Noggin

Noggin was an educational TV brand, launched on February 2, 1999, as a joint venture between MTV Networks (the owners of Nickelodeon) and the Sesame Workshop. Currently a mobile streaming service, Noggin began as a cable TV channel and a website. When it started, Noggin was mainly aimed at tweens. In 2002, the channel divided its programming into two blocks: a daytime block for preschoolers and a nighttime block for tweens and teens, called The N.
The brand's name comes from "noggin," a slang term for a person's head. This reflects how the brand is meant to inspire thinking and creativity. Both the channel and website were temporarily retired in 2009; in March 2015, the Noggin brand was revived as a mobile streaming service. In 2021, the Nick Jr. channel introduced a weekly block called "Noggin Hour,"NickJr.com schedule: May 28, 2021 which showed different series from the Noggin streaming service every Friday.
Noggin's programming is distinct from Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.'s. It featured a variety of classic shows from Sesame Workshop's library, from 3-2-1 Contact to The Electric Company. It also included a variety of original series for both tweens and preschoolers, including Oobi, Phred on Your Head Show, On the Team, Sponk!, and The Upside Down Show. Starting in 2020, the Noggin streaming service released its own exclusive shows, such as Kinderwood and Noggin Knows.
== Channel==
The first service released under the Noggin brand name was a satellite television network, which operated from February 2, 1999 until September 27, 2009. Noggin's lineup during its first years consisted almost entirely of titles from Sesame Workshop's library, with occasional reruns of Nickelodeon and Jim Henson series. The two providers had over 5,000 hours of library material to broadcast, and did not produce original programming until a full year on the air had passed.
One of Noggin's first series to start production was Oobi, which began a series of two-minute shorts. Noggin commissioned its first half-hour original series for teenagers in 1999, calling it A Walk in Your Shoes. A live game show aimed at pre-teens, Sponk!, premiered a year later. This was one of many Noggin series that focused on viewer-submitted content, along with the animated Phred on Your Head Show and its spin-off URL with Phred. A block of preschool series became a staple of the network by 2002. 
In mid-2002, Noggin changed its schedule to include two main blocks: a daytime block for preschoolers and a nighttime block for tweens and teens (called The N). Noggin's earlier shows for older viewers (such as A Walk in Your Shoes and Sponk!) aired exclusively during The N block from 2002-2007.
Noggin received high ratings and was viewed by an average of 529,000 households daily in early 2009. At the time of its closure, Noggin reached over 64 million households in the United States, as opposed to the 1.5 million subscribers it reached when it launched. On September 28, 2009, the Noggin brand was temporarily retired, and its channel was replaced by a 24-hour channel based on the Nick Jr. block. Noggin was relaunched as a streaming app in 2015.
==Website ==
One of Viacom and Sesame Workshop's goals was to develop Noggin into a "cable-computer hybrid." Noggin.com, the channel's website, was launched in 1999 as a portal for exclusive content. Unlike Nick.com and other previous online ventures, the website was integrated into many television shows. Viewers were encouraged to offer suggestions for programs, such as the tween-oriented game show Sponk!, through the site. Throughout 2000, Bill Nye of Bill Nye the Science Guy answered questions asked by Noggin.com users between airings of his program. User-generated content submitted to Noggin.com was the focal point of The URL with Phred Show (whose title is a reference to the Noggin.com URL). In 2001, Noggin launched "Chattervision", which allowed viewers to comment on the network's programming through the website and see their conversations appear live on TV.
==Events==
In May 2002, the Jillian's restaurant chain signed on as Noggin's first corporate marketing partner. Fifteen restaurants provided in-store branding based on Noggin series from then until 2004. Jillian's offered "Noggin Play Days" each Wednesday afternoon. Attendees could watch a live feed of Noggin with themed activities and meals. Oobi and Play with Me Sesame were screened.
In March 2004, Noggin hosted an event called Club Noggin in U.S. malls. Attendance at the first few events exceeded expectations, leading Club Noggin to appear at more than 100 different malls. The "clubs" were hosted by trained YMCA leaders, who gave Noggin posters and merchandise to attendees, such as "Oobi eyes." Each meeting featured a different Noggin character and encouraged visitors to make themed art projects. TV actors like "Joe" from Blue's Clues hosted Club Noggin on special occasions.
In August 2005, Noggin produced "Jamarama Live", a music festival that toured the U.S. It began in October and continued until late 2006. Laurie Berkner, a musician on Jack's Big Music Show, performed at many Jamarama venues on the East Coast. The festival included meet-and-greet opportunities with Moose and Zee. The characters hosted karaoke, face-painting, and storytelling sessions during intermissions. Writers for Time Magazine noted that Jamarama's attractions were similar to Lollapalooza, but "with sippy cups instead of beer cups." Jamarama proved more popular than other children's stage shows running at the time, such as those featuring Mickey Mouse. After the tour ended, a DVD set including Jamarama performances was released.
In April 2016, event venues throughout Mexico promoted the release of the Spanish Noggin app with appearances by Nickelodeon mascots.
==MyNoggin==
Viacom put $100 million toward online gaming initiatives, such as a subscription-based educational site called MyNoggin, in July 2007. The MyNoggin website was initially scheduled to launch in early September of that year, but was not made available to the public until October. The site's content was curriculum-based and intended for children in preschool through first grade. The games on MyNoggin covered major school subjects and included Noggin characters. In addition to activities, MyNoggin included printable workbooks that expanded upon math and science concepts. Parents were able to monitor their children's growth and activity on the site through daily progress reports.
The website was free of advertisements and supported by subscriptions, which were available for online purchase and through prepaid game cards sold throughout 2008. Charter, Insight and Cox Communications customers were given unlimited access to MyNoggin as part of their cable subscriptions. The site also offered a week-long free trial.
==Programs==
==Streaming app==
In 2015, the Noggin brand was revived as a streaming service. At its launch, the original "head" logo and the host characters Moose and Zee were brought back. It originally featured episodes of various older shows, including Noggin originals like Oobi and The Upside Down Show. The app was released on March 5, 2015, for iOS systems.
In 2019, the streaming service went through a major overhaul, and the classic Noggin logo was dropped for the first time. It was replaced by a simple lowercase logo. Moose and Zee were phased out as the app's guiding hosts, and all of the older programs were removed by 2020. Since then, the streaming service has started releasing its own exclusive shows, like Noggin Knows and Kinderwood.
The Noggin app ceased operations on July 2, 2024, and after, the Noggin content moved to Paramount+.
==Programming block ==
From May 2021 to March 2022, the Nick Jr. Channel aired an hour-long block of programming from the Noggin app every Friday. The block, called Noggin Hour, featured shows like Noggin Knows and JoJo & Gran Gran. Noggin interstitials played during commercial breaks, and a purple screen bug reading "On Noggin" was shown toward the beginning of each show.
On days when the block ran for more than an hour, the NickJr.com schedule listed the block under an alternate title: "Noggin Presents."
==Videos==
===Channel===
Noggin Interstitial - Brain Food (1999)
Noggin ID Propeller Head - 1999
Noggin- Big Noggins Promo (1999)
Noggin-the hubbub promo every weeknights from 7-9pm 2001
Noggin and the n Promo 2002
Noggin - Sign-on and Sign-off
===App ===
NOGGIN App Spot
NEW NOGGIN PROMO! (August 2022)
==External links==
*Noggin's Website
*Noggin Wiki 
*Noggin at Wikipedia
Category:Noggin
Category:Channels
Category:Nickelodeon
Category:Viacom
Category:Apps
Category:Programming blocks
Category:National Amusements
Category:Defunct programming blocks