View source for Nick Jr. (block)

{{Dablink|the programming block on [[Nickelodeon]]|the cable channel|[[Nick Jr. (channel)]]}}
{{Infobox TV channel
| name              = Nick Jr. on Nickelodeon
| image = <gallery>
Nick Jr. Logo 2023.png|2023–present
Nick Jr. logo 2009.svg|2014–2023
Nick The Smart Place to Play 2012 (1).webp|2012–2014
Nick% 27s Play Date logo.png|2009–2012 
Nick Jr. Play Date logo.png|2007–2009
Nick Jr. Raccoons (2005).png|2003–2009
Nick Jr. OLd logo.png|1993–2003
Nick Jr. 88.png|1988–1993
Nick Junior.png|January–September 1988
</gallery>
| size = 250px
| logoalt           = 
| logo2             = 
| launch            = [[January 4]], [[1988]]
| closed date       = 
| picture format    = 
| share             = 
| share as of       = 
| share source      = 
| network           = [[Nickelodeon]]
| owner             = Paramount Media Networks <small>([[Paramount Global]])</small>
| slogan            =
| country           = USA/Nationwide 
| language          = English 
| broadcast area    = Nationwide 
| affiliates        =
| headquarters      =[[New York City]] 
| former names      = Nick Junior (1988)<br>Nick Jr.'s Play Date/Nick Jr. Play Date (2007–09)<br>Nickelodeon's Play Date/Nickelodeon Play Date/Play Date (2009–12)<br>Weekday Mornings on Nick: The Smart Place to Play (2012–14)
| replaced names    = 
| replaced by names = 
| sister names      = [[Nickelodeon]]<br>[[Nicktoons (channel)|Nicktoons]]<br>[[Nick at Nite]]<br>[[Nick Jr. (channel)|Nick Jr. Channel]]<br>[[TeenNick]]
| timeshift names   = 
| web               = [https://www.nick.com/nick-jr/nick-jr www.nick.com]
| terr serv 1       = 
| terr chan 1       = 
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| sat radio serv 1  = 
| sat radio chan 1  = 
| adsl serv 1       = 
| adsl chan 1       = 
| online serv 1     = 
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| 3gmobile serv 1   =
}}

'''Nick Jr.''' (sometimes disambiguated as '''Nick Jr. on Nickelodeon''', '''Nick Jr. on Nick''' or just '''Nickelodeon Preschool Block''') is an American morning programming block that airs on [[Nickelodeon]] every weekday. It was launched on January 4, 1988. Nick Jr. features a lineup of shows aimed at children under six. 

In 2009, Nickelodeon launched a separate channel named after the Nick Jr. block. The channel is known on air as the "[[Nick Jr. (channel)|Nick Jr. Channel]]" to differentiate the two services.

==History==
===Early years ([[1988]]–[[1993|93]])===
Since its launch on [[April 1]], [[1979]], and throughout the 1980s, Nickelodeon aired programs for preschoolers (most prominently ''[[Pinwheel]]'' and ''[[Today's Special]]'') on weekdays (from 8:00 am – 2:00 pm) and weekend mornings. After Nickelodeon's preschool block premiered a slew of new shows in 1987, it began using the '''[[Nick Junior]]''' branding on January 4, 1988, coinciding with the premiere of the Spanish program ''The World of David the Gnome''. A new rebrand for the block that abbreviated its name to ''Nick Jr.'' was gradually unveiled September 5, 1988.<ref name="Nick Jr. Premieres">{{cite web|title=The Rugrats Timeline -- Through 1989 |url=http://www.rugratonline.com/timepr90.htm |date=2012-06-16 |access-date=2015-07-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616133929/http://www.rugratonline.com/timepr90.htm |archive-date=June 16, 2012}}</ref> Nick Jr.'s new logo was orange for 'Nick' and blue for 'Jr.', and it varied in the shape or species (e.g.: two gears, trains, robots, planets, insects, comets, or elephants). Like with Nickelodeon, Nick Jr.'s network IDs featured the block's logo in different shapes and styles. At launch, the block aired from 8:30 am – 2:30 pm. On weekends, preschool programs went unbranded and aired at earlier hours of the day. Until June 29, 1990, ''[[Pinwheel]]'' was featured, originally for three hours (two in the morning and one at noon), then for one hour starting in spring 1989. When Nick Jr.'s original series ''[[Eureeka's Castle]]'' premiered in September, ''Pinwheel'' was split into two separate half hours in the morning and afternoon, where it remained until June 29, 1990, after which the block was truncated to start at 9:30 am - 2:30 pm on June 15, 1992, another solidified timing at 9:30 am - 2:00 pm on July 6, 1992 and last solidified timing at 9:00 am - 2:00 pm on October 5, 1992. Much of Nick Jr.'s other programs at the time were of foreign origin (including Canadian imports ''Fred Penner's Place'' and ''Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show'', and dubbed anime ''Adventures of the Little Koala'', ''Noozles'', ''Maya the Bee'', and ''The Littl' Bits'').

