New York, NY–(HISPANIC PR WIRE)–August 17, 2005–Nick Jr. will spin off Dora the Explorer’s wildly popular cousin Diego to his own action-adventure series this fall! The animated preschool show Go, Diego, Go! will debut in primetime on Nickelodeon on Tuesday, September 6, at 8 p.m. (all times ET/PT), and will then join Nick Jr.’s regular weekday line-up the next morning, beginning Wednesday, September 7 at 11 a.m. Eight-year-old Diego, a bilingual animal rescuer and nature expert who has the ability to talk to animals, takes preschoolers on interactive, high-stakes journeys inspired by the rich environments of Latin America and by the animals that make their homes in those habitats. In each episode, Diego and his friends encourage kids to use scientific thinking and investigative strategies to help animals in trouble.

Building up to the primetime premiere of Go, Diego, Go!, Nick Jr. will air a Dora the Explorer marathon on Tuesday, September 6, from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. The marathon will include the debut of a new, never-before-seen episode of Dora entitled, “Dora and Diego to the Rescue!” at 1:30 p.m., where Dora and Diego take an adventure together to rescue Dora’s friend Boots.

“Diego was embraced by viewers from the moment he appeared on Dora the Explorer two years ago, and his sense of adventure and love of animals and science will bring a whole new level of excitement and action to Nick Jr.,” said Brown Johnson, Executive Creative Director, Nickelodeon Preschool Television. “Diego is athletic, determined and caring – all qualities that make him a true preschool action hero with a heart.”

In the primetime premiere episode, “Rescue the Red-Eyed Tree Frog,” Diego and Baby Jaguar help two little red-eyed tree frogs who have fallen in the river. Diego and Baby Jaguar must jump past the coconut trees and climb up a pyramid to get to the tree frogs before they head over the waterfall! After the rescue, Diego returns the tree frogs to their new home in the rainforest.

The animals appearing in Go, Diego, Go! are indigenous to Latin America and are seen in their authentic habitat, with featured animals including the chinchilla, sloth and condor. The show is also flavored with Spanish words, Latin American music, folktales and traditions, all giving the audience the opportunity to experience Diego’s culturally rich world.

In each episode of Go, Diego, Go!, Diego receives a call for help at his Animal Rescue Center in the rainforest. With help from his friends, high-tech gadgets, and viewers at home, Diego identifies and locates the animal in trouble and the adventure begins. Diego is joined by his 11-year-old sister Alicia, a computer whiz who is also bilingual and easily switches between speaking English and Spanish. Baby Jaguar is the animal closest to Diego’s heart, and his youthful eagerness sometimes puts him in precarious situations. Other characters include Click (voiced by Rosie Perez), a high-tech camera with a knack for locating lost animals; Rescue Pack, a messenger bag that can transform into any form of transportation that Diego needs – even a boat, snowboard or parasail; and the Bobo Brothers, a mischievous pair of spider monkeys. Diego’s cousin Dora will make guest appearances in several episodes of the series.

The show’s curriculum goals are based on using observational skills and scientific tools to learn the accurate traits of the animal featured in the day’s adventure. Each episode includes details such as species name, physical attributes and habitat. Every animal on Go, Diego, Go! is researched and its traits authenticated by science education consultant Mario Castellanos, Project Director of Science Outreach for the Smithsonian National Zoological Park.

Go Diego Go! was created and is executive produced by Chris Gifford and Valerie Walsh, the same team behind the phenomenal hit show Dora the Explorer. Dora has been the number-one preschool show on commercial television for over three years, and the show’s groundbreaking multicultural success has been evidenced by numerous awards including the Peabody, ALMA, Imagen and several Daytime Emmy nominations. Dora the Explorer is currently seen in more than 74 countries in 15 languages.

Ten-year old newcomer Jake Toranzo-Szymanski stars as the voice of Diego. He has appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, Blue’s Clues and several commercials. Jake will star as the voice of the title character in the upcoming animated feature film Yankee Irving, which was the final film directed by the late Christopher Reeve. Yankee Irving is the Depression-era story of a poor boy who befriends Babe Ruth. Jake is a native of New York’s Rockland County.

Academy-Award nominated actress Rosie Perez is featured as the voice of Click, a high-tech camera that is also an animal locator. Rosie has appeared in many feature films, including Do The Right Thing, White Men Can’t Jump and Fearless, for which she received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. She is also the National Spokesperson for Comite Noviembre Puerto Rican Heritage and active with Working Playground, an arts education organization that brings dance, theater, film, poetry and fine arts to students in New York City’s Harlem, the Bronx and Lower East Side.

Nick Jr. is a specially designed programming block airing on Nickelodeon weekdays from 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. (ET/PT) and weekends on CBS (check local listings). Completely dedicated to preschoolers ages 2-5, Nick Jr.’s Emmy, Peabody and Parents’ Choice Award-winning programs are curriculum based, fun and commercial free. At Nick Jr., kids play to learn with innovative, original shows created just for them.

Nickelodeon, now in its 26th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in 89 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for ten consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

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