Becky Botsford
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Becky Botsford
''WordGirl'' is an American animated superhero children's television series produced by the Soup2Nuts animation unit of Scholastic Entertainment for PBS Kids. The series began as a series of shorts entitled ''The Amazing Colossal Adventures of WordGirl'' that premiered on PBS Kids Go! on November 10, 2006, usually shown at the end of ''Maya & Miguel''; the segment was then spun off into a new thirty-minute episodic series that premiered on September 3, 2007 to August 7, 2015 on most PBS member stations. The series of shorts consisted of thirty episodes, with 128 episodes in the full half-hour series and a film. ''WordGirl'' creator Dorothea Gillim felt that most children's animation "underestimated hildren'ssense of humor" and hoped to create a more intellectual show for young audiences. By June 2014, many PBS stations had stopped airing ''WordGirl'', opting to air more popular series throughout the summer. However, new episodes continued to air on select stations, with stream ...
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Adventure Fiction
Adventure fiction is a type of fiction that usually presents danger, or gives the reader a sense of excitement. Some adventure fiction also satisfies the literary definition of Romance (prose fiction)#Definition, romance fiction. History In the introduction to the ''Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction'', Critic Don D'Ammassa defines the genre as follows: D'Ammassa argues that adventure stories make the element of danger the focus; hence he argues that Charles Dickens's novel ''A Tale of Two Cities'' is an adventure novel because the protagonists are in constant danger of being imprisoned or killed, whereas Dickens's ''Great Expectations'' is not because "Pip's encounter with the convict is an adventure, but that scene is only a device to advance the main plot, which is not truly an adventure." Adventure has been a common theme (literature), theme since the earliest days of written fiction. Indeed, the standard plot of Heliodorus, and so durable as to be still alive in Adventu ...
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Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American retired actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom ''The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank Kingsley on ''The Larry Sanders Show'' (1992–1998), George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth on ''Arrested Development'' (2003–2006, 2013, 2018–2019) and Maura Pfefferman on '' Transparent'' (2014–2017). For his role in the latter, Tambor earned two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series out of three nominations. In 2015, he was also awarded a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Pfefferman. His film roles include Jay Porter in '' ...And Justice for All'' (1979), Jinx Latham in '' Mr. Mom'' (1983), Sully in ''There's Something About Mary'' (1998), Mayor Augustus May Who in '' How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' (2000), Tom Manning in '' Hellboy'' (2004) and its sequel '' Hellboy II: The Golden Army'' (2008), Si ...
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Superpower (ability)
A superpower is a special or extraordinary ability far greater than what is considered normal, possessed by those of superhuman status. Superpowers are typically displayed in science fiction and fantasy media such as comic book, comic books, television program, TV shows, video game, video games, and film as the key attribute of a superhero. The concept originated in American comic book, American comics and pulp magazine, pulp fiction of the 1930s and 1940s, and has gradually worked its way into other genres and media. Definition There is no rigid definition of a "superpower" beyond the general idea of them being a set of capabilities and traits exhibited by characters in fiction that are considered beyond the limits of normal beings or are paranormal to some degree. In popular culture, it is often associated with unusual abilities such as flight, superhuman strength, super-strength, Speedster (fiction), super-speed, invulnerability, etc. However, it can also describe natural abil ...
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Cult Following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, book, musical artist, television series, or video game, among other things, is said to have a cult following when it has a very passionate fanbase. A common component of cult followings is the emotional attachment the fans have to the object of the cult following, often identifying themselves and other fans as members of a community. Cult followings are also commonly associated with niche markets. Cult media are often associated with underground culture, and are considered too eccentric or anti-establishment to be appreciated by the general public or to be widely commercially successful. Many cult fans express their devotion with a level of irony when describing such entertainment. Fans may become involved in a subculture of fandom, eith ...
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Maya & Miguel
''Maya & Miguel'' is an American children's animated television series produced by Scholastic Productions. It aired on PBS Kids Go! from October 11, 2004, to October 10, 2007, and had a total of five seasons and 65 episodes over three years. The show also ran on Univision's Saturday morning Planeta U block. The series focuses on the lives of pre-teen Hispanic twins named Maya and Miguel Santos and their friends, the program is aimed at promoting multiculturalism and education. At various times throughout the episode, parts of the dialogue are in Spanish, but only individual words or phrases are then explained in English. Premise The show presents learning as fun, relevant and rewarding for all children, with a special emphasis on the Hispanic and Latino population. The show chronicles the adventures of two 10-year-old Latino siblings, Maya and Miguel Santos, as they figure out how to leave their stamp on the world around them, and features their relatives and diverse neighborh ...
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Scholastic Entertainment
Scholastic Corporation is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, teachers, parents, children, and other educational institutions. Products are distributed via retail and online sales and through schools via reading clubs and book fairs. Clifford the Big Red Dog, a character created by Norman Bridwell in 1963, is the mascot of Scholastic. Company history Scholastic was founded in 1920 by Maurice R. Robinson near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to be a publisher of youth magazines. The first publication was ''The Western Pennsylvania Scholastic''. It covered high school sports and social activities; the four-page magazine debuted on October 22, 1920, and was distributed in 50 high schools. More magazines followed for Scholastic Magazines. In 1948, Scholastic entered the book club business. In the 1960s, international publishing locations were established in England (1964), ...
