America's Favorite Little Monkey Goes Green
In a New Set of Earth-Science Themed (Mis)-Adventures


Boston, MA and Universal City, CA, August 13, 2008-- With his insatiable curiosity and a Daytime Emmy® Award for "Outstanding Children's Animated Program" in tow, America's favorite little monkey embarks on a brand new set of (mis)-adventures this fall when the third season of CURIOUS GEORGE premieres on PBS KIDS. George, The Man with the Yellow Hat, and their friends are off on an exploration of the world around them, introducing young viewers to Earth Science concepts such as recycling, composting, weather patterns, solar power, and agriculture along the way. The all new-season premieres as part of the PBS KIDS preschool destination on Monday, September 1 (check local listings).

"Now more than ever before so many of us are striving to take better care of our planet," said Executive Producer for WGBH Carol Greenwald. "The Earth Science theme of CURIOUS GEORGE's third season teaches kids about the planet, its elements, and the environment. Our hope is to show children how the earth nurtures them, and in turn inspire them to nurture the earth."

Over the course of the all-new third season George and his friends investigate the planet through a wide variety of escapades including creating a shelter during an Antarctic blizzard, growing a prize-worthy carrot, saving the day with a solar powered cooker, and chasing rainbows. Young viewers are introduced to the concept of composting when George discovers that he can make plant food out of his (smelly!) leftovers, and recycling, when he helps his apartment building win the city's recycling contest and learns that you only recycle products after they've been used! And, after monkeying around with a delicate dinosaur skeleton, George uses his new archeological skills, and the concepts of symmetry, to put the skeleton back together.

Brought to public television by Imagine Entertainment, WGBH Boston, and Universal Studios Family Productions, with the support of Curious George publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the award-winning series has consistently ranked number one amongst 2 to 5 year-olds since its launch in 2006*. CURIOUS GEORGE is narrated by Rino Romano (The Batman). The all-new third season features 15 daily, half-hour episodes filled with colorful characters and new locales.

"We're delighted to bring CURIOUS GEORGE back for a third season on PBS KIDS," said Executive Producer for Universal Studios Productions, Ellen Cockrill. "Now with two wonderfully successful seasons and a Daytime Emmy Award to his credit, we can't wait to see how George continues to inspire his young viewers and spark their curiosity in the world around them."

Viewers can continue to monkey around online at pbskids.org/curiousgeorge where two new interactive activities, along with 10 new printable activities and 20 new videos will be made available on the Web site with the premiere of the new season.

Funding is provided by public television viewers. National corporate sponsorship of CURIOUS GEORGE is provided by Chuck E. Cheese's® and Sun Maid®.

CURIOUS GEORGE is a production of Imagine Entertainment, WGBH Boston, and Universal Studios Family Productions. Executive producers are Ron Howard (Imagine), Brian Grazer (Imagine), Carol Greenwald (WGBH), and Ellen Cockrill (Universal). Curious George and related characters, created by Margret and H.A. Rey are copyrighted and trademarked by Houghton Mifflin Company and used under license. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. Television series: © 2008. Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

ABOUT THE CURIOUS GEORGE TELEVISION SERIES
CURIOUS GEORGEthe television series is designed to inspire kids to explore science, math, and engineering in the world around them in a fun and entertaining way. Based on the best-selling Curious George books by Margret and H.A. Rey, the daily series on PBS KIDS expands George's world to include a host of colorful characters and original locales, while maintaining the charm of the beloved books. Each of the 20 half-hour episodes includes two animated stories followed by short live-action pieces showing real kids who are investigating the ideas that George introduces in his stories. The series encourages inquiry and curiosity, promotes hands-on exploration, and shows parents and caregivers how to support children's science and math- related play.

IMAGINE ENTERTAINMENT
Imagine Entertainment was founded in 1986 by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer to create movies, television and other original programming.

Since its inception, Imagine Entertainment has been honored with more than 40 prestigious awards, including eight Academy Awards and 14 Emmys. Their past productions include the Academy Award-winning films A Beautiful Mind, 8 Mile, Apollo 13 in addition to The Da Vinci Code, and Curious George, and the Emmy and Golden- Globe-winning television series 24 and Arrested Development. Currently Imagine is in post production on American Gangster, which is slated for release by Universal Pictures this fall. Imagine Entertainment has a long-standing production/distribution agreement with Universal Pictures.

WGBH BOSTON
WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcasting station, producing one-third of PBS's prime-time lineup--more than any other single production house. WGBH is the creator of the award-winning PBS children's series Arthur, Between the Lions, Postcards from Buster, and ZOOM, as well as the critically acclaimed new favorites CURIOUS GEORGE and FETCH! With Ruff Ruffman. WGBH also produces the award-winning Peep and the Big Wide World (seen on TLC's Ready Set Learn! and the Discovery Kids Channel), and Time Warp Trio (seen on the Discovery Kids Channel). Under the leadership of Vice President Brigid Sullivan, the WGBH children's lineup leads the field in educational multimedia (including the Web, broadband, and interactive television) and in technologies and services that make media accessible to people with disabilities. WGBH's current children's series have been recognized with some of the world's most prestigious awards, including 21 Emmys, the George Foster Peabody award (2), three Prix Jeunesse awards, a BAFTA, and more than 18 Parents' Choice Awards. For more information, visit www.wgbh.org.



UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT FAMILY PRODUCTIONS The Universal Studios Family Productions banner, which includes Universal Animation Studios, develops, produces, and acquires live-action and animated family productions directly for the home entertainment and television markets. Among the group's portfolio of prized properties is The Land Before Time, the most successful feature-length children's home entertainment franchise of all time, having earned more than one billion dollars worldwide to date. Since its formation in 2005, the group has built an exceptional slate of family fare, including the all new DVD Original release Bring It On: In It to Win It, the latest winning installment in the hugely successful Bring It On film franchise; the Daytime Emmy® winning "Curious George" television series on PBS KIDS; "The Land Before Time" television show on Cartoon Network; a string of Barbie movies, based on the world-renowned Mattel-branded doll; and the forthcoming action-adventure epic Scorpion King 2: Rise of A Warrior. Universal Studios Family Productions is part of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is a global education company with approximately $2.5 billion in combined revenue. The Company publishes a comprehensive set of best-in-class pre-K-12 educational solutions, ranging from research-based textbook programs to instructional technology to standards-based assessments for students and educators. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. With origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. To learn more about Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, visit www.hmhpub.com.

PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO!
PBS KIDS, for preschoolers, and PBS KIDS GO!, for early elementary school kids, are committed to providing the highest quality non-commercial content and learning environment for children across the country. Providing age-appropriate, diverse programming for kids, PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! programs consistently earn more prestigious awards than any other broadcast or cable network. Only PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! have earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. With additional PBS resources to complement its programming, including PBS KIDS online (pbskids.org), PBS KIDS GO! online (pbskidsgo.org), PBS Parents (pbsparents.org), PBS Teachers (pbsteachers.org), PBS KIDS Raising Readers and literacy events across the country, PBS is providing the tools necessary for positive child development. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 355 public television stations, serving more than 73 million people each week and reaching 99% of American homes.

*Source: NTI Pocketpiece September 2006 - January 2008.