Talk:Ni Hao, Kai-Lan/Temp
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| Ni Hao, Kai-Lan | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Animated series |
| Format | Children's television series |
| Created by | Karen Chau |
| Developed by | Mary Harrington Karen Chau Judy Rothman Sascha Paladino |
| Written by | Sascha Paladino (Head) Bradley Zweig (Staff) |
| Starring | (See article) |
| Theme music composer | Matt Mahaffey |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Mary Harrington |
| Running time | 24 minutes per episode |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Nickelodeon |
| Original run | February 7, 2008 – Present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| TV.com summary | |
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan is a children's television show, which premiered on Nickelodeon on February 7, 2008. The show was soon thereafter re-broadcasted on Noggin and Treehouse TV.
Contents |
[edit] Characters
[edit] Kai-lan Chow
Kai-lan is a young girl (approximately pre-school to age 6) who shares her biculturalism (speaking both English and Mandarin Chinese) in her playtime adventures with her animal friends.[1]
The title character's name, Kai-lan, is the Chinese name of show creator, Karen Chau, before being Anglicized.[2]
Voiced by Jade-Lianna Peters
[edit] Ye Ye
Kai-lan's grandfather, Ye Ye, appears as the patriarch, sharing Chinese customs and traditions with his granddaughter.[1] Ye Ye is the only recurring adult figure in the show.
The character of Ye Ye is blended from aspects of Karen Chau's real-life father and paternal grandfather.[3]
Voiced by Clem Cheung (English) and Ben Wang (Mandarin)
[edit] Rintoo
Rintoo is an impulsive[3] 5 year old tiger and considered Kai-lan's best friend.[1]
Voiced by Jack Samson
[edit] Tolee
Tolee is a 5 year old koala and one of Kai-lan's friends.[1] Tolee wishes he was a panda.[2] His obsession with pandas is revealed in the episode, "Kai-lan's Campout".
Voiced by Khamani Griffin
[edit] Hoho
Hoho is a 3 year old monkey and the youngest among Kai-lan's friends.[1]
Voiced by Angie Wu
[edit] Lulu
Lulu is a pink rhinoceros who has a red balloon tied to her nose that allows her to fly and thus, reach high places. When Kai-lan needs her help, Kai-lan sings:
She's really strong, she likes to fly,
She loves to help us too,
Let's all shout to call her now,
Let's all call for Lulu.
Voiced by Beverly Duan (also credited as Beverly Dawn)
[edit] Other Characters
- San San is the leader of an ant colony which, despite their small size, helps Kai-lan and her friends.
Voiced by Terence Hardy
- Stompy is an elephant who first appears in the episode, "Safari Pals".
Voiced by Hsiang Lo
- Gu Nai Nai lives in China and is Ye Ye's sister (Kai-lan's grand-aunt).
[edit] Episode guide
[edit] Premise
"Ni Hao, Kai-lan" introduces its viewers to the Mandarin Chinese language, along with elements of Chinese culture and values, multiculturalism (through the diverse backgrounds of Kai-lan's friends), and intergenerational families (e.g., Kai-lan and her relationship with Ye Ye). In this vein, the show's curriculum parallels the Hispanic elements of Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!.[1]
Episodes generally feature:
- Breaking the fourth wall
- 11 minutes of interactivity[2]
- A target word that is repeated multiple times[4]
- One or more of Kai-lan's friends having a negative emotional response to some action or activity (problem)
- Kai-lan thinking out loud (observation)
- Cause-and-effect problem solving
- Before saying good-bye (at the end of each episode), Kai-lan says, "You make my heart feel super happy."
[edit] Conception
"Ni Hao, Kai-lan" is based on the childhood memories of creator, Karen Chau, growing up in a bicultural (Chinese-American) household.[2] However, the original concept for the show was a series of 2 minute shorts oriented around yoga (a personal interest of Karen Chau) with the working title, "Downward Doghouse" -- a reference to the yoga pose "downward facing dog".[4]
[edit] External links
- Ni Hao, Kai-lan official site at Nick Jr.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f About Ni Hao, Kai-Lan. Nickelodeon.
- ^ a b c d Strike, Joe (2008-03-24). Ni Hao, Kai-lan: Tigers and Dragons and Mandarin Lessons. Animation World Network.
- ^ a b Davis, Michael (2007-04-15). Cartoons With Heart ... and a Little Mandarin. The New York Times.
- ^ a b Liu, Ed (2008-02-12). Toon Zone Interviews Nick SVP Teri Weiss About "Ni Hao, Kai-lan". Toon Zone.
