Playhouse Disney

Playhouse Disney was the Disney Channel's programming block aimed at young children aged two to five. Internationally, Playhouse Disney was also available as a 24-hour television channel, outside of the United States. Starting with the Playhouse Disney block on the Disney Channel in the United States on February 14, 2011, and concluding with Playhouse Disney Russia in September 2013, the Playhouse Disney blocks and channels were re-branded into Disney Jr.
==History==
Playhouse Disney launched on the Disney Channel on May 8, 1997 as the Disney Channel Preschool Block. The first original program created for the block on the air was Bear in the Big Blue House. Other original programs created for this incarnation of the block are PB&J Otter and Out of the Box. By 1999, the block rebranded and introduced its official name. In spring 2001, it re-launched with new graphics. On October 7, 2002, the block used a new logo to fit into Disney Channel's current logo design, though it used the same graphics. This change saw the block's first mascot, who is a stop-motion animated yellow ball of clay named "Clay" (voiced by Debi Derryberry) whose catchphrases were "It's true!" and "Are you with me?" Clay would often shift himself into different things that show his thoughts or give clues into the next show in the block.
Around this time, there were plans to make a full 24-hour Playhouse Disney channel in the United States, but those plans were scrapped. However, international channels were created that carried the Playhouse Disney name.
The former programming announcer was actress Allyce Beasley (until March 30, 2007). In September 16, 2006, Flip was made at that time of Clay. The following day (March 31, 2007), however, Clay and Flip were replaced by two monkey hosts, Ooh and Aah. Every summer since 2007, usually starting sometime in June, Disney Channel began truncating the weekday block to four hours (from 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time) in order to air episodes of Disney Channel's original series during the late morning and early afternoon hours; however, the weekend schedule continued to air as a six-hour block.
==Final programming==
===Original programming===
====Live-action series====
*Imagination Movers (September 6, 2008 – February 13, 2011)
====Animated series====
*Higglytown Heroes (September 13, 2004 – February 13, 2011)
*Little Einsteins (October 9, 2005 – February 13, 2011)
*Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (May 5, 2006 – February 13, 2011)
*Handy Manny (September 16, 2006 – February 13, 2011)
*My Friends Tigger & Pooh (May 12, 2007 – February 13, 2011)
*Special Agent Oso (April 4, 2009 – February 13, 2011)
*Jungle Junction (October 5, 2009 – February 13, 2011)
*PB&J Otter (March 15, 1998 – February 13, 2011)
*Stanley (September 15, 2001 – February 13, 2011)
*JoJo's Circus (September 29, 2003 – February 13, 2011)
===More programming===
====Animated series====
*Charlie and Lola (March 21, 2005 – February 13, 2011)
*Chuggington (January 18, 2010 – February 13, 2011)
*Timmy Time (September 7, 2010 – February 13, 2011)
*Octonauts (October 2010 – February 13, 2011)
*Babar & the Adventures of Badou (2010 – February 13, 2011)
*The Koala Brothers (January 26, 2004 - February 13, 2011)
===Interstitial programming===
*Shanna's Show (2003–2011)
*Choo Choo Soul (2006–2011)
*Lou and Lou: Safety Patrol (2007–2011)
*Happy Monster Band (2007–2011)
*Ooh, Aah & You (2007–2011)
*Shane's Kindergarten Countdown (2007–2011)
*Can You Teach My Alligator Manners? (2008–2011)
*Tasty Time with ZeFronk (2008–2011)
*Whiffle and Fuzz (2008–2009)
*Where is Warehouse Mouse? (2009–2011)
*Dance-A-Lot Robot (2010–2011)
*Handy Manny's School for Tools (2010–2011)
* Rolie Polie Olie (October 4, 1998 - February 13, 2011)
==Former programming==
===Original programming===
====Live-action series====
*Bear in the Big Blue House (October 20, 1997 – September 15, 2006)
*Out of the Box (October 5, 1998 – June 10, 2005)
*The Book of Pooh (January 22, 2001 – September 4, 2005)
