"The Pajanimals" is a series of short-form segments that air nightly on the cable/satellite network PBSKids Sprout. This series is nothing short of sheer brilliance. In each segment, four bedtime friends-- Apollo, Squacky, Cowbella and Sweetpea Sue sing a song that helps them get ready for bed. Issues explored include wanting to stay up at night, missing mom and dad, having scary dreams and getting enough sleep in order to have energy to play the next day.
The "La La Lullaby" song is played every night on Sprout. This song is amazingly soothing. The music can easily lull viewers to sleep, the lyrics are well-written and the visuals perfectly match the song. They play right at the end of "The Goodnight Show," after Nina's signoff. It's a perfect way to end the night.
Other particularly good songs include "Goodnight to Mom" and "How Do I Know When It's Morning Time?" I'll be posting individual reviews for both of them, but "Goodnight to Mom" is precious, while "How Do I Know When It's Morning Time?" is a laugh riot.
The show is visually a treat to look at. It's one the few shows in Sprout presented in widescreen and is filled with detail. The puppets and are very well-designed. There are ten episodes of the show, not including the theme song. I'm hopeful, though, that maybe they'll decide to make the program into a full series with 22 minute episodes. It seems like it could really work. Also, if you look around online, you can find a free video of the show's theme song (which is never aired on Sprout) along with high-quality downloadable images. Episodes of the show are also available to view on Sprout's website.
