dragon Tales, which airs on PBS KIDS and is the highest-rated preschool program in the U.S. according to Nielsen Media Research, encourages children to recognize that there is more than one way to approach a challenge and that just trying is an important part of learning.

Kid Rhino will release a second Dragon Tales audio CD in February, coinciding with the premiere of the new episodes in the U.S..  The release is a follow-up to the best-selling CD “Dragon Tunes,” which was named Amazon.com’s “Best of 2001” for children's music. In addition, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment will offer a new Dragon Tales video and DVD release in Spring 2005.

Dragon Tales is funded in part by a Ready-to-Learn grant from the U.S. Department of Education through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and underwritten by The Kellogg’s Company.

About Sesame Workshop

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that changed television forever with the legendary Sesame Street.  As the single largest informal educator of young children, local Sesame Street programs produced in countries as diverse as South Africa, Bangladesh and India are making a difference in over 120 nations. Using proprietary research to create engaging and enriching content, Sesame Workshop produces programs such as Dragon Tales and Pinky Dinky Doo. In addition, multimedia needs-driven initiatives provide families tools for addressing such issues as children’s health, military deployment and emergency preparedness.  As a nonprofit, product proceeds and philanthropic support endow Sesame Workshop’s educational research and creative content for children around the world.  Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org.

About Sony Pictures Television

Sony Pictures Television is one of the television industry’s leading content providers. SPT produces and distributes top-rated award-winning programming in every genre, including series, movies and family entertainment for network and cable television; first-run syndicated series; off-net syndicated programs; and theatrical releases. Animated series produced by SPT include Jackie Chan Adventures for Kids WB!; ; Dragon Tales, co-produced with Sesame Workshop, for PBS’s Ready to Learn block; and Harold and the Purple Crayon and Stuart Little for HBO Family. SPT (www.sonypicturestelevision.com) is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.

About PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO!

PBS KIDS, for preschoolers, and PBS KIDS GO!, for early elementary school kids, are committed to providing the highest quality non-commercial content and learning environment for children across the country. Providing age-appropriate, diverse programming for kids, PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! programs consistently earn more prestigious awards than any other broadcast or cable network. Only PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! have earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. With additional PBS resources to complement its programming, including PBS KIDS online (pbskids.org), PBS KIDS GO! online (pbskidsgo.org), PBS Parents (pbsparents.org), PBS Teachers (pbs.org/teachers), PBS Ready To Learn services and literacy events across the country, PBS is providing the tools necessary for positive child development. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation’s 355 public television stations, serving nearly 90 million people each week and reaching 99% of American homes.