Moose and Zee

Moose and Zee are a pair of fictional characters created for the Noggin brand. They debuted as the on-air hosts of the Noggin cable channel on April 7, 2003.[1] Moose is an anthropomorphic yellow moose voiced by Paul Christie, and his sidekick Zee is a silent blue bird who communicates by blinking and flapping her wings. The character of Moose was created to act like a teacher, providing information and education between shows on Noggin. Zee was created as a stand-in for the preschool audience.

Moose and Zee
First appearanceApril 7, 2003
Created byTeri Weiss
Voiced byPaul Christie (Moose)
In-universe information
SpeciesMoose and bird
OccupationTeachers and guides

In addition to television, Moose and Zee have appeared in books, live performances, and a variety of merchandise. In 2015, Noggin was relaunched as a mobile subscription app, and Moose and Zee were reintroduced as hosts of the app. They continued to host the app until 2019, when the app was redesigned and their presence was limited to a single folder on the app.

Description

Moose A. Moose is a yellow-colored anthropomorphic moose who teaches lessons to viewers through questioning. He encourages curiosity and is very knowledgeable. He is voiced by Paul Christie.

Zee D. Bird is a small silent blue bird who communicates through blinking, flapping her wings, and staring. She is Moose's best friend and assists viewers in figuring out answers to questions.

Segments

Over 100 animated shorts were produced featuring Moose and Zee. Most of them originally aired with wraparound segments announcing upcoming shows on Noggin's schedule. 46 of these shorts have been released as part of the Noggin subscription service as of November 11, 2015, with the wraparound segments removed.[2] Most of these shorts also still aired on the Nick Jr. channel until 2012 when the hosts were temporarily abandoned, though some segments that didn't include them were still airing on the channel after 2012, albeit repackaged. The segments aired until 2015.

Recurring segments
  • Mighty Fine Art – Moose and Zee discuss a painting or artist at the art museum.
  • Puzzle Time – Moose asks the viewer to solve a puzzle by finding shapes, matching two images, or spotting the difference in a group of pictures.
  • Music Video – Moose sings about a season, holiday, or concept. Formerly, it was named Move to the Music and featured music videos from Laurie Berkner or a different Nick Jr. show. It used to air on Noggin from 2003 until 2009, when it still aired when Noggin was relaunched as Nick Jr. in 2009, until March 1, 2012.
  • In Other Words – A specific word is introduced and explained to the viewer.
  • Show and Tell
  • Critter Corner
  • Field Trip
  • Class Pet Time – The life of an animated, hamster-like pet named "Chip-Chip" is presented. The shorts are narrated by Moose, with children's voices commenting on Chip-Chip's actions.
  • Story Time – A well-known story is read aloud, occasionally by Moose himself. He said what happens next, and is responded to by the kids. Originally, the segment was named And Then What Happened?, first airing in 2002, a year before Moose and Zee, when Feetface was hosting. It was renamed a year later. In 2012, the shorts were repackaged and put to the Nick Jr. Bedtime segment.
  • Little Green Fingers – A live-action segment featuring a type of plant. These shorts were only aired in the United Kingdom (until being added to the Noggin app under the title "Zee's Garden"). The shorts started airing on the Nick Jr. channel in 2012, packaged as a science segment. These still aired until 2015.
  • Zee's Bookshelf – Zee introduces a then-upcoming television program. Ebb and Flo was aired exclusively between these segments.

