Porchlight Ent. has begun production on ten new episodes of its hit PBS KIDS series, Jay Jay The Jet Plane. The new installments will introduce an interactive mystery element and a new Latina character as the CG-animated preschool show reaches the 100-episode milestone.
The new Jay Jay episodes will introduce Spanish language words and Hispanic cultural elements, all within a new mystery-solving interactive format. The returning animated characters will be joined by Lina, a 4 year-old bilingual bi-plane, and Montana, an adventurous story-spinning pontoon plane.
"We’re excited to offer our viewers more Jay Jay through new interactive episodes," says Linda Simensky, senior director of PBS KIDS programming. "Kids have enjoyed watching Jay Jay and his friends over the years and now they’ll get to meet new characters in a new format."
The renewed television distribution commitment from PBS will make the first ten new episodes available on PBS Plus in October 2005, with another ten episodes planned for 2006.
Each new half-hour Jay Jay episode on PBS KIDS will feature a 12-minute Jay Jay’s Mysteries interactive episode, followed by a classically formatted 12-minute installment. Clues to puzzle-mysteries such as "What is gravity?" and "What makes a rainbow?" will be woven into each story and the answer will be revealed at the end of the show. Kids can also play Jay Jay games online at www.pbskids.org/jayjay.