*Johnny and the Sprites (October 9, 2005 – February 28, 2009)
*BunnyTown (November 10, 2007 – December 21, 2008)
===Foreign programming===
====Live-action series====
*The Wiggles (January 28, 2002 – May 24, 2009)
*The Doodlebops (April 11, 2005 – April 4, 2009)
====Animated series====
*Katie and Orbie (June 2, 1997 – 2000)
*Rupert (September 4, 2000 - January 2001)
*Anatole (2002 - 2003)
===Acquired programming===
====Live-action series====
*Adventures in Wonderland (April 7, 1997 – June 5, 1998)
*Big Cook Little Cook (June 7, 2004 - September 3, 2010)
*Show Me Show Me (November 9, 2009 - February 13, 2011)
*Sing Me a Story with Belle (October 5, 1998 – December 11, 1999)
*Space Pirates (January 5, 2008 - January 2, 2009)
====Animated series====
*Amazing Animals (April 6, 1997 – 2000)
*TaleSpin (April 6, 1997 – October 2, 1998)
*Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (April 6, 1997 – September 5, 1999)
*The Little Mermaid (April 7, 1997 – September 7, 2002)
*The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (April 7, 1997 – September 1, 2006)
*Madeline (June 2, 1997 – January 2, 2005)
*Jungle Cubs (September 15, 1997 – 2000)
*101 Dalmatians: The Series (October 5, 1998 – 2000)
===Interstitial programming===
*Curious George (April 6, 1997 – 1999)
*Will Quack Duck (April 6, 1997 – 1999)
*Joke Time (April 6, 1997 – September 29, 2002)
*The Adventures of Spot (April 6, 1997 – September 29, 2002)
*Behind the Ears (1997–2000, 2007-2009)
*Circle Time (1997 – September 29, 2002)
*Microscopic Milton (1997 – September 29, 2002)
*Frankenguy and the Professor (November 3, 1997 – September 29, 2002)
*Magic Drawings (1998–April 15, 2001)
*Pet Stop (1998–April 15, 2001)
*Feet Beat (1998 – October 6, 2002)
*Poky and Friends (1999-April 15, 2001)
*Pablo the Little Red Fox (1999 – September 29, 2002)
*Animal Stories (1999 – September 29, 2002)
*Mini Movies (April 16, 2001 – September 29, 2002)
*Stanley's Animal Facts (2001-2006)
*Mike's Super Short Show (January 1, 2002 – 2007)
*Wiggles Time (January 28, 2002 – March 29, 2007)
*Music Time (2002)
*Use Your Noodle Time (September 30, 2002 – 2005)
*Mickey's Letter Time (September 30, 2002 – 2006)
*Sharing Time (September 30, 2002 – 2005)
*BB's Music Time (September 30, 2002 – 2007)
*Page's Word of the Day (September 30, 2002 - 2007)
*Who, What & Where with Bear Time (September 30, 2002 - 2004)
*Good Manners with Max Time (September 30, 2002 – 2007)
*Mini Show-and-Tell Time (2003–2007)
*Project Playtime (2003-2007)
*Adventures in Nutrition with Captain Carlos (2004–2007)
*Felix and the Flying Machine (2004–2007)
*Go Baby! (January 1, 2005 – 2007)
*Here Come the ABCs (January 1, 2005 – 2006)
*This is Daniel Cook. (July 11, 2005 – January 2, 2009)
*Johnny and the Sprites (October 9, 2005 - January 13, 2007)
*Dan Zanes House Party (2006–2009)
*Feeling Good with JoJo (2006–2008)
*Here Come the 123s (2007)
*This is Emily Yeung. (February 20, 2007 – January 4, 2009)
==Announcers==
*Randy Thomas (1997-2007)
*Allyce Beasley (2001-2007)
*Margit Furseth (2007-2011)
==Sponsorships==
*McDonald's (2001-2007)
*Chuck E. Cheese's (2007-2011)
*Best Western (2007-2011)
==Rebranding==
On May 26, 2010, it was announced that the Playhouse Disney block on the Disney Channel US, as part of a new rebranding strategy, would be renamed "Disney Jr." The announcement also called for Disney Junior to launch as a 24-hour channel to replace Disney-owned in the United States (which occurred March 23, 2012, and for international channels & blocks with the Playhouse Disney name to also rebrand into Disney Jr. Playhouse Disney ended its almost 14-year run as a block on the Disney Channel US on February 13, 2011, and Disney Junior started the next day. A majority of Playhouse Disney programs moved over to the new block to carry future episodes of their respective series (the case with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, and Imagination Movers) or air reruns (the case with Little Einsteins & Higglytown Heroes).
