Jim Henson's Pajanimals (a portmanteau of the words pajamas and animals) is a children's television series created by Jeff Muncy and Alex Rockwell. The Pajanimals are characters that were made by Jim Henson's Creature Shop at The Jim Henson Company. The series was filmed in Northern Ireland. It aired on PBS Kids Sprout (now Universal Kids) in the United States, and Sprout was a co-producer of the series.

Premise

The show is about the Pajanimals, four friendly animals who share the last moments of playtime before bedtime, sing songs, and learn a valuable lesson by traveling to whimsical lands. The characters are Apollo, Squacky, Sweetpea Sue, and Cowbella.

Characters

Main

Supporting

Production

The series was originally announced on June 2, 2008 as a co-production between The Jim Henson Company and 4Kids Entertainment for premiere on PBS Kids Sprout in November. The show was produced as a series of ten three-minute-long music video shorts that aired as part of The Good Night Show overnight block. On April 7, 2011, The Jim Henson Company announced they had partnered with Northern Irish production company Sixteen South (the producer of Sesame Tree) to produce a full-length series of 52 11-minute episodes that would premiere on Sprout in the fall. The full-length TV series shows the Pajanimals doing some playtime before getting ready for bed. It also introduces some characters exclusive to this show who the Pajanimals go for bedtime advice or any other problems. At the end of the episode, the TV show exclusive-character the Pajanimals visit would tell the viewer the moral of the episode.

Episodes

Shorts (2008)

Season 1 (2011–2012)

Season 2 (2012–2013)

Broadcast

On August 30, 2012, it was announced that ABC and TVNZ had picked up Australian and New Zealand broadcast rights. The show premiered in the United Kingdom on Nick Jr. on September 23, 2013, where the series was redubbed with British voice actors. On November 11, 2013, the series was pre-sold to TVB in Hong Kong, and TVOntario in Canada.

Merchandise and marketing

On September 30, 2011, a fast-food deal with Chick-Fil-A was announced. On February 3, 2012, the Jim Henson Company signed various merchandising deals, including a home media deal with NCircle Entertainment for DVDs, and Tomy for toys. Additional merchandising partners were announced on October 12, 2012.

Cancelled live show

On November 14, 2012, The Jim Henson Company announced Pajanimals Live - Pajama Playdate, a live-show theater adaptation of the show produced by Red Light Management that would begin touring in March 2013, and then embark on a 50-city tour. On February 15, 2013, weeks prior to the first showing, a cancellation was announced, but no reason was given.

Reception

A Common Sense Media review says "This soothing series combines delightful tales and melodic songs to give families the opportunity to relax and unwind before diving into bedtime routines."