===[[Grow, Learn, and Play]] (1993–94)===
On April 5, 1993, Nick Jr. premiered a new series, ''Cappelli & Company'', and received a new rebrand which prominently featured a new Nick Jr. logo consisting of an orange parent and a blue child, and the slogan ''Grow, Learn, and Play''. Several Nick Jr. promos and bumpers featured kids playing near the Nick Jr. logo and a theme song with the slogan sung to the melody of ''London Bridge'', and a few featured ''Cappelli & Company'' mascot Frank Cappelli. Nick Jr. also started using a female announcer (who was replaced by a different one in 1994, 1998 and 2003) in its promos and bumpers. Nick Jr. began to invest more into producing original interstitial series (including 1994's ''Muppet Time'', forty two-minute shorts from The Jim Henson Company) in order to stay within a self-imposed limit of five minutes of commercials per hour. On April 4, 1994, the "Jim Henson's Muppet Hour" sub-block was created by pairing ''Muppet Babies'' reruns with the new acquisition ''The Muppet Show''. Due to Nick Jr.'s declining ratings as well as competition from PBS' PTV and TLC's Ready Set Learn, Nickelodeon spent $30 million revamping the Nick Jr. block over the next three years.<ref>[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1994/BC-1994-03-28.pdf Nick to spend $30 million on kids (page 53)] from Broadcasting & Cable</ref> On June 13, older-skewing Nickelodeon series ''[[Rugrats]]'', ''The Alvin Show'', ''Dennis the Menace'', and ''Lassie'' joined Nick Jr.'s lineup, as the block's branding was temporarily de-emphasized in favor of regular Nickelodeon branding until October 21. 

On October 21, 1994, the Grow, Learn and Play interstitials ended their 1-year run.

