PBS's DINOSAURS A TO Z Special Premieres Today, 5/14

The EMMY®-nominated animated children's series DINOSAUR TRAIN® premieres the new "Dinosaurs A to Z" one-hour special today, May 14 on PBS KIDS® to encourage preschoolers to practice the letters of the alphabet while learning about the diversity of dinosaurs. The episode will repeat on May 18 (check local listings).

In DINOSAUR TRAIN, young viewers join Buddy and his adoptive family of Pteranodons, on whimsical adventures through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans as they discover basic concepts in natural science, natural history and paleontology. The Dinosaur Train, a colorful locomotive, is customized to accommodate all kinds of dinosaurs, and has the ability to visit the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous worlds, while the Train's Conductor, a knowledgeable Troodon, provides passengers with fascinating facts along the way.

"Dinosaurs A to Z" consists of four stories that follow Buddy, Shiny, Tiny and Don as they explore the diversity of dinosaur species while practicing the letters of the alphabet ("Dinosaurs A to Z The Big Idea"/"Spread the Word" and "Dinosaurs A to Z Classification"/"Dinosaurs A to Z Picnic").
The one-hour special begins aboard the Dinosaur Train where Tiny gets the idea to gather all the dinosaurs in the "Dinosaurs A to Z" song for a picnic at Troodon Town. The conductor agrees, and as the Train starts picking up dinosaurs, Tiny, Buddy, Shiny and Don help keep track of how many of the different species have come on board. They learn about classification and organize the dinosaurs by their species, features, and size. When all 26 dinosaurs finally come on board, the Train has more extra cars than ever before and they need an additional engine to help pull it! Once they arrive at Troodon Town for the picnic, Tiny leads the 26 different "A to Z" dinosaurs in a fun, rousing, and historic singing of the "Dinosaurs A to Z" song!

The Jim Henson Company is also encouraging DINOSAUR TRAIN fans to join the "Nature Trackers Club." Kids and their parents can visit pbs.org/parents/dinosaurtrain/naturetrackers to download "Nature Trackers" activities and receive a free DINOSAUR TRAIN surprise to celebrate their achievement.

About DINOSAUR TRAIN

DINOSAUR TRAIN was created by Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!). Lisa Henson, Halle Stanford and Craig Bartlett serve as executive producers for DINOSAUR TRAIN. Each 30-minute episode includes two 11-minute animated segments and a live action sequence featuring a paleontologist that brings the show's natural science and natural history curriculum to life for preschoolers by giving specific facts about dinosaurs and comparing their features to animals of today. The series is produced by The Jim Henson Company, and co-produced with Singapore animation company Sparky Animation, with the participation and assistance of the Singapore Media Development Authority. UK production and financial support is provided by Ingenious Media. The Jim Henson Company oversees all ancillary exploitation of the property, including licensing and merchandising. PBS handles DVD distribution to consumer and education markets.

DINOSAUR TRAIN is a Parents' Choice Recommended TV series and its accompanying website received a Parents' Choice Silver Award and a prestigious 2010 Prix Jeunesse Award. PBSKIDS.org/dinosaurtrain welcomes more than 2.4 million visits each month, offering engaging content designed to continue dinosaur exploration beyond the television series, including printables, games, and a dinosaur field guide. Parents, caregivers and educators can find resources and activities to extend the series learning at PBS Parents (PBSPARENTS.org) and PBS Teachers (PBSTEACHERS.org).

About The Jim Henson Company:

The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include the Emmy® nominated "Sid the Science Kid," and "Dinosaur Train" as well as "Wilson & Ditch: Digging America" and "Pajanimals." Features include "The Dark Crystal," "Labyrinth," "MirrorMask," and "Unstable Fables" and teleVision Productions include "Fraggle Rock" and the sci-fi cult series "Farscape."

With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities. Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson's Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry's top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of-the-art and vintage equipment. The Company's Henson Alternative brand has recently launched the national tour of "Stuffed and Unstrung," a live puppet improvisational show named one of the top 10 "Best Stage Shows of 2010" by Entertainment Weekly. Visit Henson.com; join us on Facebook.com/hensoncompany

About PBS KIDS

PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for children, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and community-based programs. For more information on specific PBS KIDS programs supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit PBS.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook.

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