==Overseas Format==
International versions of Playhouse Disney (such as the United Kingdom and Australia) used a completely different format when compared to the United States, using in-vision continuity rather than the out-of-vision links. It takes place inside a large house usually named the Playhouse where the presenters do certain activities to encourage viewers to take part in them. There could also be other segments that take place outside the Playhouse using different formats. Some countries kept the "Playhouse" format for longer than others; while the UK and France removed it around autumn 2006, other countries retained the format at least until 2007.
== International ==
On September 28, 1999, the Playhouse Disney brand was extended internationally with the launch of a self-branded block on the Disney Channel in the United Kingdom and Ireland. On September 29, 2000, Disney Television International expanded the block with the launch of a channel in the country alongside the launch of Toon Disney and the Disney Channel +1 on the Sky Digital platform. On April 4, 2009, Egmont Group launched a companion Playhouse Disney magazine in the United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland that focused on the channel's four most popular shows: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, My Friends Tigger & Pooh, Handy Manny and Little Einsteins. Each issue included "to do" pages and suggested activities for parents and children based on an educational theme. The Playhouse Disney block on the Disney Channel UK & Republic of Ireland was eventually disposed of in July 2004 after reducing hours of programming. The Playhouse Disney channel available there, however, continued to air until it was replaced by Disney Jr. on May 7, 2011.
On November 30, 2007, Astral Media launched a Canadian version of Playhouse Disney Channel under a brand licensing agreement with Disney-ABC Television Group; the channel operated as a multiplex channel of Family Channel, which had long maintained a programming distribution agreement with the Disney Channel for the domestic rights to the U.S. channel's series until January 2016. A Canadian-French version of Playhouse Disney was launched on July 5, 2010, also by Astral Media. The English & Canadian-French channels were both replaced by Disney Jr. on May 6, 2011.
=== List of international channels and blocks ===
Market 	Type 	Formerly 	Launch date 	Replaced by 	Replaced date
United Kingdom 	Channel 	Block on the Disney Channel	September 29, 2000 	Disney Jr. 	May 7, 2011
United Kingdom 	+1 timeshift channel 	— 	November 3, 2007 	Disney Jr. +1 	May 7, 2011
United Kingdom 	Block on ABC1 	— 	Summer 2006 	— 	September 26, 2007
United States 	Block on the Disney Channel 	— 	February 1, 1999 	Disney Junior 	February 14, 2011
Spain 	Channel 	— 	March 1, 2001 	Disney Junior 	June 11, 2011
Israel 	Block on the Disney Channel 	— 	2009 	Disney Junior 	July 18, 2011
Greece 	Block on ERT2 	— 	2004 	— 	2009
Greece 	Channel 	Jetix Play 	September 1, 2010 	Disney Jr. 	June 1, 2011
Middle East & North Africa	Channel 	Jetix Play 	September 1, 2010 	Disney Jr. 	June 1, 2011
Middle East & North Africa	Block 	— 	2004 	Disney Jr. 	June 1, 2011
South Africa 	Channel 	— 	2010 	Disney Jr. 	June 1, 2011
Russia 	Block on the Disney Channel 	— 	August 10, 2010 	Disney Jr. 	September 1, 2013