===Just for Me/Play to Learn (1994–2003)===
[[File:Nickelodeon Animation Studio through the years.png|thumb|250px|In 2022, Nickelodeon Animation Studio [https://twitter.com/NickAnimation/status/1585964854946529281 posted] a timeline of its productions, including its Nick Jr. cartoons.]]
On October 24, 1994, the Nick Jr. block returned with new on-air branding and premiered two new original series, ''[[Gullah Gullah Island]]'' and ''[[Allegra's Window]]'' (the latter created by ''[[Doug]]'' creator [[Jim Jinkins]]), resulting in 50% rating gains for the block. Nick Jr. also introduced Face, an animated mascot that introduced shows and interstitials and led into commercial breaks. In the context of his segments, Face was capable of materializing objects such as an astronaut, a robot, a clown, a window, a traffic light, stars, and even wood. He was also capable of creating a number of Foley sound effects and voices including an iconic signature three-note trumpet noise usually following the name "Nick Jr." at the end of almost every bumper. Also, he changed colors, moods, and feelings. Face was voiced by Chris Phillips, who also narrated several Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. promos. In 1995, Nick Jr. acquired broadcast rights to ''The Busy World of Richard Scarry'' from sister network Showtime, and later premiered ''Rupert'' on September 11 and ''[[Little Bear (TV series)|Little Bear]]'' on November 6 (both were produced by the Canadian animation studio Nelvana). Nick Jr. received a new rebrand produced by Pittard Sullivan on April 1, 1996. On September 8, 1996, the first episode of ''[[Blue's Clues]]'' premiered in primetime on [[Nick at Nite]], then aired on Nick Jr. the next day. ''Blue's Clues'' quickly deposed ''Gullah Gullah Island'' as Nick Jr.'s most popular series. ''Rugrats'' was pushed out of Nick Jr.'s lineup, to make room for second showings of ''Little Bear'' and ''Blue's Clues''. ''[[The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss]]'' replaced ''Papa Beaver's Storytime'' on October 7, 1997, after a series of occasional airings on the block from October 21, 1996 to February 1997. On March 16, 1998, the "nickjr.com" website was launched. Later that year, Nick Jr. rebranded again and introduced the "Just for Me" slogan. A sign-on and sign-off bumper featuring the "Just for Me" slogan was used on Nick Jr. video releases from 2000–04. In the first quarter of 1999, Nick Jr. premiered three new series based on books, ''Franklin'' on January 11, and ''Kipper'' and ''[[Maisy]]'' in February, which helped increase the block's ratings. ''[[Little Bill]]'' premiered later in 1999; the series' first episodes premiered on Nickelodeon Sunday nights before airing on Nick Jr. the next day. Nick Jr. briefly aired reruns of ''Shining Time Station'' beginning June 5, 2000 (''[[Maggie and the Ferocious Beast]]'' premiered on the same day) to promote the film ''Thomas and the Magic Railroad'', before replacing it with ''[[Dora the Explorer]]'' on August 14, which became one of Nick Jr.'s most successful series. The US dub of ''[[Bob the Builder]]'' premiered on Nickelodeon on January 13, 2001 before airing on Nick Jr. two days later; ''[[Oswald]]'' premiered on August 20. On September 3, 2001, Nick Jr. received a new rebrand produced by AdamsMorioka (who had previously rebranded Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite) and Editional Effects, intended to have a greater appeal towards parents. In the spring of 2002, Nick Jr. altered the format of its commercial breaks, resulting in the removal of older network IDs dating back to 8 years. ''Dora the Explorer'' and ''Blue's Clues'' were placed in Nick Jr.'s "Play Along Time" sub-block. On April 7, the day that sister channel Noggin rebranded and introduced mascots Moose and Zee, Nick Jr. aired some of Noggin's new original series (''[[Oobi (TV series)|Oobi]]'', ''Tweenies'', and ''Miffy and Friends'') as a cross-promotion. Nick Jr. continued to air ''Tweenies'' from July to September 25.

On August 29, 2003, the original Face interstitials ended their almost 9-year run.

===Play Along (2003–04)===
On September 1, 2003, Nick Jr. received a rebrand that introduced more than a dozen new logos; British program ''Rubbadubbers'' premiered the next day. A new interstitial series called ''Nick Jr.'s Play Along'' was introduced, hosted by two live-action hosts: Robin (played by actress Hillary Hawkins) and Zack (played by actor Travis Guba). Along with Robin and Zack, were four sock puppets called the Feetbeats. Face was given a brand new look which added eyebrows and a chin and straightened his eyes by inverting their colors from white dots on black eyes to actual-looking eyes, and was voiced by Nick on CBS announcer Babi Floyd (who was also the announcer of the [[Pictograph]] era bumpers). The new Face promos were produced by Virtual Persuasion. Nick Jr. removed the ''Play Along'' interstitials aside from a re-edited opening in February. Starting in September, Nick Jr. used a new on-screen bug to promote its website until February 28, 2006.

On October 8, 2004, the new Face interstitials ended their 1-year run.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nickelodeons-90s-mascot-face-returns-in-faces-music-party-brand-new-music-variety-show-premiering-monday-june-6-at-11-am-etpt-301541082.html|title=Nickelodeon's '90s Mascot Face Returns in ''Face's Music Party'', Brand-New Music Variety Show Premiering Monday, June 6, at 11 A.M. (ET/PT)|publisher=[[Nickelodeon]]|via=[[PR Newswire]]|date=May 5, 2022}}</ref>

===Love to Play! (2004–07)===
On October 11, 2004, Nick Jr. received another rebrand containing interstitials co-produced with Little Airplane Productions featuring the block's new mascot Piper O'Possum (voiced by Ali Brustofski and created by Josh Selig), and the new slogan "Love to Play!". Nick Jr.'s female announcer was replaced with Kobie Powell and Chris Phillips. ''[[LazyTown]]'', ''Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends'', ''[[Blue's Room]]'', and ''[[The Backyardigans]]'' (the latter of which premiering alongside the rebrand) premiered on Nick Jr. Nick Jr.'s commercial limit increased to 8 minutes per hour, and the block began airing more interstitials that were clips from its' shows. ''Dora the Explorer'' spin-off ''[[Go, Diego, Go!]]'' premiered in 2005, whilst ''[[Wonder Pets!]]'' and ''[[Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!]]'' debuted the following year. ''[[Yo Gabba Gabba!]]'' debuted the following year, and was the only Nick Jr. series to premiere that year.

