TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WAKUWAKU JAPAN CORPORATION (Headquarters: Minato Ward, Tokyo; President & CEO: Masafumi Kawanishi) is set to begin broadcasting of a new, original program, WAKUWAKU be Ponkickies, from Saturday, March 25, 2017, onward in Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and Mongolia.
WAKUWAKU be Ponkickies will be a specially-created version of the educational variety program for young children and infants currently broadcast on BS Fuji TV, be Ponkickies. That program, which began on Fuji Television in 1973 as Hirake! Ponkikki (Open Wide! It’s Ponkicky), has continued to be a children’s favorite throughout the more than forty years of iterations it has seen. WAKUWAKU JAPAN has undertaken, in collaboration with FUJI TELEVISION KIDS ENTERTAINMENT, Inc., and YURAYURA KICK, Inc., to edit be Ponkickies primarily into shorter content, making it easier for children outside of Japan to understand. There has also been an effort to create a segment within the program that features WAKUWAKU JAPAN characters, named “Kana-s”, who can blend seamlessly within the be Ponkickies format. These characters, formed from the WAA and KUU Japanese katakana characters, will introduce viewers to the katakana writing system with fun rhythms and music. They will bring a new, fun, learning experience to children across the globe, together with many adorable characters and animations.
Japan’s children’s educational programming is well-received abroad for the structure and quality imagery employed within the programming. There have been a lot of audience needs for educational programming for children that parents not only feel safe when the children watch, but that also help form an educational foundation as they grow. This new programming is designed to meet those needs and will additionally serve to share a variety of Japanese experiences, using superlative educational and entertainment content, and incorporating program-external business, including merchandising that takes advantage of the characters that appear within the show.
Broadcast Overview |
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• Program: WAKUWAKU be Ponkickies |
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• Airing in: Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and Mongolia |
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• Broadcast Times: |
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Country | Start Date for Broadcasting | Time |
Language* |
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Indonesia | Saturday, March 25, 2017 | Every Saturday, 7:00 to 7:30AM | Indonesian | |||
Myanmar | Saturday, March 25, 2017 | Every Saturday, 6:30 to 7:00AM | English | |||
Singapore | Saturday, March 25, 2017 | Every Saturday, 7:00 to 7:30AM | English | |||
Taiwan |
Sunday, March 26, 2017 |
Every Sunday, 7:30 to 8:00AM | Chinese | |||
Sri Lanka | Saturday, March 25, 2017 | Every Saturday, 5:30 to 6:00AM | English | |||
Mongolia | Saturday, March 25, 2017 | Every Saturday, 8:00 to 8:30AM | English | |||
* To be dubbed for each language. |
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WAKUWAKU JAPAN CORPORATION Profile
Company Name: WAKUWAKU
JAPAN CORPORATION
Address: 7F Akasaka Enokizaka Building, 1-7-1
Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052
Established: May 1, 2015
Capital:
5.5 billion yen
President & CEO: Masafumi Kawanishi
Major
shareholder: SKY Perfect JSAT 60%, Cool Japan Fund Inc. 40%
Official
site: http://www.wakuwakujapan.tv/
Countries
and regions currently broadcasting:
Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore,
Thailand, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Mongolia