When popular preschool series Tiga Talk! returns to TV, children will help drive the story line by naming a new pet, and explore further exciting adventures on an innovative new mobile app. The fun starts this fall, when the fourth season of Tiga Talk! premieres on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN):
Targeted at children aged 3-5, Tiga Talk! is a gentle, entertaining series that explores languages and culture in a fun way. It’s about Tiga, a stuffed toy wolf cub who lives with Jodie and Jason, their father, and Kokum (grandmother). Tiga lives in a backyard den the children made for him, and together, they share a secret. When there aren’t any adults around, Tiga becomes a talking puppet who plays with Jodie, Jason, and children in the audience. Tiga’s sidekicks Gertie the Gopher and Gavin the Goose also ‘come alive’ to join in the fun.
Tiga Talk! not only captivates and entertains its preschool audience, but also creates an ear for different languages and encourages an excitement for learning during these very important early years. Music and activities are featured in half-hour episodes combining live action with a magic puppet world. Games, crafts, and adventures on the interactive website and mobile applications provide even greater opportunities to play and learn.
INNOVATIVE ‘ADVENTURE STORY’ APP
Since first launching last season, the award-winning Tiga Talk! Speech Therapy Games iPhone app has been a huge success, and continues to sell to fans of the series, as well as families seeking speech language tools. Now, a brand new innovative app will engage children in a new way, beyond anything seen so far with Tiga Talk! or other phonetic learning programs.
The new Tiga Talk! Adventure Story App appeals to the passion for exploration by taking the child on a self-led adventure. It encourages language development skills and creative problem solving by offering different experiences and options, providing the opportunity to learn new words in English and Cree. Co-created by award-winning digital media studio Tactica Interactive, the app is modeled afterinteractive storybooks, ‘choose your own adventure’ stories, and role playing games.
ABOUT SEASON 4
Season 4 finds Jodie and Jason having more backyard adventures with Tiga, Gertie and Gavin. Through their interactions and adventures, the puppets, kids and audience learn about traditional Aboriginal practices, cultures and languages in imaginative ways.
Each of the 11 new episodes in Season 4 features a theme and a problem to solve, such as:
– Everyone would like a pet but how do you care for it?
– Laughter is infectious but can sometimes hurt people’s feelings.
– Tiga has hiccups and they won’t go away!
– Moving to a new home can be exciting – but scary as well.
Themes are explored through games and adventures in the backyard, and at on-location cultural activities. This season, the children visit the Big House in Comox to see a dance performance, tour the studios of local artists John Marsden and Carey Newman, and meet local Medicine Woman Della Rice Sylvester.
Children will also learn new words related to each theme, be entertained by stories, and sing along to catchy songs by animated friend Ribbit the Rapper. Rounding out the fun are ‘Get Moving’ segments, designed to encourage audience members to participate in physical activity.
VIEWERS WILL CHOOSE PET NAME
Early in Season 4, viewers will be prompted to visit www.tigatalk.com and asked to contribute to an interactive storyline surrounding Jodie and Jason’s friends. Kyle and Tessa will be getting a new pet, and viewers will be able to go online and vote for the pet’s name. The name that receives the most votes will become the actual name of the pet.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Tiga Talk! was developed by an award-winning children’s television producer, an early childhood educator and a speech pathologist. Irene Green is a producer and writer for the series, and also plays ‘Kokum’. Singer/songwriter/actor Art Napoleon plays ‘Dad’, and is a cultural/language consultant. Kate-La Faith Hanuse returns as ‘Jodie’, and Gabriel Paul reprises the role of ‘Jason’.Hilary Pryor wears multiple hats as executive producer, producer, writer, director and editor, andVanessa Loewen is executive producer.
Tiga Talk! is produced by Tiga Talk Season 4 Inc., with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Province of British Columbia Film Incentive BC, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit Program, the Shaw Rocket Fund, and the Bell New Media Fund. It is produced in Association with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).
OTHER INFO
– Tiga Talk! is the only preschool series in Canada that focuses on Aboriginal language and culture.
– Creating the series was a real team effort… it was created by an early childhood educator, a speech pathologist, and a Victoria-based award-winning television producer.
– “Dad” is played by well-known Aboriginal singer/songwriter Art Napoleon (from Victoria BC).
– “Kokum” is played by Irene Green (from Fort St. John BC) – who is also producer, writer, and series co-creator.
– The series has won a Leo Award for Best Screenwriting, and Best Original Score at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards.
– Winnipeg-based Tactica Interactive – co-producer of the app – won the Best Interactive Signature Award for the app.
