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Preschool Paradise WarnerMedia’s hot new Cartoonito preschool block celebrates individuality, creativity and inclusion.
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arents and caregivers will get some much-needed help from the folks at WarnerMedia’s Kids & Family division as a new preschool block titled Cartoonito launches on HBO Max and Cartoon Network. The spiffy new block will offer a modern approach to preschool programming with its proprietary educational framework, Humancentric Learning. A growing roster of new and library series will add to a slate that celebrates individuality and originality, while championing creativity, compassion and inclusion. On HBO Max, Cartoonito programming will be presented as a dedicated page featuring a collection of new preschool shows including Little Ellen and the second season of The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo, along with Esme & Roy, Sesame Street and other favorites. Cartoonito on Cartoon Network will be available Monday-Friday (6 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET/PT) and will include Bing, Mush-Mush & The Mushables and Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go. Preschoolers and families can also tune in Saturday-Sunday (6 a.m. to 8 a.m. ET/PT) for
additional new Cartoonito shows including the Fresh TV’s much-anticipated series Lucas the Spider. As Amy Friedman, head of kids and family programming at Warner Bros., tells us, “Cartoonito is our biggest commitment to preschool in 100 years and is designed with modern families in mind. We are not the broccoli of television nor are we the preschool fare that makes parents want to pull their hair out. Our Cartoonito promise is to offer families a content slate of high-quality, non-cringe-worthy shows that lean heavily into humor and align with our proprietary Humancentric Learning framework which encourages preschoolers to embrace their own uniqueness and treat others with compassion, respect and fairness.”
A Mix of Classics and Newcomers Friedman points out that block features both the tried-and-true preschool staples like Sesame Street and Thomas & Friends, as well as new voices shaping today’s generation of kids including bestselling children’s book au-
thor Mo Willems. “We have unique originals like Little Ellen and Lucas the Spider, preschool favorites like Bing and Pocoyo and a vast lineup of forthcoming shows that will introduce WarnerMedia’s legendary IP to a new generation of fans,” she adds. So, how is Cartoonito different from other preschool blocks on other streamers or linear networks? Friedman says the sheer number of hours devoted to the content is quite remarkable: “We have 1,000 hours of programming, 20 shows at launch and 50 new series over the next two years, including our acquisitions. Second is the mix: Beloved favorites, reinventions of our own legendary library and new, inclusive voices and visions. Third is our unified approach: We consciously work as a team across platforms and around the globe. Our three diverse studios are also now unified under the inimitable Sam Register, a master of both invention and reinvention, especially with a playground that includes our legendary DC, Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera libraries.” When asked about the type of content they
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september|october 21
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