The Wonder Pets in SAVE THE NUTCRACKER! Premiering 12/8 on Nickelodeon

Infused with the familiar music of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker," Nickelodeon presents a contemporary twist on the holiday classic in the new The Wonder Pets! prime-time special, "Save the Nutcracker!," premiering Monday, Dec. 8, 8:00 - 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT).  Since debuting in 2006, Nick Jr.'s Emmy award-winning The Wonder Pets!, produced by Little Airplane Productions, remains the number one-ranked preschool program in its 10 a.m. (ET/PT) timeslot and is the number two-ranked preschool program on all of commercial TV with K2-5.

"The Wonder Pets are back in a gorgeous holiday adventure that is sure to become a new, warm and fuzzy family tradition," said Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. "Inspired by Tchaikovsky's classic ballet, the Wonder Pets dance and sing their way to saving the day - again."

In "Save the Nutcracker!," directed by Emmy-Award winner Jennifer Oxley, it's Christmas Eve and a Mouse King emerges from a picture book and steals the Wonder Pets' Nutcracker from the classroom.  Linny the Guinea Pig, Turtle Tuck and Ming-Ming Duckling pursue the Mouse King into the book, dancing through a wintery wonderland filled with sugar plum fairies and sweet treats to the music of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" ballet.  The trio persuades the Mouse King to give back the Nutcracker and be happy with what he already has in his kingdom.  The Wonder Pets travel back to the classroom and on Christmas morning, they crack open their nut which magically decorates the classroom and brings the Nutcracker to life.

Now available in retail stores nationwide is The Wonder Pets!: Save the Nutcracker DVD.  Created by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment, The Wonder Pets!: Save the Nutcracker! includes the title episode plus three additional new-to-DVD episodes from the series.

Nick Jr. will roll out content from "Save the Nutcracker!" across the following platforms:

 --  Beginning Monday, Dec. 1, Nick Jr. Video, Nick Jr.'s broadband video
     service available on Nickjr.com, will begin streaming a two-minute
     'sneak peek' and song clips from "Save the Nutcracker!," plus
     additional themed episodes from The Wonder Pets!.  An instant replay
     of the special will be available following the on-air premiere.
 --  Beginning Monday, Dec. 1, a two-minute sneak peek from "Save the
     Nutcracker!," plus additional clips and songs from the episode will be
     available on wireless carriers.  An instant replay of the special will
     be available following the on-air premiere.
 --  Throughout the month of Dec., a sneak peek from "Save the Nutcracker,"
     shorts and song clips from the episode and additional The Wonder Pets!
     episodes will be available via Video On Demand on Time Warner Cable,
     Comcast, Charter, Cablevision, Verizon FiOS and Cox.  The full episode
     will be available the day after the on-air premiere.

Nick Jr.'s award-winning website (www.nickjr.com) will feature an interactive game and activities to complement the premiere of "Save the Nutcracker!"  Beginning Wednesday, Nov. 19, NickJr.com will feature the "Holiday Treats for the Mouse King" game where kids can go online and help the Wonder Pets gather the ingredients to make cookies for a holiday party at the Mouse King's castle.  Nickjr.com will also feature holiday-themed printables, crafts, activities and more.

Emmy award-winning The Wonder Pets!, from creator/executive producer Josh Selig of Little Airplane Productions, Inc., is TV's first mini-operetta for preschoolers and the first preschool series to feature an extensive lineup of Tony award-winning and nominated Broadway composers, including the series' lead composer Larry Hochman (orchestration for 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 much of the dialogue is sung in operetta style.  The acclaimed series recently received a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction & Composition in 2008.

The Wonder Pets! chronicles the adventures of three funny, singing classroom pets: Linny the Guinea Pig (Sofie Zamchick), Ming-Ming Duckling (Danica Lee) and Turtle Tuck (Teala Dunn), who travel the world and use teamwork to save 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 at Little Airplane Productions by Jennifer Oxley for The Wonder Pets!  The technique allows animators to manipulate photographs of real animals, creating a comical, realistic look that is striking and unique.  The show's curricular goals are based on developing appreciation and orientation towards teamwork and creative problem solving.

Photo by Nickelodeon