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Noggin is an American entertainment brand launched on February 2, 1999, as a
joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and economic risk, risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four rea ...
between
MTV Networks Paramount Media Networks (formerly known as Warner Cable Communications, Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, MTV Networks, Viacom Media Networks, and ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks) is an American mass media division of Paramount Global tha ...
(owners of
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
) and Sesame Workshop. It started out as a cable television channel and interactive website, both centered around the concepts of imagination, creativity, and education. Since its launch, the brand has expanded to include a mobile streaming app and multiple defunct
programming block Block programming is the arrangement of programs on radio or television so that those of a particular genre, theme, or target audience are united. Overview Block programming involves scheduling a series of related shows which are likely to attra ...
s worldwide. When launched as a TV channel, Noggin was mainly aimed at pre-teens and teenagers. Programming was divided into three distinct blocks: one for pre-teens and teens, an early morning block for preschoolers, and a nighttime block for reruns of "retro" programs. The channel heavily drew from Sesame Workshop's back catalogue. In its first three years, Noggin made several original shows: the live-action educational show ''
A Walk in Your Shoes ''A Walk in Your Shoes'' is an American educational television series that aired on the Noggin channel. The show documents the experiences of two different people who switch places for a day and learn how the other person lives. The show started o ...
'', the short-form puppetry series '' Oobi'', the game show ''
Sponk! ''Sponk!'' is a children's television game show produced by Sesame Workshop and Insight Productions for the Noggin channel. It was Sesame Workshop's first original production for Noggin, which began as a joint venture between Sesame Workshop an ...
'', and the variety series ''
Phred on Your Head Show ''Phred on Your Head Show'' is an American children's television series produced for Noggin, a cable channel co-founded by Nickelodeon and Sesame Workshop. The first episode aired on Nickelodeon as a sneak peek on June 6, 1999. Noggin aired encore ...
''. In April 2002, the Noggin channel ended its retro block and extended its preschool and teen blocks to last 12 hours each per day. The preschool block aired from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and the teen block (now titled "
The N The N (standing for Noggin) was a nighttime programming block on the Noggin television channel, aimed at preteens and teenagers. It was launched on April 1, 2002, by Viacom and Sesame Workshop. Before the block's introduction, Noggin's daytim ...
") ran from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. The older-skewing shows that made up Noggin's original tween and teen lineup aired exclusively during The N. Imported series from the Nick Jr. block began to overtake Noggin's daytime lineup as it grew, and most of the Sesame Workshop branding that had defined the network's early years was dropped. Despite this, Nickelodeon and Sesame Workshop continued a co-production partnership for Noggin until 2009, when the channel closed. Noggin started out as an experimental brand, and its on-air commercials stressed imagination and thinking through themed short films that were often surreal and abstract. Before the brand was overtaken by Nick Jr., Noggin's marketing team sought out "sick and twisted" independent animators to make their on-air presence look unique. After Noggin introduced its daytime block for preschoolers, it was rebranded with a more consistent brand identity, with the more experimental material being confined to The N. The Noggin brand was dormant from 2010 until 2015, when it was announced that Noggin would be returning as a mobile streaming app, which launched on March 5, 2015.


Brand elements


Logo and branding

Until 2019, Noggin's brand was defined by its versatile character logo: the bottom half of a smiling face. The upper half of the logo featured various icons that represented a certain topic or idea that the head was "thinking of" (e.g. a beaker to reflect science, flowers to reflect springtime). In the network's early years, hundreds of different "toppers" were designed for the logo, and they were used throughout Noggin's commercials and website. The face in the logo was allowed to wink, show its teeth, and make expressions based on the theme, making it interactive and showing it as a character of itself. Noggin's artists were given a lot of creative freedom for their designs, with one rule being that the toppers should always complement the Noggin face, not outshine or overpower it. Noggin's logo was featured in a large amount of original shorts and animations that ran between shows on the channel. Noggin's marketing team intentionally looked to hire "sick and twisted" independent animators to create station ID commercials, hoping that they could each bring their own personal design elements to the logo. The goal was to make the logo, as well as the channel as a whole, "look unlike any other network." After Noggin extended its preschool daytime block in 2002, a new set of "topper" designs were introduced, based on traditional children's art such as crayon drawings and paper crafts. In 2019, Nickelodeon retired the original Noggin face logo along with former hosts Moose and Zee. The logo was replaced with a lowercase ''noggin'' wordmark written in purple, while Moose and Zee were replaced with "more recognizable" characters from Nickelodeon's preschool shows.


