Bonzai Junior (TV channel)

*For the programming block that airs on Bonzai Network, see Bonzai Junior (block).*

Bonzai Junior
 Country
 Broadcast area
 Headquarters
 Language(s)
 Owner
 Launched
 Former names
 Website
 Available on most cable systems

**Bonzai Junior** is an American pay television channel owned by The Bonzai Group, a subsidiary of BritCan Entertainment under its networks unit. The network targets children under the age of 7 with a mix of originally-produced and acquired programming, including series inherited from Bonzai Network.

As of January 2023, Bonzai Junior is received by approximately 52.6 million households in the United States.

## History

### As BonBon (2004–2014)

Bonzai Junior has its origins in the "Little B" initiative, proposed in 2001 by BritCan Media executives who were overseeing the relaunch of Bonzai Network. In the vein of Cable in the Classroom, the service would provide "audiovisual edutainment content" for schools through video-on-demand and home video releases, with the possibility of selling a syndication package of series that could fulfil E/I requirements on television stations. Three programs — *Laura!*, *Iris n' Daisy*, and *What's Jasper Thinking?* — were in production for Little B when BritCan scrapped the project, and they later premiered as part of Bonzai's new preschool block, Bonzai Playground.

With the success of Bonzai Playground and competing children's services on the rise, BritCan chose to retool Little B as a companion brand for the block. In December 2003, the company unveiled BonBon as a digital cable and satellite network with the goal of "facilitating preschoolers' safe and educated interactions with the world."[3][4] BonBon eventually launched on October 18, 2004, reaching an estimated 14.5 million subscribers through cable television providers Comcast and Cablevision,[5][6] and running daily from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET. Until the debut of PBS Kids Sprout (now Universal Kids) the following year, the channel was the first in the United States to offer content for preschool children in prime time.

Though much of BonBon's initial lineup consisted of titles previously and concurrently shown on Bonzai Playground, the channel later produced original series such as *Papa Jack*, *The Brothers Francis*, and *Jeremy's Greenhouse*. It also aired various children's programs from countries outside the United States, including the British co-produced *Amaze-a-Mals*, the South Korean series *Pororo the Little Penguin*, and the Irish series *Fluffy Gardens*.

BonBon originated as a commercial-free service, its funding provided through subscription fees and excess advertising revenue made by Bonzai. In lieu of traditional advertising, breaks between programs featured interstitial learning activities and other hosted segments presented by "The BonBons," a cast of characters designed by Miami-based multimedia artist Amaranta Martinez. In December 2009, the channel began broadcasting on a 24-hour schedule.

### As Bonzai Junior (2014–present)

On March 19, 2014, BritCan Entertainment announced that its current preschool operations would be rebranded as **Bonzai Junior** later in the year. As reported by *Kidscreen*, the move was intended to strengthen the Bonzai brand, yet had also grown out of an executive push to consolidate their preschool content groups to compete with fellow networks like the Nick Jr. Channel, Disney Junior, and Sprout.

The Bonzai Junior name was first applied to Bonzai Network's preschool block (then known as *The Nook*) on September 15, 2014, before becoming the new identity of BonBon four days later, on September 19 at 6:00 a.m. ET. Outside the United States, programming blocks and TV channels bearing the Bonzai Playground name were gradually relaunched as Bonzai Junior, starting with the British service in January 2015.

On April 22, 2022, coinciding with the Bonzai Junior block’s twentieth anniversary, both it and the channel updated their logo to match the one used by Bonzai Network since 2021, and introduced an updated branding campaign that brought back the Play Pal mascots.

## Programming

*Main article: List of programs broadcast by Bonzai Junior*
## Related services

 **BritCan Premium** | The streaming service of BritCan Entertainment, BritCan Premium houses much of The Bonzai Group's back catalog of programs.

## International versions

*Main article: List of international Bonzai Network channels*
Prior to 2015, these channels were branded using the **Bonzai Playground** name.

* UK and Ireland – launched on May 18, 2005
* Asia – launched on March 13, 2008
* Latin America – launched on August 1, 2008
* Australia and New Zealand – launched on March 21, 2010
* France – launched on May 1, 2010
* Middle East, Africa and Greece – launched on January 2, 2015

## See also

* **Past revisions of this page**:
	+ Early 2000s version
	+ Early 2010s version
* **Other**:
	+ List of programs broadcast by Bonzai Junior
	+ Bonzai Junior (block)
	+ Bonzai Network

## References

1. ↑ Bridge, Gavin. “Was 2022 the Death Knell for Kids TV? .” *Variety*, Penske Media Corporation, 4 Jan. 2023, https://variety.com/vip/was-2022-the-death-knell-for-kids-tv-1235478975/.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "BritCan Media Preps New Entertainment Brand To Compliment BONZAI". *The Wall Street Journal*. August 26, 2002. Retrieved February 21, 2018.