Meet Sid the Science Kid

A while back it was announced that The Jim Henson Company, along with PBS Kids, was developing a new educational television series under the working title "What's the Big Idea?" The series was said to star an inquisitive digital-puppet named Josh who discovers the answers to interesting scientific questions - such as how birds fly or why people sneeze. Production and development of the series is progressing, and the show is planned to premier on PBS in September; however the show has undergone a name change since those initial reports. Josh is now Sid and the series is has been retitled "Sid the Science Kid".

"Sid the Science Kid" will use short sketches to teach lessons of science and discovery. Forty half-hour episodes of the series have been ordered and are in production. The program is utilizing the Henson Digital Performance Studio, the revolutionary system that allows puppeteers to perform digital characters in real time. Additionally, the Jim Henson Company has teamed up with the Brandolution marketing agency to handle the merchandising of the series, and a large roll out of supporting toys and books is already planned for the 2008 holiday season.

I’ll be sure to keep you updated with the release of this exciting new Henson series as things develop.