Playhouse Disney

Playhouse Disney was Disney Channel's programming block for preschoolers. It aired weekdays from 6 AM until 2 PM and on weekends from 6 AM until 9 AM. Playhouse Disney was also available as a 24-hour television channel, but only in certain countries outside of the United States. In 2011, Disney rebranded the channel to Disney Junior, which continued to air former Playhouse Disney series and new original content.

Programming History

Playhouse Disney started on the Disney Channel on May 8, 1997. However, it did not use its actual on-screen logo until 1999. In spring 2001, it re-launched with new graphics. On October 7, 2002, the block re-launched with a new logo and an animated yellow clay ball named "Clay" (voiced by Debi Derryberry) whose catchphrases were "It's true!" and "Are you with me?" Clay would often morph himself into different things.

The previous programming announcer was actress Allyce Beasley. On January 1, 2007, it received substantial upgrades to its on-air presence. At this time, "Clay" was replaced by two monkey hosts, Ooh and Aah. Every summer since 2007, usually starting sometime in May, Playhouse Disney's end time on weekdays aired only four hours. Disney Channel's original series are aired over this time slot during the change of lineup. On weekends, Playhouse Disney still aired six hours.

In the UK and Ireland, the block was launched on September 28, 1999, and spawned a separate channel on September 29, 2000. Playhouse Disney UK originally had live presenters Dave Benson Phillips and Alex Lovell referred to as "Big Dave" and "Little Alex". In addition to presenting the "Playhouse", both Dave and Alex presented "Music Time", where they sang classic Disney songs. Dave also presented the children's cookery show, 'Bite Size' alongside Sophie Aldred and Karl Woolley. In addition, there was the "Circle Time" segment, presented by Jason Canning, where children made up stories from animated drawings that the viewers sent in. There was also 'Art Play', where Sara-Louise Harper helped children create a piece of artwork based on a popular Disney movie. Playhouse Disney also used this presentation format in Australia, Spain, Italy, Germany and several other territories outside North America.

Playhouse Disney UK had new graphics introduced in March 2003, coinciding with the debut of the main Disney Channel's new look. In April 2004, the format of the channel changed. "Circle Time" was removed, and Art Play presenter Sara-Louise Harper was replaced by Olivia Bonnici. From 6 PM to 6 AM, a dedicated nighttime block was introduced called "PJ's Bedtime", presented by Olivia and Big Dave. In July 2004, the original Playhouse Disney block on the main Disney Channel was disposed of. Big Dave and Little Alex eventually left on August 27, 2006, and "Art Play" and "Music Time" were also removed. PJ's Bedtime was disposed of in November 2007 and in May 2008, "Bite-Size" was axed. The final set of graphics was introduced in September 2007, before the channel became Disney Junior in February 2011 (May 2011 in the UK).

Programming

Original programming

Live-action series

• Imagination Movers (September 6, 2008 – February 13, 2011)

Animated series

• Little Einsteins (October 9, 2005 – February 13, 2011)
• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (May 13, 2006 – February 13, 2011)
• Handy Manny (September 18, 2006 – February 13, 2011)
• Special Agent Oso (April 4, 2009 – February 13, 2011)
• Jungle Junction (October 5, 2009 – February 13, 2011)

Acquired programming

Animated series

• Charlie and Lola (November 7, 2005 – February 13, 2011)
• Chuggington (September 27, 2010 – February 13, 2011)
• Timmy Time (December 6, 2010 – February 13, 2011)

Interstitial programming

• Shanna's Show (2003–2011)
• Choo Choo Soul (2006–2011)
• Lou and Lou: Safety Patrol (2007–2011)
• Happy Monster Band (2007–2011)
• Ooh, Aah & You (2007–2011)
• Shane's Kindergarten Countdown (2007–2011)
• Can You Teach My Alligator Manners? (2008–2011)
• Tasty Time with ZeFronk (2008–2011)
• Whiffle and Fuzz (2008–2009)
• Where Is Warehouse Mouse? (2009–2011)
• Dance-A-Lot Robot (2010–2011)
• Handy Manny's School for Tools (2010–2011)

Former programming

Original programming

Live-action series

• Bear in the Big Blue House (October 20, 1997 – September 15, 2006)
• Out of the Box (October 7, 1998 – June 20, 2005)
• The Book of Pooh (January 22, 2001 – September 4, 2005)
• Johnny and the Sprites (October 9, 2005 – February 28, 2009)
• Bunnytown (November 10, 2007 – September 5, 2010)

Animated series

• PB&J Otter (March 15, 1998 – June 17, 2005)
• Rolie Polie Olie (October 4, 1998 - December 26, 2006)
• Stanley (September 15, 2001 – May 26, 2008)
• JoJo's Circus (September 28, 2003 – January 4, 2009)
• Higglytown Heroes (September 12, 2004 – March 28, 2009)
• My Friends Tigger & Pooh (May 12, 2007 – October 9, 2010)

Acquired programming

Live-action series

• Sing Me a Story with Belle (October 5, 1998 – 2000)
• The Wiggles (June 17, 2002 – June 12, 2009)
• The Doodlebops (June 17, 2005 – April 4, 2009)

Animated series

• Henry's Amazing Animals (April 16, 1996 – 1999)
• TaleSpin (April 6, 1997 – October 2, 1998)
• Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (April 6, 1997 – September 5, 1999)
• The Little Mermaid (April 7, 1997 – September 7th, 2002)
• The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (April 7, 1997 – September 1, 2006)
• Adventures in Wonderland (April 7, 1997 – June 5, 1998)
• Katie and Orbie (June 6, 1997 – 2000)
• Madeline (June 6, 1997 – January 2, 2005)
• Jungle Cubs (September 15, 1997 – 2000)
• 101 Dalmatians: The Series (October 5, 1998 – 2000)
• Sing Me a Story with Belle (October 5, 1998 – 2000)
• Rupert (September 4, 2000 - January 2001)
• Anatole (2002 - 2003)
• The Koala Brothers (January 19, 2004 - May 16, 2008)

Rebranding

On May 26, 2010, it was announced that the block as part of a new rebranding strategy would be renamed "Disney Junior", and a new 24-hour channel replaced Disney-owned SOAPNet in the United States on March 23, 2012. International channels with the Playhouse Disney name were also changed to the Disney Junior rebranding in 2011. Playhouse Disney ended its 14-year run on February 13, 2011, and Disney Junior started the next day.

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The article or pieces of the original article was at Playhouse Disney. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Disney Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.