Television channel

The first and most significant service established under Noggin was a cable and satellite television channel, operating from February 2, 1999, until September 28, 2009. During its first few years, Noggin's lineup mainly showed reruns from Sesame Workshop and Nickelodeon's libraries. Classic episodes of ''
The Electric Company ''The Electric Company'' is an American educational children's television series produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW, now known as Sesame Workshop). It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. The ...
'' and '' 3-2-1 Contact'' were broadcast in hopes of attracting teenagers and
Generation X Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western demographic cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years and the late 1970s to early 1980s a ...
ers who watched those shows growing up. The providers had over 5,000 hours of library material to broadcast. Noggin's first original show for 6- to 12-year-olds was ''
A Walk In Your Shoes ''A Walk in Your Shoes'' is an American educational television series that aired on the Noggin channel. The show documents the experiences of two different people who switch places for a day and learn how the other person lives. The show started o ...
'', which was made because Noggin felt that this age group was "underserved when it comes to new, quality educational television." A live game show aimed at pre-teens, ''
Sponk! ''Sponk!'' is a children's television game show produced by Sesame Workshop and Insight Productions for the Noggin channel. It was Sesame Workshop's first original production for Noggin, which began as a joint venture between Sesame Workshop an ...
'', premiered a year afterwards. ''Sponk!'' was one of many series that featured viewer-submitted content from Noggin's website, along with the animated '' Phred on Your Head'' and its spin-off '' URL with Phred''. In 2002, the channel divided itself into two blocks: a daytime block for preschoolers and a nighttime block, The N, for teens. Noggin consistently received ratings that were substantially higher than Nickelodeon's other sister channels. It was viewed by an average of 529,000 households daily in early 2009. At the time of its closure, Noggin reached nearly 70 million households in the United States (as opposed to the 1.5 million subscribers it reached upon being launched).


The N

The N was a nighttime programming block on the Noggin channel, aimed at pre-teens and teenagers. It premiered on April 1, 2002, and aired until December 31, 2007. Promotions advertised the block as "The N: The New Name for Nighttime on Noggin." It took several months for Noggin to choose the right name for the block; as reported by ''
Kidscreen Brunico Communications is a Canadian magazine publishing company."Desktop tabloid publishing firm sports 2 publications and a profit". ''The Globe and Mail'', October 9, 1989. The company specializes primarily in online trade magazines serving medi ...
'' in 2002, they needed a name to "help distance and distinguish the tween programming from the preschool fare," but the legal department also required the block to maintain a relation to Noggin's main name. Noggin's preexisting tween-targeted shows — like ''
A Walk in Your Shoes ''A Walk in Your Shoes'' is an American educational television series that aired on the Noggin channel. The show documents the experiences of two different people who switch places for a day and learn how the other person lives. The show started o ...
'' and ''
Sponk! ''Sponk!'' is a children's television game show produced by Sesame Workshop and Insight Productions for the Noggin channel. It was Sesame Workshop's first original production for Noggin, which began as a joint venture between Sesame Workshop an ...
'' — only aired during The N from 2002 onward. Noggin LLC produced several original series for the block, including the news program '' Real Access'', the game show '' Best Friend's Date'', the animated comedy ''
O'Grady ''O'Grady'' (stylized as ''O*gRAdY'') is an American animated television series created by Tom Snyder, Carl W. Adams, and Holly Schlesinger for Noggin's teen-oriented programming block, The N. The show was animated at Snyder's Soup2Nuts studio ...
'', and the drama ''
South of Nowhere ''South of Nowhere'' is an American teen drama television series created by Thomas W. Lynch. It first aired on November 4, 2005, on Noggin as part of its teen programming block, The N. The show was produced by Noggin LLC in association with ...
''. The N was also the U.S. broadcast home of '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'', the latest iteration of the eponymous Canadian teen drama franchise. From 2007 to 2009, The N had its own short-lived 24-hour channel, but the channel was later closed and merged with Nickelodeon's block TEENick to form
TeenNick TeenNick is an American pay-TV channel that is operated by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Aimed primarily at teens and tweens, its programming includes a variety of live-action series inherited from sister channel Nic ...
.


