Arizona PBS to premiere new kids series dedicated to arts and creativity

Arizona PBS will premiere its newest animated series, “Pinkalicious & Peterrific,” based on the best-selling “Pinkalicious” book series by author Victoria Kann, next week.

In the lead-up to the Feb. 19 broadcast premiere, Arizona PBS is giving fans a special sneak peek on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video App. Several full-length 11-minute stories are now available; additional stories will roll out on digital platforms every Friday until the premiere. On Monday, Feb. 19, at 9 a.m., Arizona PBS will broadcast a special, one-hour series premiere event, consisting of five 11-minute stories, one of which guest stars Marlo Thomas, who voices a dragon named Gertie.

Arizona PBS will also screen one of these 11-minute stories at Arizona PBS KIDS Day on February 17. The sold-out event will be held at Civic Space Park in downtown Phoenix from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The “Pinkalicious & Peterrific” preview screening will repeat every hour inside the A.E. England building. (More information about the event is available at azpbs.org/kidsday.)

“Pinkalicious & Peterrific” follows the adventures of Pinkalicious and her brother, Peter, as they explore the town of Pinkville with their neighborhood friends. The imaginative Pinkalicious finds creative opportunities everywhere she looks, with Peter and her friends Jasmine, Rafael and Kendra in tow. She inspires everyone around her to be creative and find imaginative solutions to problems, and expresses herself in ways that encourage children to do the same.

“At PBS KIDS, we seek to inspire kids through storytelling,” said Linda Simensky, vice president of children’s programming for PBS. “‘Pinkalicious & Peterrific’ offers us the opportunity to put the spotlight on arts and creativity in a way we’ve never done before, to highlight the importance of the arts as part of a whole-child learning approach and encourage kids to express that creativity in their daily lives.”

Produced by WGBH Boston, “Pinkalicious & Peterrific” encourages kids to engage in self-expression and the creative arts, covering areas such as music, dance, theater and visual arts. Each episode includes two 11-minute stories featuring Pinkalicious, Peter and their friends, and one live-action interstitial. The interstitials will feature real-life kids creating art, as well as profiles of professional artists. Renowned musicians such as blues recording artist Vaneese Thomas, dancers such as New York City Ballet principal Ramar Amasar, and author-illustrator Victoria Kann are among the artists featured.

“‘Pinkalicious & Peterrific’ embodies the magic of creativity in a way that will appeal to all children,” said Kimberly Flack, associate general manager of education outreach for Arizona PBS. “It promotes all kinds of visual arts and creative play.”

PBS KIDS and Arizona PBS support the entire ecosystem in which children learn, including their teachers, parents and community. “Pinkalicious & Peterrific” is part of a multiplatform media experience that will include digital content for kids, parents and teachers, beginning in February. These materials will include will offer a variety of “Pinkalicious & Peterrific” games at pbskids.org and on the PBS KIDS Games app, as well as clips and full episodes on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app, which is accessible on a variety of mobile devices and platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Chromecast. A creative “Pinkalicious & Peterrific” app, Party with Pinkalicious!, will also launch in February. Parent resources will be available on the PBS KIDS for Parents website, and PBS LearningMedia will offer classroom-ready materials for teachers, including video excerpts, games, tips and printable activities.

Beginning Feb. 19, “Pinkalicious & Peterrific” will air weekdays at 9 a.m. and Sundays at 8 a.m. on Arizona PBS. The series will also air daily at 5 p.m. on Arizona PBS KIDS. More schedule and channel information can be found at azpbs.org/schedule.