History

Several weeks before Moose and Zee debuted as Noggin's hosts, advertisements featuring Moose A. Moose and Zee were broadcast on Noggin to notify viewers of upcoming schedule changes. They officially debuted on April 7, 2003, as part of the Noggin channel redesign. Moose and Zee's first day also introduced Tweenies, Miffy and Friends, and the second season of Oobi (the first season of Oobi shorts had aired since 2000).[3] Moose and Zee continued to appear daily on Noggin throughout its run. After the channel was replaced with a 24-hour version of Nickelodeon's long-running Nick Jr. block, segments with Moose and Zee were temporarily shown to ease the transition, but all of the characters' branding was removed by February 29, 2012. Moose and Zee were reintroduced as hosts of the Noggin mobile app in March 2015.[2] The original 2015 commercial for the Noggin app features Moose and Zee, marking the first time since 2012 that the characters have been seen on television.[4]

From 2008 until 2012, Moose and Zee were featured in wraparound segments on the Nickelodeon On Demand service.[5]

Several of Moose and Zee's segments were dubbed into Spanish in late 2015,[6] with the dubbed segments included as part of the Latin American Noggin app.[7] Moose and Zee appeared in commercials on Nickelodeon's Latin American feed at the time of the app's release.

In other media

Online

Moose and Zee were prominently featured on Noggin.com from 2003 to 2009, and again from 2015 onward. About one hundred online printables and crafts were created to coincide with Moose's on-air activities.[8][9] Recipes such as character cakes and meals inspired by the shorts were accessible through the websites for several years.[10] Many digital games were made with Moose and Zee as characters, such as "Doodle Pad," "What's the Word, Bird?", "What's Different", "Little Letter Playground" and "Balloon Math".[11][12][13] Video clips of Moose and Zee included as part of the "Nick Jr. Video" service were live on NickJr.com until early 2012.[14]

Moose and Zee were also the hosts of two defunct online learning programs. The first was titled "MyNoggin" and was available at www.mynoggin.com in 2008 through 2009.[15] MyNoggin subscriptions were available for online purchase, as well as through several prepaid game cards sold at most major retailers.[16] The service was advertised in many issues of the Parents' Choice Award-winning children's publication Nick Jr. Magazine.[17] In early 2010, a mobile application featuring the characters titled "A to Z with Moose and Zee" was made available for purchase in the iOS App Store worldwide.[18] The game, aimed at preschoolers, was designed to teach children the letters of the alphabet. The app was compatible with updated iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices at the time and was sold for $1.99 in U.S. dollars. It has since been removed from the App Store.

As part of the revival of the Noggin brand as an app in 2015, Moose and Zee were reintroduced.[19]

Live shows

In late 2009, Nickelodeon partnered with Key Brand Entertainment to produce "Storytime Live!", a theatrical performance featuring preschool characters.[20] Moose and Zee were featured as the hosts of the production, with a full-size Moose costume and Zee puppet created by Geppetto Studios.[21]

Noggin created a different mascot-style costume of Moose A. Moose for "meet-and-greet" event appearances, taking place at locations such as the Nebraskan "Kidz Explore" festival.[22] The meet-and-greet costume design differed greatly from the Storytime Live! version, with the Moose costume being much larger and more similar to his square shape as seen in the show.

Merchandise

In November 2005, Noggin released products such as clothing, notebooks, holiday ornaments and greeting cards featuring Moose, Zee, and the Noggin logo.[23] These products were available through the Noggin.com online store. In 2010, plush dolls, figures, shirts, and "crazy straws" featuring the characters were sold at Nickelodeon's Storytime Live! performance and at Nickelodeon Universe.[24] Several of these items are currently available at Nickelodeon Universe's online store.[25]

A series of short stories and paper activities featuring the characters titled "Learn with Moose and Zee!" was produced in 2011. The individual stories and activities were included at the ends of many Dora the Explorer books released that year, such as "Dora Saves the Enchanted Forest," "Dora and Diego Help the Little Wolf," and a reissuing of "At the Carnival."[26][27][28] No full-length books were released with the characters.