Websites

One of Viacom and Sesame Workshop's goals was to develop Noggin into a "cable-computer hybrid." Noggin.com, the channel's website, was launched in 1999 as a portal for exclusive content. Unlike Nick.com and other previous online ventures, the website was integrated into many television shows. Viewers were encouraged to offer suggestions for programs, such as the tween-oriented game show ''Sponk!'', through the site. Throughout 2000, Bill Nye of '' Bill Nye the Science Guy'' answered questions asked by Noggin.com users between airings of his show. User-generated content submitted to Noggin.com was the focal point of ''The URL with Phred Show'' (whose title is a reference to the Noggin.com URL). In 2001, Noggin launched "Chattervision", which allowed viewers to comment on the network's programming through the website and see their conversations appear live on TV. In 2001, CRC Press published "Interactive Design for Media and the Web", which provided an in-depth description of Noggin.com and stated that it included "complex and confounding games that kids will enjoy." Noggin.com was also listed in Dierdre Kelly's book "1001 Best Websites for Kids," published in the same year. In 2004, the site was the recipient of a
Webby Award The Webby Awards are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over two thousand industry experts and technology innovators. Categories includ ...
in the "Broadband" category. Later that year, it won first place in the "Brand Image and Positioning" category at the 21st Annual CTAM Mark Awards. 2004 also saw the release of Shell Education's "Must See Websites for Parents & Kids" book, which featured Noggin.com. ''Time'' Magazine included the Noggin site on its "50 Best Websites of 2004" list. It won a second Webby in the Youth category in 2005. In 2006, John Braheny published "The Craft & Business of Songwriting", which included a brief entry about Noggin.com's musical content (calling it "an innovative and popular site...that presents videos of children's artists"). Jean Armour Polly of
Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.
gave the site a positive review in 2007, noting that "young kids will get a kick out of playing games, coloring printable pages, and singing along to music videos all featuring their favorite TV characters." In 2008, it received a
Parents' Choice Award The Parents' Choice Award was an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It was considered a "prest ...
and a nomination for a third Webby. Viacom put $100 million toward online gaming initiatives, such as a subscription-based educational site called MyNoggin, in July 2007. The MyNoggin website was initially scheduled to launch in early September of that year, but was not made available to the public until October. The site's content was curriculum-based and intended for children in preschool through first grade. The games on MyNoggin covered major school subjects and included Noggin characters. In addition to activities, MyNoggin included printable workbooks that expanded upon math and science concepts. Parents were able to monitor their children's growth and activity on the site through daily progress reports. The website was free of advertisements and supported by subscriptions, which were available for online purchase and through prepaid game cards sold throughout 2008. Charter,
Insight Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect within a particular context. The term insight can have several related meanings: *a piece of information *the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of seeing intui ...
and Cox Communications customers were given unlimited access to MyNoggin as part of their cable subscriptions. The site also offered a week-long free trial.


