Nick Jr. (block)

Nick Jr. is a programming block on the Nickelodeon programming channel, seen on Nickelodeon weekday mornings. It was aimed at a preschool-age audience ages 5 and under (sometimes older). In September 2009 Nick Jr. became its own official channel, replacing Noggin. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International.

Programming during this block were generally seen without commercial interruption, although advertisements did run between the programs. On September 30, 2009, when Nick Jr. replaces Noggin, Nick Jr. will become commercial-free.

Buildup
Before 1988, many shows that might be associated with a preschool audience were broadcast on Nickelodeon, but were not specifically distinguished in their own programming block. Most preschool programs were shown roughly between the hours of 7 AM and 3 PM Eastern, which approximates the hours in which older children might be in school.

1988–1994
By the start of 1988, the Nick Jr. brand was in place and in use, with an approximate six hour portion of the Nickelodeon broadcast day, from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. Eastern time.

The logo for the new Nick Jr. brand became a distinctive feature for the block. While Nickelodeon used a completely orange logo, Nick. Jr. used an orange 'Nick' and a light blue 'Jr', with the blue always smaller than the orange. The logo typically depicted a parent or older sibling (orange), and child (light blue), but varied in the shape or species (e.g. two rabbits, two simplified human figures, two trees, two robots, two balls, two hippos, two pigs, two cows, two horses, two brothers) Until 1989, a former staple of the Nickelodeon lineup, Pinwheel was featured, and eventually replaced by Eureeka's Castle. Much of the remaining time in the lineup, particularly early in this time period, was devoted to animated series, many of which were of foreign origin (David the Gnome, Noozles, The Adventures of the Little Koala, The Little Prince, The Littl' Bits). Programming in the vein of live action and puppeted preschool programming also appeared during this time. Sometimes for nick jr. Idents, The Help of Claymation was used

1994–2004
There is evidence to suggest that the Nick Jr. brand was formalized in some way in 1994, despite the name being used before 1994. Nickelodeon's own website states that Nick Jr. was "founded" in 1994.[4 ] This was also the year in which Nick Jr. introduced "Face", an animated, two-dimensional face that changed color throughout his segments and introduced or wrapped up shows and smaller variety pieces. Programming during this period included Allegra's Window, Little Bear, Gullah Gullah Island, The Busy World of Richard Scarry, The Adventures of Timmy the Tooth, Kipper and Rupert. Face, in the context of its segments, was capable of materializing objects such as an astronaut, a robot, a clown, a window, a traffic light, stars, even wood, and of creating any number of foley sound effects including a signature three note "trumpet" noise used to lead up to the slogan Just for me, followed by a nod. Face was voiced by Chris Phillips who also voices Roger Klotz on Disney's Doug and various promos & bumpers for the MTV networks (including Nickelodeon's Next bumpers and promos from 1993 to the 2000s). Original Face was removed from the lineup on Friday, August 29, 2003. On Monday, September 1, 2003, Face was given a new look, which added eyebrows and a chin and straightened the eyes by inverting their colors from white dots on black eyes to black, larger dots on white eyes. Also, his voice turned into a D.J. rapper-like voice. Also, a new series of segments called Nick Jr. Play Along debuted, and the new segments were hosted by two fun, live-action hosts - Robin (played by actress Hillary Hawkins ] ) and Zack (played by actor Travis Guba ). Alongside Robin and Zack were four sock puppets called the Feetbeats. New Face and the Play Along segments were removed from the lineup on Friday, October 8, 2004.

2004–2007
In the U.S., Nick Jr. had a mascot named Piper, an opossum from 2004-2007. Piper O'Possum, as the character is known, is also the daytime presenter of the British version of Nick Jr. and Nick Jr. 2. Piper is voiced by Allison Brustofski. On Nick Jr.'s British service, Piper is voiced by a British voice-over actor, with Allison's laugh. Piper was last shown on Nick Jr. on September 7, 2007.

There is a CD with music from Nick Jr. shows available titled Dance and Sing: The Best of Nick Jr.

2007–2009
On September 10, 2007, Nick Jr. introduced new graphics, and music. This saw the introduction of Nick Jr.'s Playdate which indicates preschoolers to play and learn with Nick Jr. characters. The first program ever aired on the relaunched Nick Jr. was Dora the Explorer.

2009–present
Main article: Nick Jr. (TV channel)

Nickelodeon dropped the Nick Jr. name from its morning block in Noggin's 10th anniversary (February 2, 2009). Nick Jr. programs continue to air in that slot, but has the Nick branding replacing the Nick Jr. branding. The last program was Ni Hao, Kai-lan.

On September 30, 2009, Noggin will become Nick Jr. Also, it will have the "Preschool On TV"/"Play With Us" slogan.

Programming
Main article: List of programs broadcast by Nick Jr. (block)