PBS Kids

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Doink! PBS Kids!

PBS Kids is a children's block of Edutainment Shows on PBS that launched in 1993 (as a program block) or 2017 (in its later incarnation as a digital subchannel). It has aired on many PBS member stations.

They also aired another block called PBS Kids GO!, which was aimed at older children. It was launched in 2004.

From 2005-2017, PBS Kids Sprout ran a cable channel aimed at preschoolers as a joint venture (between PBS, Comcast, Sesame Workshop, and HIT Entertainment). That network is now controlled exclusively by NBC/Comcast as "Universal Kids", after that company bought out the other partners in the venture. A number of listed programs no longer airing regularly on most PBS stations were later seen on Sprout.

PBS Kids Sprout did incur controversy for the parent network PBS for one incident; they sacked "Melanie", host of the Good Night Show (PBS KIDS Sprout, 2005-06), because of her prior appearance in a Parody Commercial series mocking abstinence-only sex education. According to PBS ombudsman Michael Getler, "it would have been a greater bow to freedom of expression and against guilt by association for the program and PBS to stick by her ... it struck me as ironic that at the very time PBS is fighting against new Federal Communications Commission rulings about indecency that the network argues will inhibit documentary filmmakers and freedom of speech, it delivers a subjective punishment to a popular performer for something done seven years ago that was clearly a spoof."

There's also an over-the-air Digital Subchannel which runs preschool content 24/7 as "PBS Kids" on many PBS member stations. It tends to ignore the "watershed" presumption (that little kids won't be watching far into the night) and keeps running content like Sesame Street after 10PM ET.

Shows that ran on PBS Kids and PBS Kids GO!:

1993:[1]

1994:

1995:

1996:

1997:

  • Wimzies House (Originally made two years before, but was only airing in Canada. Currently airing in repeats in syndication.)

1998:

  • Teletubbies (originally made one year before, in the U.K. only)

1999:

2000:

2001:

2002:

2003:

2004:

2005:

2006:

2007:

2008:

2009:

2010:

2011:

  1. Most of these shows previously aired under the regular PBS banner before this year.