Discovery Kid’s “Wilbur” series Commemorates Wright Brothers’ Anniversary
In celebration of the Wright Brothers first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Discovery Kids presents a special encore episode of its “Wilbur” preschool series that will help even the youngest viewers appreciate this important anniversary and the miracle of modern flight, while reinforcing positive messages about optimism, persistence and resilience. Wibur’s “The Wright Stuff/The Broken Toy” episode makes an encore presentation on the Discovery Kids Channel on Thursday, December 17 at 11 AM (ET) as part of the network’s award-winning, commercial-free READY SET LEARN! block of preschool programming. WILBUR also airs at 7:30 AM (ET/PT) on TLC.
The special episode features two flight-related stories about Wilbur the calf and his barnyard friends: Dasha, an inquisitive duck; Ray, a flashy and opinionated rooster; and Libby, a sweet two-year-old lamb. In “The Wright Stuff” Wilbur wants to know what it feels like to fly. Dasha tries to teach him but nothing works. A storybook about the Wright Brothers inspires Wilbur to keep trying. In “The Broken Toy” Ray has built a beautiful model airplane which Dasha accidentally breaks. Wilbur helps Dasha overcome her fear that Ray will be mad and reads her a book that demonstrates why it is always best to tell the truth and say you’re sorry.
“Wilbur” was conceived by Jill Luedtke, Kim Anton and Tracey Hornbuckle, three moms from San Diego, who saw a need to enhance early literacy skills among young children. The moms were inspired by a visit to a Utah farm where they met an adorable little calf named “Wilbur.” They wanted to help lay a foundation for reading and felt that a barnyard with charming animal characters was the perfect setting.
In each episode, Wilbur and his barnyard buddies find themselves in a new situation or dilemma. Wilbur knows that books are full of ideas and that they can help his friends solve the problem. Wilbur then takes kids through the process of reading an actual storybook and shows that books are read from top to bottom, left to right and turn the page to continue the story.
“Wilbur” is a production of Mercury Filmworks, in association with Chilco Productions, EKA Distribution, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Discovery Kids. For Discovery Kids, Erin Wanner and Amy Sprecher, who brought “Wilbur” into the network, are executive producers.
READY SET LEARN! is an award-winning, commercial-free programming block with a curriculum that acknowledges preschoolers’ innate curiosity and is designed to foster optimism and resilience in their expanding exploration of the world. It airs on both the Discovery Kids Channel and TLC. Discovery Kids Channel lets kids of all ages (from preschoolers to tweens and teens) explore their world from their point of view. This 24-hour digital cable channel provides entertaining, engaging, and high-quality real-world programming that kids enjoy and parents trust. Every day, kids can learn about science, adventure, exploration and natural history through documentaries, reality shows, scripted dramas and animated stories. Garnering multiple Emmys as well as awards for quality children’s television, Discovery Kids is committed to satisfying kids’ natural curiosity about… well… everything.