Moose and Zee were also included as mascots on several DVDs. These include the 2010 DVD Let's Hear It For the Laurie Berkner Band! (which includes the shorts "Everywhere I Go," "Music Makes Me," "We're Goin' on a Trip," and "Words of Wonder") and the Dora the Explorer DVD Explore the Earth! (which includes the shorts "In My Neighborhood" and "Explore the Seashore").[29][30] In addition to physical DVD releases, some segments featuring Moose and Zee are available for digital download on the US iTunes Store. The music video "I Don't Like Candy Corn" is available as part of the collection Nick Jr. Haunted Halloween, Vol. 3[31] and the music video "Winter Wonderland" is available as part of Nick Jr. Wintertime Adventures.[32]

Several products given to attendees of "Club Noggin" (an interactive hour-long program taking place at General Growth Property malls across the United States) featured Moose and Zee.[33] These products included posters, cut-out crafts and "badges" made of fabric. Club Noggin distributed them from 2004 until 2006.[34]

Moose and Zee are the hosts of a Nintendo-produced game for the Wii console, "Nickelodeon Fit."[35] Players cannot play as Moose or Zee.

References
  1. NOGGIN (March 25, 2003). "NOGGIN Reinvents Itself - It's Like Preschool on TV!". prnewswire.com. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  2. "Nickelodeon Launches Noggin--New Mobile Subscription Service for Preschoolers - Business Wire". businesswire.com. February 25, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  3. NOGGIN (March 25, 2003). "Noggin Introduces 'Oobi' - The Friend Who's Always With You!". prnewswire.com. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  4. "Noggin App TV Commercial, 'Play and Learn'". iSpot.tv. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  5. "VOD Program - Moose and Zee 'Make Music'". LocateTV.com. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  6. MundoNick Latin America (November 21, 2015). "MundoNick Noggin Promo". mtvnimages.com.
  7. Google Play (November 18, 2015). "Noggin Latin America". Play.Google.com.
  8. "Moose and Zee Crafts- Kids Crafts". Archived from the original on January 6, 2012.
  9. "Moose and Zee Activities and Printables". Archived from the original on 2012-01-06.
  10. "Moose and Zee Recipes". Archived from the original on January 5, 2012.
  11. "Noggin Games & More: Doodle Pad". noggin.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2004.
  12. "What's the Word, Bird?". nickjr.com.
  13. "Moose's What's Different Game". nickjr.com.
  14. "Nick Jr. Video - Moose and Zee". Archived from the original on December 13, 2009.
  15. "MyNoggin". nickjrboost.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2009.
  16. "MyNOGGIN 3-Month Subscription Card - Best Buy". Best Buy.
  17. "Nick Jr. Magazine". Parents' Choice Foundation.
  18. "Nick Jr's A to Z with Moose and Zee". nickjr.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  19. Noggin.com as of January 30, 2017
  20. "Storytime Live!". nicklivetour.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2010.
  21. "About Geppetto Studios". geppettostudios.com.
  22. "Kidz Explore". kidzexplorekearney.com.
  23. NOGGIN (November 9, 2005). "NOGGIN Teams up With CafePress.com to Announce First-Ever Merchandising Agreement". prnewswire.com. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  24. "Moose and Zee Products". Nickelodeon Universe. Archived from the original on April 8, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  25. "Other Nickelodeon Characters at ShopNickU.com". shopnicku.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  26. Barnes & Noble. "Dora Saves the Enchanted Forest (Dora the Explorer Series)". Barnes & Noble.
  27. Barnes & Noble. "Dora and Diego Help the Little Wolf". Barnes & Noble.
  28. Barnes & Noble. "At the Carnival (Dora the Explorer Series)". Barnes & Noble.
  29. "Amazon.com: Lets Hear It For the Laurie Berkner Band!: Movies & TV". amazon.com.
  30. Barnes & Noble. "Dora the Explorer: Explore the Earth!". Barnes & Noble.
  31. "iTunes - TV Shows - Nick Jr. Haunted Halloween, Vol. 3". iTunes.
  32. "iTunes - TV Shows - Nick Jr. Wintertime Adventures". iTunes.
  33. "NOGGIN Partners: Club Noggin". noggin.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2005.
  34. "Head for fun at Club Noggin". Gainesville.com.
  35. "Nickelodeon Fit". nintendo.com.
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