Mobile app

In February 2015, it was announced that Noggin would be relaunched as a mobile streaming app. The app was released on March 5. It includes full episodes of former Noggin shows, as well as some exclusive series and currently-running Nickelodeon series. In May 2015, many shows that had previously been available on
Amazon Instant Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...
were moved to the Noggin app. On November 18, 2015, the app was made available for Android,
Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
and Kindle. On April 8, 2016,
Alcatel Mobile Alcatel (formerly Alcatel Mobile Phones and Alcatel OneTouch) (previously ALCATEL) is a French brand of mobile handsets owned by Finnish consumer electronics company Nokia and used under license by Chinese electronics company TCL Technology. ...
announced that the Noggin app would come pre-loaded on its Alcatel Xess tablet. The app received mixed reviews when it was released. Brad Tuttle of ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' predicted that paying $6 a month for a streaming app with much less content than
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
would not be a popular idea with parents. Scott Porch of ''
Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San ...
'' felt that the Noggin app helped Viacom decrease its dependence on cable channels, but noticed that it was only "baby steps toward the no-cable-required model." Amanda Bindel of
Common Sense ''Common Sense'' is a 47-page pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–1776 advocating independence from Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. Writing in clear and persuasive prose, Paine collected various moral and political arg ...
complimented the user-friendly layout and educational content, but felt that it needed more parental controls. In fall 2015, the app received a Parents' Choice Award in the category. Two international apps based on Noggin have been launched. In November 2015, a Spanish version of the Noggin app was released in Latin America. It includes some shows unavailable on the English app, such as the Spanish dubs of ''
Roary the Racing Car ''Roary the Racing Car'' (stylised as ''ROARY: The Racing Car'') is a British-stop-motion children's television series created by David Jenkins and produced by Chapman Entertainment and Cosgrove Hall Films. It follows the adventures of Roary ...
'' and ''
Rugrats ''Rugrats'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The show focuses on a group of toddlers; most prominently— Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, and twins Phil and Lil, a ...
''. The Spanish app had its own
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
page and a section on the MundoNick website. A Portuguese version was released on November 21, 2015. On September 21, 2020, it was announced that versions of Noggin would launch in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Austria as an Amazon Prime Video premium add-on. The UK version of Noggin replaced the existing ''More
Milkshake! ''Milkshake!'' (stylised as milkshake!) is a British children's television programming block on Channel 5 and is currently aimed at children aged 3–7. History The block debuted on Channel 5's first full day on air, at 7.30am on 31 March 1 ...
'' service.


Programming blocks

The Noggin name was used for an otherwise unrelated programming block on Nick Jr. UK from May 2004 until September 2005. It ran for two hours every night and included reruns of syndicated British television series for children. The block was renamed to Nick Jr. Classics. On January 30, 2006, Noggin was launched as a block on TMF in the United Kingdom, this time in the style of the US Noggin. The channel was available exclusively to
Freeview Freeview may refer to: * Freeview (Australia), the marketing name for the digital terrestrial television platform in Australia * Freeview (New Zealand), a digital satellite and digital terrestrial television platform in New Zealand *Freeview (UK), ...
subscribers at the time. It ran every weekday from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Between 25 September 2006 and sometime in 2009, it was replaced by Nick Jr on TMF but the Noggin branding was restored in early or mid 2009 before TMF closed on 26 October 2009. Noggin continued for a short time on TMF's successor, VIVA, until March 2010, around the time Nickelodeon UK rebranded as a whole and removed Noggin from Viva, moving the Moose and Zee segments to the main Nick Jr. channel where they remained until January 2013.
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
featured a Noggin programming block as part of its lineup from 1999 to 2001. The block was originally titled "Noggins Up" and became "Noggin on Nickelodeon" during its second year on the air. It showcased one tween-oriented program every weekday, including ''
A Walk In Your Shoes ''A Walk in Your Shoes'' is an American educational television series that aired on the Noggin channel. The show documents the experiences of two different people who switch places for a day and learn how the other person lives. The show started o ...
'' and '' On the Team''. The timeslot proved successful in attracting thousands of visitors to the Noggin.com site. Nickelodeon revived the block for a single day on April 7, 2003, to advertise the restructuring of Noggin's lineup. Commercials for the Noggin channel were also played between each regular program. Following the block's removal, premiere episodes of Noggin series were frequently
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simulta ...
on Nickelodeon and Noggin.
TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cl ...
aired a one-night Noggin special in 1999. Spanning two hours, the special featured reruns of ''
The Electric Company ''The Electric Company'' is an American educational children's television series produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW, now known as Sesame Workshop). It was co-created by Paul Dooley, Joan Ganz Cooney, and Lloyd Morrisett. The ...
'', along with commercials for Noggin. On-air continuity during the block included guest appearances by actors who had starred on ''The Electric Company''. On May 28, 2021, the Nick Jr. channel introduced an hour-long block of programming from the Noggin app every Friday. Series featured in the timeslot include the Noggin originals '' Kinderwood'' and ''Noggin Knows'', the
CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...
acquisitions ''
Hey Duggee ''Hey Duggee'' is a British animated educational preschool television series aimed at two to five year olds. Created by Grant Orchard, it is produced by Studio AKA, in association with BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide). The show is narrated b ...
'' and ''
JoJo & Gran Gran ''JoJo & Gran Gran'' is a British children's animated television series based on the semi-autobiographical picture book ''Jo-Jo and Gran-Gran, All in a Week'' by Laura Henry-Allain MBE. It is the first animated series to centre on a Black Briti ...
'', and various interstitials played during commercial breaks.


