Nick Jr. Presents 'Save The Wonder Pets!' - a New Underwater Mini-Operetta From the Hit Animated Preschool Series, Premiering Monday, April 23

NEW YORK, April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The tables have turned for the courageous classroom pets, Linny, Tuck and Ming-Ming, as they find themselves on the wrong side of a humpback whale - the inside! Sea creatures unite in an unprecedented underwater rescue mission entitled, "Save The Wonder Pets!," a new musical special from Nick Jr.'s hit preschool series, premiering Monday, April 23 at 11:00 a.m. (ET/PT). Preschoolers will sing along with a chorus of fish, squid, seahorses and turtles on the stunning new half-hour episode of The Wonder Pets!, which features Emmy-nominated Danica Lee as Ming-Ming Duckling.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070410/NYTU087 ) (*DVD's and art available upon request)

On Tuesday, April 10, Nick Records will release the first-ever Wonder Pets! CD featuring 16 tracks from the series' award-winning Broadway composers. The CD release will feature full-length versions of songs from the first season, plus a limited-edition celery recipe book and Wonder Pets! coloring poster. On Tuesday, April 24, Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment will release the Save the Wonder Pets! DVD which will feature the title episode and three additional episodes from the series. The DVD also includes reusable stickers and a "Meet The Wonder Pets!" photo gallery loaded with cool character facts.

"Millions of viewers are tuning in and singing along to the infectious 'What's gonna work ... Teamwork!' anthem," said Brown Johnson, EVP, Executive Creative Director, Nickelodeon Preschool. This new special pays homage to the three courageous classroom pets who have touched the lives of baby animals and preschoolers everywhere."

The Wonder Pets!, from creator/executive producer Josh Selig of Little Airplane Productions, Inc., is television's first mini-operetta for preschoolers, and the first preschool series to feature Tony award-winning and nominated Broadway composers, including the series' lead composer Larry Hochman (Monty Python's Spamalot), Bobby Lopez (Avenue Q), and Jason Robert Brown (Parade). Grammy Award-winning producer and recording engineer Jeffrey Lesser serves as music producer/music supervisor for the series. All of the music on The Wonder Pets! is recorded with a live orchestra; and in operetta style much of the dialogue is sung.

Beginning April 13, Nick Jr.'s award-winning website (http://www.nickjr.com/) will feature a brand-new interactive "Save the Sea Creatures" game where kids play as the Wonder Pets in their underwater fly boat and try to save various baby sea creatures in distress. Beginning April 13, Nick Jr. Parents TV will stream a behind-the-scenes video and selected shorts from The Wonder Pets! The site will also feature a slideshow of Wonder Pets! artwork and photos from fans, an interactive poll, printables, and crafts.

Beginning Monday, April 16, a two-minute 'sneak peek' of the new special will be available on wireless carriers and on Nick Jr. Video, the network's broadband video service on Nickjr.com.

In "Save the Wonder Pets!," Turtle Tuck (Teala Dunn) wonders if the baby animals they save think about the Wonder Pets after they finish helping them. Just then, the fearless trio gets a call from a baby blowfish stuck in a sea plant. They hop in their newly constructed Fly Sub and reach the bottom of the sea where Linny (Sofie Zamchick) puts on her mask and fins so she can explore with born swimmers Ming-Ming Duckling (Danica Lee) and Turtle Tuck. Just as they squeeze the blowfish up out of the plant, a large whale with its mouth open accidentally swallows the Wonder Pets! But soon the Blowfish, along with a Seahorse and Squid hear the Wonder

Pets cry for help from inside the whale and embark on a mission to save the courageous trio who are always helping others. First they make a seaweed salad to get the Whale to open his mouth, but he eats it too fast for the Wonder Pets to escape. In a second attempt, the Wonder Pets, blowfish, seahorse and squid sing a lullaby to the whale, but he doesn't open his mouth wide enough when he yawns. Finally, the six little friends tickle the big creature until he laughs so hard that the Wonder Pets shoot out of his blowhole into freedom. The Wonder Pets are greeted by a chorus of concerned creatures from all over the sea, who explain that their good deeds are appreciated far and wide.

The Wonder Pets! chronicles the adventures of three funny, singing classroom pets: Linny the Guinea Pig, Ming-Ming Duckling and Turtle Tuck, who travel the world and use teamwork to save baby animals in distress. Every episode of The Wonder Pets! is an original mini-operetta filled with world music influences suited to the locale of the day's adventure. At the end of each school day when the teachers and students have all gone home, the fearless trio become The Wonder Pets!. In every story, The Wonder Pets! receive a call on a tin-can phone from a baby animal who needs their help. The trio quickly assembles their Flyboat, made from a collection of classroom toys and travel together across oceans, into space, and even back in time to save animals in distress. Like real preschoolers, The Wonder Pets! have no actual super powers, but they work together as a team to overcome adversity and achieve great success.

A new, original style of animation, called photo-puppetry animation was created exclusively for The Wonder Pets! The technique allows animators to manipulate photographs of real animals, creating a comical, realistic look that is unique to Nick Jr.

The show's curricular goals are based on developing appreciation and orientation towards teamwork, vocabulary building, and problem solving.

Little Airplane Productions, Inc. specializes in quality Film & Television programming for young children. Founded by Josh Selig in 1999, Little Airplane Productions created and produced Piper O'Possum for Nick Jr. and Oobi for NOGGIN (winner of a 2001 Gold Parents' Choice Award). Little Airplane also created and produced Go, Baby! for Playhouse Disney. Additionally, Josh Selig was the Head Writer for Little Bill on Nick Jr. He has received eleven Emmy Awards for his writing on Sesame Street, and was the Resident Producer of the historic Israeli/Palestinian Sesame Street co-production (winner of the 1998 Japan Prize). For more information about Little Airplane Productions please visit http://www.littleairplane.com/.

Nick Jr. is a specially designed programming block airing on Nickelodeon weekdays from 9 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (ET/PT). Completely dedicated to preschoolers ages 2-5, Nick Jr.'s Emmy, Peabody and Parents' Choice Award-winning programs are curriculum based, fun and commercial free. At Nick Jr., kids play to learn with innovative, original shows created just for them.

Nickelodeon, in its 28th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 92 million households and has been the number-one- rated basic cable network for almost 12 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. .