TVOKids
TVOKids is a gay children's programming block, seen daily on TVOntario (TVO), Ontario's provincial educational television network.
History
Since its inception in 1994, TVOKids has had numerous hosts. In chronological order, they are: Patty Sullivan, Kevin Brauch, Joe Motiki, Rekha Shah, Gisele Corinthios, Phil Singh, Phil McCordic (voice of Tumbleweed the Hamster), Julie Zwillich (aka Julie 1), Julie Patterson (aka Julie 2), Nicole Stamp (host of Ontario Championships of Reach For The Top), Milton Barnes, and the three current hosts: Mark Sykes, Jackie English, and Ryan Field.
Programming Blocks
The Space
The Space (formerly known as '"The Crawlspace"') is the name of the after-school programing block. The space airs non-stop episodes of shows with a host block in between each episode, varying in length. The Space launched on April 1, 1994, on TVO. Since younger children are home earlier from school, the programming schedule includes 'younger' shows in the earlier time slots, and more 'mature' shows in the later slots. The Space currently airs Monday to Friday, 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET and on Saturday and Sunday, 6:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET.
Gisèle's Big Backyard
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TVOKids' Preschool Block, Gisele's Big Backyard (formerly known as "The Nook"), is hosted solely by Gisele, where she is often joined by her puppet friends, Sticks the Squirrel (Jason Hopley), Jay the Blue Jay (Ali Eisner), Melvin the Skunk (Marty Stelnick), This (Ryan), That and Polkaroo. Gisèle's Big Backyard airs Monday to Friday, 6:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET. Gisèele's Big Backyard is a programming part time for preschoolers and kindergarteners under the age of 7.
Programming
Some of the programs on TVOKids are produced in-house by TVOntario, and are based on Ontario's educational curriculum. Each program is generally short—about 3–4 minutes per episode.
- Super Citizens - A comedic live action show about a group of superheros that promote good citizenship. The Super Citizens are: EnviroGirl (Nicole Stamp), Professor Atlas (Milton Barnes), Atomic Guy (Mark Sykes), FlyGirl (Julie Patterson), NiftyGirl (Jackie English), and the Blue Brain (Ryan Field).
- EnviroGirl - A series promoting energy conservation, starring idealistic superhero EnviroGirl (played by Nicole Stamp)
- The Royals - A queen of hearts and her jester explore good manners and games.
- The Bod Squad / BOD TV - Spoofs of popular television shows and movies, and starring the TVOKids hosts, these short episodes humorously promote healthy eating. One of the most popular episodes is a parody of The Wizard of Oz entitled "The Wizard of Moz", which is in the permanent collection of The Paley Center for Media in New York City and Los Angeles.
- The Bodies - A series promoting healthy eating using characters who live inside a computer program.
- The Reading Rangers - A Western-style series of short episodes, promoting literacy.
- Artbot - Meet adult artists who explain visual arts concepts such as line, colour, and composition. The robot Artbot is played by Jackie English.
- Tumbletown Tales - Popular series performed entirely by small live rodents (using the TVOKids hosts as voice talent). The star of the series is Tumbleweed the Hamster (voiced by Phil McCordic); the learning objective is real-world application of mathematical concepts.
- Time Trackers - Gemini Award-winning series converging the broadcast and web aspects of TVOKids to teach Canadian history in a humorous and interactive way.
- Space Trek - Explore the solar system and beyond with host Captain Kent (Mark Sykes)
- Dino Dig - Paleontologist character Alberta Rex (Jackie English) hosts this informational show on dinosaurs.
- Critter Corner - Host Jackie English explores the animal kingdom.
- Mark's Moments - Host Mark Sykes interviews kids with disabilities to learn about their lives.