Animated series are incredibly popular forms of children's media. From "PAW Patrol" to "Shimmer and Shine", animated shows are an important part of the kid’s media field. On November 8, at 1 pm ET, Nickelodeon is introducing a new animated series called "Rusty Rivets" to the channel’s lineup. The show chronicles the adventures of a modern-day ten-year-old boy who finds solutions to problems via quick thinking and his imagination.
Premise
The series was directly inspired by DIY culture--specifically, the Maker Movement--and focuses on inventing and creating.The debut episode contains two eleven-minute storylines titled "Rex Rescue" and "Rusty's Park N' Fly".
These two episodes chronicle Rusty rescuing his friend, Liam, from a pile of junk by designing a dinosaur robot and Rusty's attempts to help a remote-control plane land.The creative show was created by Spin Master Entertainment, who also created the hit show “PAW Patrol”. It took a couple of years to bring “Rusty Rivets” to its launch stage which is slightly longer than the standard eighteen-month set-up. The extra time was primarily because the show contains new and unexplored areas of curriculum for both Spin Master and Nickelodeon. “The concept felt fresh and modern, and it embraced a curriculum that no one in the preschool space had ever done before,” said Cathy Galeota, SVP, Preschool Current Series, Nickelodeon.
“Even from the early days of development, we felt the show’s themes of inventing and creating would have broad appeal with both preschoolers and their parents. Preschool shows that are smart and fun are the hallmark of what we do, and it was important to us to get it right.”
Anticipation
There are currently twenty-six episodes of the series that will air in season one and Cathy confesses to harboring a special fondness for the debut episode.
“The story centers on Rusty and Ruby who build a huge robotic dinosaur named Botasaur,” she explained. “When we researched the reoccurring Botasaur character, we found that he was also a favorite with moms and kids. I think kids find him likeable because he behaves like a goofy affectionate pet and he also provides comedic elements for the series.” Aside from being entertaining, the show also hopes to fuel kid’s creativity and interest in construction processes.
By enabling small children to build confidence about their ability to problem solve and invent, and seed an interest in technology. “The message behind the series is ‘If you can dream it, you can build it” and my hope is for this aspirational theme to resonate and inspire preschoolers,” Cathy stated and noting that the series hopes to extend into future seasons.
