Pinwheel (partially found Nickelodeon educational puppet series; 1977-1990): Difference between revisions

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{{InfoboxLost
{{InfoboxLost
|title=<center>Pinwheel</center>
|title=<center>Pinwheel</center>
|image=Logosongbook.png
|image=Nickelodeon-Pinwheel-promo-image.jpg
|imagecaption=Title card, as taken from ''The Pinwheel Songbook''.
|imagecaption=Promo image showing the characters Luigi (puppet), Franci, and Coco.
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
}}
}}
'''''Pinwheel''''' was an American television series for preschoolers.<ref>[https://www.cablecenter.org/images/files/pdf/EquipmentArchives/Qube-Direct-Marketing-Dec-1977-p34-38.pdf Scan of "Direct Marketing" interview about QUBE and ''Pinwheel''.] Retrieved 1 Jan '21</ref> It was the first series to air on the Nickelodeon cable network, as well as the first to appear on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block.<ref name="reno">[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/152146571/ Schedule for the Nick Jr. block's launch date (4 Jan 1988) from the ''Reno Gazette-Journal''.] Retrieved 1 Jan '21</ref> With 260 episodes, it remains Nickelodeon's longest-running series in episodes and hours on air to date. It aired from 1977 to 1990.


'''''Pinwheel''''' is an American television series that aired on the Nickelodeon cable network from 1979-1990. It initially was broadcasted on channel C-3, a network available through Warner Cable's QUBE system in Columbus, Ohio.
The show's first season was shown exclusively on QUBE, an experimental cable system in Columbus, Ohio. The show was carried on a channel slot labeled C-3, which was dedicated entirely to ''Pinwheel''. In 1979, Channel C-3 expanded into a national network called Nickelodeon. ''Pinwheel'' remained on the network, and an additional two seasons were made.
 
''Pinwheel'' was the starting point of Nickelodeon, not only being the first series developed for the network but with 13 seasons and 260 episodes, it remains the longest running series in episodes and hours on air from Nickelodeon to date.


==Premise==
The show is set in Pinwheel House, a large boarding house that is powered by a spinning pinwheel. The house's residents are a mix of live-action humans and puppets, who band together to solve problems, sing songs, and play games relevant to preschoolers. In the first season, each episode featured long storytelling segments, narrated and illustrated by Franci Anderson. Anderson did not return for the second and third seasons, so the storytelling segments were replaced with foreign animations acquired from outside companies. Acquiring these animations also decreased the show's workload, allowing for higher production values for the main human/puppet segments.


==History==
==History==
''Pinwheel'' was the flagship series on C-3, a commercial-free children's television network available through Time Warner's QUBE from December 1, 1977-April 1, 1979, while cable television broadcasting was still in its infancy. QUBE was the first two-way major market interactive cable system and had brought many new concepts that are still used today in modern cable, such as pay-per-view and special interest networks. This channel, in particular, was also a "community" channel (Hence the "C" in "C-3"), meaning that it was provided to QUBE subscribers at no additional cost. ''Pinwheel'' would air exclusively from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM EST.
The first season of ''Pinwheel'' aired locally in Columbus, Ohio, as part of an experimental cable system called QUBE. QUBE was the first two-way major market interactive cable system and introduced many concepts that are still used today in modern cable, such as pay-per-view and special interest networks. ''Pinwheel'' was carried on a channel slot labeled C-3. This channel slot, in particular, was a "community" channel (hence the "C" in "C-3"), meaning that it was provided to QUBE subscribers at no additional cost. ''Pinwheel'' would air exclusively from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM EST. Because ''Pinwheel'' was the only show on Channel C-3, some viewers mistakenly assumed that ''Pinwheel'' was the name of the network, when it was just the name of the series.


Both the channel and television series were developed by Dr Vivian Horner, who had previously worked on ''The Electric Company'' as director of research, and Gus Hauser, who was then the CEO of Warner Cable. In the very early stages of ''Pinwheel's'' development, cast and crew members, consisting of Dr Vivian Horner, Sandy Kavanaugh, Andrea Cvirko, Gabi Lopez, Brad Williams and George James, would meet at the Warner Communications offices four times a week to share ideas. These meetings resulted in the ''Pinwheel'' episodes produced in Columbus in 1977.<ref> [http://classic-nickelodeon-fan-blog.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/interview-with-george-james.html Interview with ''Pinwheel'' cast member George James; 23 Jul 2014] Retrieved 26 Jul '15.</ref>
The series was created by Dr. Vivian Horner, an educator who had previously worked at the Children's Television Workshop. She notably served as the director of research on the Workshop's series ''The Electric Company''. In the very early stages of ''Pinwheel's'' development, the cast and crew members (consisting of Dr Vivian Horner, Sandy Kavanaugh, Andrea Cvirko, Gabi Lopez, Brad Williams and George James) would meet at the Warner Communications offices four times a week to share ideas. These meetings resulted in the first season of ''Pinwheel'' episodes, produced in Columbus in 1977.<ref> [http://classic-nickelodeon-fan-blog.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/interview-with-george-james.html Interview with ''Pinwheel'' cast member George James.] Retrieved 26 Jul '15</ref>