Other media

In November 2005, Noggin signed its first merchandising agreement with the online marketplace
CafePress CafePress, Inc. is an American online retailer of stock and user- customized on-demand products. The company was founded in San Mateo, California, but is now headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky along with its production facility. In 2001, Caf ...
. Themed notebooks, cards, mousepads, and clothing were sold on the Noggin website from then until 2009. The shop was created to satisfy parents who had been requesting merchandise since the brand's launch. Angela Leaney, Noggin's senior vice president of brand communications, stated that Noggin had "a huge, loyal following and we could not resist the calls from our audience, for Noggin merchandise, any longer." CafePress co-founder Fred Durham added that Noggin attracted strong interest from his company because of its "dedicated fan base," and that his goal was to share the products "with oggin'smillions of fans through quality branded merchandise." Christmas ornaments, which were only sold during the month of December, became the shop's best-selling items of 2005.


History


Creation

In 1995, the Children's Television Workshop (now known as Sesame Workshop) began planning its own educational cable channel as a new home for most of its programming (other than ''
Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...
'') such as '' Cro'' (which had aired on ABC for two seasons). The channel was to be called "New Kid City" and was planned to be CTW's "own niche on the dial with shows that emphasize educational content"; but CTW later abandoned the concept. Meanwhile,
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
began planning an early interactive educational channel called "Big Orange"; in addition to Nickelodeon, other
Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Par ...
divisions (such as Viacom Interactive) were involved with the project. After Nickelodeon's president Geraldine Laybourne left in 1996, the "Big Orange" project was put on indefinite hold. By 1997, Nickelodeon retooled the project into ''Noggin'', a syndicated television series which would meet the FCC's new requirements for educational programming. A pilot was produced by Nickelodeon,
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...
, and Paramount Television based on Nick's short series ''Inside Eddie Johnson''. Viacom hoped to grow Noggin into a major brand with educational electronic publishing products, a website, and possibly a cable channel that would focus on educational content, complementing entertainment-oriented Nickelodeon. In March, Nickelodeon revealed they would launch a commercial-free Noggin channel in 1998. On April 28, 1998, Viacom and CTW put together an initial investment of $100 million to start the first strictly educational television channel for children. Both organizations wished to combine television and online services to create a "kids' thinking channel," which was named Noggin (derived from a slang term for "head") to reflect its purpose to educate. Noggin's primary goal was to provide informative entertainment for children aged 6–12. CTW initially planned for it to be an advertiser-supported service, but later decided that it should debut as a commercial-free network. To develop ideas for original series, Noggin partnered with schools across the United States to research what would "make fun educational" for grade schoolers. In 1999, it provided each school involved up to $7,100 to run
focus group A focus group is a group interview involving a small number of demographically similar people or participants who have other common traits/experiences. Their reactions to specific researcher/evaluator-posed questions are studied. Focus groups are ...
s with students and teachers. The students' opinions and reactions to different activities were recorded and used to improve the content shown on Noggin.