Romania 	Block 	— 	September 19, 2009 	Disney Jr. 	June 1, 2011
Southeast Asia 	Block 	— 	2000 	Disney Jr. 	July 11, 2011
Australia 	Block on Seven Network 	— 	2003 	— 	2008
Australia 	Block on the Disney Channel 	— 	— 	Disney Jr. 	May 29, 2011
Australia 	Channel 	— 	December 2005 	Disney Jr. 	May 29, 2011
France 	Channel 	— 	November 2, 2002 	Disney Jr. 	2011
France 	HD simulcast channel 	— 	2009 	Disney Jr. 	2011
France 	Block 	— 	2002 	Disney Jr. 	May 28, 2011
Taiwan 	Block 	— 	2004 	Disney Jr. 	September 1, 2011
Japan 	Block 	— 	— 	Disney Jr. 	July 3, 2011
Hong Kong 	Channel 	— 	April 2, 2004 	Disney Jr. 	July 11, 2011
Malaysia 	Channel 	— 	July 3, 2004 	Disney Jr. 	July 11, 2011
Singapore 	Channel 	— 	May 15, 2004 	Disney Jr. 	July 11, 2011
Indonesia 	Channel 	— 	April 2, 2004 	Disney Jr. 	July 11, 2011
Germany 	Channel 	— 	November 10, 2004 	Disney Jr. 	July 14, 2011
Thailand 	Channel 	— 	January 2005 	Disney Jr. 	July 11, 2011
Cambodia 	Channel 	— 	June 20, 2005 	Disney Jr. 	July 11, 2011
Vietnam 	Channel 	— 	May 2005 	Disney Jr. 	July 11, 2011
Philippines 	Channel 	Block 	December 2005 	Disney Jr. 	July 11, 2011
South Korea 	Channel 	— 	June 12, 2004 	Disney Jr. 	July 11, 2011
India 	Block on the Disney Channel 	— 	2006 	Disney Jr. block	2011
Argentina 	Block on an El Trece channel	— 	2007 	— 	—
Scandinavia 	Block 	— 	2004 	Disney Jr. 	September 10, 2011
Sweden 	Channel 	— 	2007 	Disney Jr. 	September 10, 2011
Norway 	Channel 	— 	2006 	Disney Jr. 	September 10, 2011
Denmark 	Channel 	— 	2006 	Disney Jr. 	September 10, 2011
Finland 	Channel 	— 	2006 	Disney Jr. 	September 10, 2011
Iceland 	Channel 	— 	2006 	Disney Jr. 	September 10, 2011
Canada
(operated by Astral Media)	Channel 	— 	November 30, 2007 	Disney Jr. 	May 6, 2011
Canada
(operated by Astral Media)	French language channel
(Playhouse Disney Télé)	— 	July 5, 2010 	Disney Jr. 	—
Latin America 	Channel (two feeds) 	— 	June 1, 2008 	Disney Jr. 	April 1, 2011
Latin America 	Channel (Brazil) 	— 	September 5, 2008 	Disney Jr. 	April 1, 2011
Portugal 	Block on Disney Channel 	— 	November 28, 2001 	Disney Jr. 	June 1, 2011
Central & Eastern Europe 	Channel 	Jetix Play 	2010[citation needed]	Disney Jr. 	June 2011
Central & Eastern Europe 	Block 	Jetix Play 	September 19, 2009 	Disney Jr. 	June 2011
Poland 	Channel 	Jetix Play 	September 1, 2010 	Disney Jr. 	2011
Czech Republic
Slovakia 	Block 	Jetix Play 	2010 	Disney Jr. 	June 1, 2011
Italy 	Channel 	— 	2005 	Disney Jr. 	May 14th, 2011
Italy 	+1 timeshift channel 	— 	2009 	Disney Jr. +1 	2011
Turkey 	Channel 	Jetix Play 	September 1, 2010 	Disney Junior 	2011
Netherlands
Belgium 	Channel 	— 	May 3, 2010 	Disney Junior 	September 10, 2011
Netherlands
Belgium 	Block on the Disney Channel 	— 	May 3, 2010 	Disney Junior 	September 10, 2011
==Gallery==
Playhouse disney 1007.png|1998-2001 logo (North America)
200px-Pooh.png|2001-2002 logo (North America)
PDident2.png|1999-2003 logo (International)
Playhouse Disney logo.png|2002-2011 (North America), 2003-2011 (International)
Playhouse Disney (2010).png|2010-2011 logo
es:Playhouse Disney
it:Playhouse Disney
pl:Playhouse Disney
pt-br:Playhouse Disney
Category:Disney Channel
Category:Playhouse Disney
Category:TV channels
Category:Disney Channel Programming Blocks
Category:Former Disney subsidiaries and assets