Soon enough, the name C-3 was dropped, and the network was renamed The ''Pinwheel'' Network. Initially, this network was also used as a loss leader for Warner Cable against rival companies such as HBO, due to the fact that HBO had no network specifically for children at this point in time.
Initially, ''Pinwheel'' was considered a loss leader for Warner Cable against rival companies such as HBO, due to the fact that HBO had no network specifically for children at this point in time. Warner eventually purchased the communications satellite RCA Satcom-1 from televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. This allowed them to expand Channel C-3 into a national network, which was renamed Nickelodeon. The satellite went into orbit on March 26, 1979, and on April 1, Nickelodeon was officially launched in Buffalo, New York. ''Pinwheel'' remained one of the most popular series on the network, not only spanning 260 episodes but also spawning a live show. ''Pinwheel'' remained in production until about 1984, and it aired reruns until 1990.


Warner then purchased the communications satellite RCA Satcom-1 from televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. This went into orbit on March 26, 1979, and on April 1, Nickelodeon was launched in Buffalo, New York. ''Pinwheel'' remained one of the most popular series on the network, not only spanning 260 episodes but also spawning a live show.
On January 4th, 1988, Nickelodeon launched the Nick Jr. block, a weekday morning block for preschoolers. ''Pinwheel'' was the first series to air during the block,<ref name="reno"/> and for the next three years, ''Pinwheel'' was Nick Jr.'s flagship show. Since 1988, ''Pinwheel'' has been exclusively part of the Nick Jr. brand. When Nickelodeon makes reference to the show, they categorize it as a Nick Jr. series, and the social media pages for Nick Jr. feature images from ''Pinwheel'' on occasion.<ref name="twitter">[https://twitter.com/nickjr/status/1322194491374260229 Post from @NickJr on Twitter, featuring the ''Pinwheel'' cast.] Retrieved 1 Jan '21</ref>


''Pinwheel'' remained in production until about 1984 or 1989<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinwheel_(TV_series) Wikipedia article for ''Pinwheel''] Retrieved 27 Jul '15.</ref> (sources differ) and ran in reruns until 1989 on Nickelodeon and 1990 on Nick Jr.
==Availability==
Despite airing for thirteen years, episodes have been proven difficult to find. ''Pinwheel'' last aired in 1990. In the 30 years, it has been absent from television. Only about 10 hours of footage have been recovered. This includes the segments featured in the show's only home media release, ''The Pinwheel Songbook''. Much of the found footage was initially on a bootleg compilation DVD available through a Freewebs site called "Stuff I Like".<ref>[http://stuffilike.epizy.com/pinwheel.htm The DVD set from "Stuff I Like".] Retrieved 27 Jul '15</ref>


==Episode Status==
Nickelodeon still owns the rights to the ''Pinwheel'' characters. They have been featured on Nick Jr.'s official social media pages as recently as 2020.<ref name="twitter"/> However, the show itself has never been aired or released since 1990. Chances of ''Pinwheel'' ever airing again are incredibly slim.
Despite being the lengthiest series Nickelodeon has to offer, episodes have been proven difficult to find. ''Pinwheel'' last aired in 1990, and in the 27 years it has been absent from television, only about 10 hours of footage has been recovered (Including the segments featured in ''The Pinwheel Songbook''). These were originally on a bootleg compilation DVD available through a Freewebs site called "Stuff I Like".<ref>[http://www.freewebs.com/stuffilike/pinwheel.htm The DVD set from "Stuff I Like".] Retrieved 27 Jul '15.</ref>
 
It is currently unknown if Nickelodeon still owns broadcast rights. Regardless, chances of ''Pinwheel'' ever airing again are slim.


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
===Images===
<gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
<gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
File:PINWHEEL PRODUCER SANDY KAVANAUGH AND PUPPETEER BRAD WIILLIA.jpg|
File:PINWHEEL PUPPETS.jpg|
File:Ebeneezer.jpeg|
File:ANDY FERGUSON ON PINWHEEL SET.jpg|
File:