Early history

On February 2, 1999, the Noggin channel launched to over 1.5 million subscribers via national satellite television provider Dish Network. It was marketed as both a satellite television station and a digital network. Sweepstakes were a major part of Noggin's early advertising. In April 1999, it sponsored a contest in which viewers who submitted the correct lyrics of ''The Electric Company'' theme song had a chance to have their electric bills paid for a year. In 2000, Viacom's Nickelodeon and Sesame Workshop distributed packages of school supplies (called "Noggin's Master of Suspense Kits") to 50,000 U.S. teachers as part of a sweepstakes designed to "celebrate creative, thoughtful educational instruction." Noggin made an effort to create more interactive programming in 2001, utilizing its website as a way to include viewer participation in many of its shows. It released a tween-oriented game show titled ''Sponk!'' in September, which included participation from children online and allowed Noggin.com visitors to chat with the hosts. ''The URL with Phred Show'', which focused on content submitted to Noggin.com from viewers, launched in the same month.


Network repositioning

In 2001, the Jim Henson Company sold its stake in Noggin to Sesame Workshop along with the rights to ''Sesame Street''s characters. In March 2002, Noggin manager Tom Ascheim announced plans to restructure Noggin's schedule to cater to preschoolers during the day and older children at night. On April 1, 2002, Noggin expanded its preschool and tween blocks to last 12 hours each. The preschool block, also called "the daytime block," lasted from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. The tween and teen block ran from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. each night, and it was retitled "
The N The N (standing for Noggin) was a nighttime programming block on the Noggin television channel, aimed at preteens and teenagers. It was launched on April 1, 2002, by Viacom and Sesame Workshop. Before the block's introduction, Noggin's daytim ...
." In August 2002, Sesame Workshop sold its 50% share of Noggin to Viacom. The buyout was partially caused by SW's need to pay off debt, in addition to its interest in partnering with other broadcasters. While this limited Sesame Workshop's control over the network's daily operations, it did not affect the company's influence on the programming lineup as Viacom entered a multi-year production deal with Sesame Workshop shortly after the split and continued to broadcast co-produced series (such as ''Play with Me Sesame''). As part of the arrangement, Noggin became the U.S. broadcaster of several shows made by the Workshop without Noggin's involvement, such as ''
Tiny Planets ''Tiny Planets'' is a computer-animated children's television series co-produced by Sesame Workshop and Pepper's Ghost Productions. The concept was created by the late Nina Elias-Bamberger at Sesame Workshop with character designs by Ed Taylor. ...
'' and ''
Pinky Dinky Doo ''Pinky Dinky Doo'' is an animated children's television series created by Jim Jinkins. It was produced and co-owned by Jinkins' Cartoon Pizza and Sesame Workshop. The series was made in association with Discovery Kids Latin America, and the Canad ...
''. Following the split, creative executives from Noggin toured New York schools in search of ways to improve the channel's programming and continuity. Amy Friedman, senior vice president of development at Noggin, decided to model the channel after a well-run preschool. These ideas took effect in April 2003, when Noggin's slogan was changed to "It's Like Preschool on TV." The changes also included revised branding and a new lineup, divided into thematic blocks based on key curricular knowledge. On December 31, 2003, a
Nielsen Media Research Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
report confirmed that the redesigned Noggin channel was available in 37.1 million households.