On September 7, 2007, the Piper O'Possum interstitials ended their almost 3-year run.

===Play with Us!/Play Date (2007–09)===
On September 10, 2007, Nick Jr. received another rebrand nicknamed ''Nick Jr. Play Date''. A new slogan, ''Play with Us!'', was also included. The bumpers encouraged preschoolers to play along and featured the Nick Jr. logo in the form of two stop-motion plushies. This marked the first time that Nick Jr. had no mascot since 13 years. On February 18, 2008, the March 2006 on-screen bugs were replaced with three new bugs reflecting the branding. Nick Jr. began its broadcast at 8:30 am starting the following week.

On January 30, 2009, the ''Play Date'' interstitials ended their 1.5-year run.

===Nickelodeon rebranding (2009–14)===
{{main|Nick Jr. (channel)}}
On February 2, 2009, the Nick Jr. block rebranded as ''Nickelodeon's Play Date'', as part of an effort to unite the Nickelodeon channel's programs under a single brand. The block's commercial limit increased again to 10 minutes per hour. NickJr.com continued to use the Nick Jr. brand name to categorize all of Nickelodeon's preschool programming. The block initially retained the ''Play with Us!'' brand, alongside new branding designed by Melinda Beck, and many bumpers featured drawings, finger puppets or cupcakes. The bumpers' music was a choir of kids vocalizing, and Nicolette Pierini was the announcer of each bumper. The Nickelodeon splat logo was edited onto the block's split-screen credits design and interstitials predating the ''Play with Us!'' brand. Starting on June 29 of that year, the split-screen credits were replaced to match the branding, officially retiring the ''Play with Us!'' branding. On September 28 of that year, the Nick Jr. channel was launched, replacing Noggin. That same day, the block became simply known as ''Nick's Play Date'' or just ''Play Date''. ''Nick's Play Date'' began its broadcast at 7:00 am starting in the summer of 2010.

In 2011, ''Nick's Play Date'' received a new rebrand featuring characters from the block's shows. That same year, ''Nick’s Play Date'' stopped using the branding’s split-screen credits, and started using Nickelodeon’s split-screen credits design. The following year, the ''Play Date'' branding was replaced with a modified version of the Nick Jr. channel's new branding known as ''Weekday Mornings on'' ''Nick: The Smart Place to Play'', and the block stopped airing most interstitials. Despite Nickelodeon displaying its shows' credits during the last 30 seconds before it, the branding retained the split-screen credits for Nick Jr. shows airing on the block.

===Return of Nick Jr. branding (2014–23)===
On May 5, 2014, ''Weekday Mornings on'' ''Nick: The Smart Place to Play'' reverted back to the normal Nick Jr. name and began calling itself "Nick Jr. on Nickelodeon" or "Nick Jr. on Nick" while still using a Nickelodeon screen bug. When aired on the Nick Jr. channel, commercials for programs broadcast on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block usually end with "Over on Nick" or "Over on Nickelodeon" to differentiate the titles. On the same day, the Nick Jr. block also began to use Nickelodeon's on-screen credits to include more commercials (now 12 minutes per hour). The following year on June 10, the Nick Jr. website was fully redesigned to match up with the Nick Jr. app.

On May 21, 2018, the Nick Jr. block rebranded with new bumpers and curriculum boards. Nick Jr. began its broadcast at 7:00 am once again for the first time since a decade starting in the fall of 2020. As of fall 2022, the Nick Jr. block has been extended to sign off at 3:00 pm, but by January 2, 2023, it reverted to having a 2 p.m. sign off time.

===Return of Nickelodeon branding (2023–present)===
On July 5, 2023, the Nick Jr. block was rebranded to include a refreshed splat logo and used the Nickelodeon name in the refreshed bumpers, as well as refreshed curriculum boards, while the Nick Jr. channel eventually adopted the full rebrand on September 4.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://brief.promax.org/index.php/article/nickelodeon-returns-to-its-roots-with-preschool-rebrand|title=Nickelodeon Returns to Its Roots with Preschool Rebrand|last=Albiniak|first=Paige|work=[[Promax Awards|Promax]]|date=July 5, 2023|access-date=September 1, 2023}}</ref>

==Cross-programming with other networks==
Nick Jr. programs and interstitial segments appeared as a Saturday morning block on CBS entitled '' [[Nick on CBS|Nick Jr. on CBS]]''. From September 14, 2002 to September 11, 2004, it was part of the general ''Nick on CBS'' block, which also included programming from the main Nickelodeon channel. It ended after Viacom and CBS Corporation were separated (but re-merged in later years) and was replaced by the ''KOL Secret Slumber Party'' block.

