Moose A. Moose

Moose A. Moose is a fictional animated moose, voiced by New Yorker Paul Christie, who serves as the mascot for the cable television channel Nick Jr, and its predecessor Noggin.^[1] From April 1, 2002 until April 7, 2003, Noggin had its first mascot Feetface. Since April 7, 2003, Moose and his silent sidekick, Zee D. Bird, serve as coordinating hosts for all of Nick Jr's programming.^[2]

Moose and Zee were conceived as part of a rebranding effort at Noggin. From February 2, 1999 until April 1, 2002, Noggin was targeted at preteens, and its programming consisted mainly of Sesame Street, 3-2-1 Contact, and other CTW Productions. Starting on April 1, 2002, the format was changed due to low ratings. The format was then mostly aimed for a younger audience. The new concept underlying all Noggin programming was "connected learning," in which all programs were to connect in an effort to reinforce the educational quality of the programs; in other words, connected learning "aims to cram every second of air time with learning experiences."^[3] Moose A. Moose (and Zee) was to "guide kids from one show to the next while reinforcing key educational messages though interstitials,"^[3] thus functioning as an "on-air 'teacher.'"^[4][2] Besides introducing the new animated hosts, the channel also added three new shows: Oobi, Miffy and Friends, and Tweenies.^[2] Moose and Zee continue to be the figureheads of Noggin; when the channel went back to 24/7 programming on December 31, 2007, they were the hosts of a five-hour primetime movie marathon.^[5] The character is available as, for instance, a stuffed toy, and is marketed on t-shirts; Moose seems to have struck an emotional chord with children and parents alike, who hail him as the king of "the guardian of (nature) bizarre, chimerical mascots" who signifies the "child-appropriate Laissez-faire" of Noggin.^[6] Moose and Zee are also hosting the show Storytime Live!.

Prior to Moose A. Moose, Paul Christie used an identical voice for Stick Stickly, the popsicle-stick host of Nick in the Afternoon. Christie is reprising the Stick Stickly role for The '90s Are All That concurrently with his work as Moose A. Moose.

References

1. ^ Harrington, Richard (November 18, 2005). "With Jamarama, 9:30 Club Truly Is All Ages". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/21/AR2005112100275.html. Retrieved 2009-04-11. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Loos, Ted (April 14, 2003). "For Young Viewers; Keeping Things Simple". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/13/tv/for-young-viewers-keeping-things-simple.html. Retrieved 2009-04-11. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Ashdown, Simon (2003-03-01). "News in Brief: Noggin adopts a "preschool on TV" ID". Kidscreen. http://www.kidscreen.com/articles/magazine/20030301/ppdbriefs.html. Retrieved 2009-04-12. 
4. ^ "New series help Noggin re-brand". Playthings. 2003-03-25. http://www.playthings.com/article/CA286938.html. Retrieved 2009-04-10. 
5. ^ "Nickelodeon to Super-Serve Families as Award-Winning Noggin Becomes Its Own 24-Hour Commercial-Free Preschool Network". PR Newswire. 2007-12-17. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS129359+17-Dec-2007+PRN20071217. Retrieved 2009-04-12. 
6. ^ Gillespie, Nick; Tim Cavanaugh (February 2006). "Artifact: The Case of the Invisible Moose". Reason online. http://reason.com/news/show/36215.html. Retrieved 2009-04-12.