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Children's Television Series
Children's television series (or children's television shows) are Television show, television programs designed specifically for Child, children. They are typically characterised by easy-going content devoid of sensitive or adult themes and are normally broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake, immediately before and after school schedules generally start in the country where they air. Educational television, Educational themes are also prevalent, as well as the transmission of cautionary tales and narratives that teach problem-solving methods in some fashion or another, such as social disputes. The purpose of these shows, aside from profit, is mainly to entertain or educate children, with each series targeting a certain age of child: some are aimed at infants and toddlers, some are aimed at those aged 6 to 11 years old, and others are aimed at all children. History Children's television is nearly as old as television itself. In the United Kingdom, the ...
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Superhero Fiction
Superhero fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction examining the adventure fiction, adventures, personalities and ethics of costumed crime fighters known as superheroes, who often possess Superpower (ability), superhuman powers and battle similarly powered criminals known as supervillains. The genre primarily falls between hard fantasy and soft science fiction in the spectrum of scientific realism, often merging into science fantasy. It is most commonly associated with American comic books, though it has expanded into :Superhero fiction by medium, other media through adaptations and original works. Common plot elements Superheroes A superhero is most often the protagonist of superhero fiction. However, some titles, such as ''Marvels'' by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross, use superheroes as secondary characters. A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a type of stock character possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers" and dedicated to protecting the publi ...
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Scholastic Corporation
Scholastic Corporation is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, teachers, parents, children, and other educational institutions. Products are distributed via retail and online sales and through schools via reading clubs and book fairs. Clifford the Big Red Dog, a character created by Norman Bridwell in 1963, is the mascot of Scholastic. Company history Scholastic was founded in 1920 by Maurice R. Robinson near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to be a publisher of youth magazines. The first publication was ''The Western Pennsylvania Scholastic''. It covered high school sports and social activities; the four-page magazine debuted on October 22, 1920, and was distributed in 50 high schools. More magazines followed for Scholastic Magazines. In 1948, Scholastic entered the book club business. In the 1960s, international publishing locations were established in England (196 ...
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Soup2Nuts
Soup2Nuts (sometimes referred to as Soup2Nuts Studios, and formerly part of Tom Snyder Productions) was an American animation studio founded by Tom Snyder (animator), Tom Snyder. The studio is known for its animated comedy series, its use of Squigglevision, a technique of animation that reuses frames to make the animation look more kinetic, and for its style of improvisation in voice acting. History Tom Snyder, a teacher at Shady Hill School, began designing computer programs in the 1970s to enhance his 4th to 8th grade classes' learning environments. In 1980, Jere Dykema, the parent of one of Snyder's Shady Hill students, gave Snyder $30,000 to establish Computer Learning Connection (later renamed Tom Snyder Productions) for a 30% equity stake. Dykema also loaned CLC $100,000, which they paid back. Tom Snyder Productions created and produced its first TV show, ''Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist'' in 1995 for Comedy Central. On February 23, 1996, the company announced it would ...
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PBS Kids
PBS Kids (stylized as PBS KIDS) is the branding used for nationally distributed children's programming carried by the U.S. public television network PBS. The brand encompasses a daytime block of children's programming carried daily by most PBS member stations, a 24-hour channel carried on the digital subchannels of PBS member stations (sometimes called the PBS Kids Channel or PBS Kids 24/7), and its accompanying digital platforms. PBS Kids programming typically targets children between the ages of 2 and 8, with a focus on live-action and animated series featuring educational and informative ( E/I) components; some of its programs were developed under grants with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as part of PBS and CPB's " Ready-to-Learn" initiative. From 2004 to 2013, a late-afternoon sub-block known as PBS Kids Go! broadcast programming targeting elementary school-aged viewers 6 to 8; the brand was discontinued in 2013 to focus more on the main PBS Kids brand. PBS ...
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PBS Kids Go!
PBS Kids Go! was an American educational television brand used by PBS for programs aimed at school-age children ages 6 to 8, in contrast to the preschool target demographic of PBS Kids. Most PBS member stations aired the PBS Kids Go! block on weekdays during after-school hours, generally 3–6 pm depending on local station scheduling. In addition to the block, there was a PBS Kids Go! section on the PBS Kids website which featured games, videos, and other activities that were targeted towards older children. The brand was used on air and online for nearly nine years from 2004 until its closure in 2013. History Development and launch Upon recognizing that they were very few educational programming for elementary-age children, with most of PBS Kids' programs being viewed by preschoolers, PBS wanted to focus more on including shows for and targeting older children.'''' The PBS Kids Go! programming block was launched on October 11, 2004, alongside the premiere of brand new ser ...
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