Spanish-language US network Telemundo has aired ''Blue's Clues'' (Spanish ''Pistas De Blue'') (as part of the ''[[Nickelodeon en Telemundo]]'' block) and ''Dora the Explorer'' (Spanish ''Dora la Exploradora'') (as part of the ''Telemundo Kids'' block) in Spanish. Competing Spanish network Univision added Spanish-dubbed versions of ''[[Dora the Explorer]]'' and its spin-off ''[[Go, Diego, Go!]]'' to their Saturday morning ''Planeta U'' line-up. A Spanish-dubbed version of ''[[The Backyardigans]]'' was later added to the lineup.

For a brief time in summer 2010, Tr3s, a sister network to [[Nickelodeon]], aired a daily block of Spanish-dubbed Nick Jr. programs under the name ''Tr3s Jr.'' to meet E/I requirements for its broadcast affiliates. Shows like ''Pistas de Blue'' (the Spanish version of ''[[Blue's Clues]]'') and ''[[Wonder Pets!]]'' were featured in the block.

==Face's reappearances==
The 90s version of Face made an appearance during the New Year edition of [[NickRewind|The '90s Are All That]], [[TeenNick]]'s former retro-oriented late-night block. Face's appearances consisted of out-of-context clips that make him appear to be drunk or making adult comments (e.g.: "Yeah, grow a pair!").2v2 go travis please remember ues travis and nickbobs

For the Halloween/[[Nick or Treat]] season, the "Face the Monster" bumper would play on the block as a transition of introducing episodes of ''Aaahh!!! Real Monsters'' on [[NickRewind|The Splat]]. The same bumper would be used on the block as an April Fools' Day prank two years later on April 1.

Face also appeared in an Easter promo for The Splat, encouraging viewers to look for the Easter bunny in 90s Nickelodeon shows.

A re-designed Face voiced by Cedric Williams hosted the Nick Jr. show ''Face's Music Party''. His original voice actor Chris Phillips continued to narrate promos for Nick Jr.

==Slogans==
*Just for You! (January 4, 1988–May 3, 1991)
*Here Just for You! (May 6, 1991–April 2, 1993)
*Grow, Learn, and Play (April 5, 1993–October 21, 1994)
*Play to Learn (October 24, 1994–August 29, 2003)
*TV for the Next Generation (September 12, 1994–March 29, 1996)
*TV Made Just for Preschoolers (April 1, 1996–October 2, 1998)
*Just for Me (October 5, 1998–August 31, 2001)
*Where I Play to Learn (September 3, 2001–August 29, 2003)
*Where I Play Along (September 1, 2003–October 8, 2004)
*We Love to Play! (October 11, 2004–September 7, 2007)
*Play with Us! (September 10, 2007–January 30, 2009)
*Play Date (February 2, 2009–February 29, 2012)
*The Smart Place to Play (March 1, 2012–May 18, 2018)
*Ready to Play! (May 21, 2018–July 4, 2023)
*TV Made Just for Kids (July 5, 2023–present)

==Video==
<gallery position="center">
Nick Jr. Intro (2002)|Nick Jr. Intro used from September 3, 2001-August 29, 2003
</gallery>

==See also==
*''[[Dance And Sing! The Best of Nick Jr.|Dance and Sing! The Best of Nick Jr.]]''
*[[Nick Jr. (channel)|Nick Jr. Channel]]
*[[Nickelodeon]]

==External links == 
*[https://www.nick.com/nick-jr/nick-jr Official website]

==References==
<references />
{{Wikipedia}}
{{Programming blocks}}
{{Nick Jr. shows}}
[[Category:Nickelodeon]]
[[Category:Nick Jr.]]
[[Category:Viacom]]
[[Category:National Amusements]]
[[Category:Programming blocks]]
[[Category:1980s premieres]]
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