Modern history

On February 23, 2009, Viacom announced that the Noggin channel would be replaced by a 24-hour channel based on Nickelodeon's long-running Nick Jr. block. The N, on the other hand, would be merged with Nickelodeon's TEENick block to form a standalone channel aimed at teenagers, known as
TeenNick TeenNick is an American pay-TV channel that is operated by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Aimed primarily at teens and tweens, its programming includes a variety of live-action series inherited from sister channel Nic ...
. The move, which was intended to make all channels in the Nickelodeon family easily recognizable, took place on September 28, 2009, at 6:00 a.m. local time. Although several Noggin shows (along with the
Moose and Zee Moose and Zee are a pair of fictional characters created for the Noggin brand. They debuted as the on-air hosts of the Noggin cable channel on April 7, 2003. The character of Moose was created to act like a teacher, providing information and edu ...
interstitials) were carried over to the Nick Jr. channel, all Noggin continuity was later phased out completely by March 1, 2012. On January 29, 2015, Viacom CEO
Philippe Dauman Philippe Pierre Dauman (born March 1, 1954) is an American businessman who served as President, CEO and Chairman of Viacom from September 2006 until May 20, 2016. Dauman was a longtime associate of the company's chairman Sumner Redstone. Dauman ...
confirmed that the Noggin brand would be relaunched as a set of mobile subscription services. Commercials for the service have aired regularly across all Nickelodeon channels since the apps' release. On May 10, 2019, Viacom announced that the Noggin app had reached 2.5 million subscribers and that it would receive a major upgrade. In June 2019, Nickelodeon unveiled a new Noggin logo, which was used on the redesigned Noggin website and app.


Live events

Noggin held live events to promote its shows. At the 2001 North American Trade Show in Minnesota, Noggin presented a replica of the set from ''Oobi''. In spring 2002, Noggin launched a live version of its ''Play with Me Sesame'' series, featuring mascot characters and music from the show. In May 2002, the
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restaurant chain offered "Noggin Play Days" each Wednesday afternoon, where attendees could watch a live feed of Noggin with themed activities and meals. In March 2004, Noggin partnered with GGP shopping malls to host a free educational program called Club Noggin. It debuted at five test malls in April of the same year. Attendance at the first few events exceeded expectations, leading GGP to bring Club Noggin to over 100 malls across the United States. The monthly events were hosted by trained
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, who gave out Noggin posters and merchandise to attendees. Each meeting was themed around a different Noggin character and encouraged visitors to create art projects based on the character.
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of ''
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'' made appearances at Club Noggin in July 2006 to promote his show's tenth anniversary. In 2005, Club Noggin received a Silver Community Relations Award in the
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' MAXI Competition. In August 2005, Noggin and
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produced "Jamarama Live", a music festival that toured the United States. It began in October and continued until late 2006.
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, a musician on ''Jack's Big Music Show'', performed at many Jamarama venues on the East Coast. The festival also included meet-and-greet opportunities with a mascot costume of Moose A. Moose. The characters hosted karaoke, face-painting, and storytelling sessions during
intermission An intermission, also known as an interval in British and Indian English, is a recess between parts of a performance or production, such as for a theatrical play, opera, concert, or film screening. It should not be confused with an entr'acte ( ...
s. Reviewers for ''Time'' Magazine compared Jamarama to a family-friendly version of Lollapalooza. Jamarama proved more popular than other children's stage shows running at the time, such as those featuring Mickey Mouse. Noggin executives considered on-air advertisements a major contributor to the event's success. After the tour ended, a DVD set including Jamarama performances was released. In November 2005, a Noggin float appeared at
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. In November 2006, Noggin hosted an online charity auction on its website, called the "Noggin Auction." Viewers could bid on props from different Noggin shows. In August 2007, Noggin partnered with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and sponsored its annual Trike-A-Thon program.


See also

*
List of programs broadcast by Noggin The following is a list of programs featured on Noggin. The brand launched in 1999 as a joint venture between MTV Networks (owners of Nickelodeon) and Sesame Workshop. At first, the Noggin channel featured three sectors of programming: a main bl ...


References


External links

* {{Portal bar, Television, United States, Companies, 1990s 1999 establishments in New York (state) Nickelodeon Sesame Workshop Paramount Streaming Webby Award winners Preschool education television networks Children's television channels in the United Kingdom Children's television networks in the United States Entertainment companies based in New York City Television channels and stations established in 1999 The Jim Henson Company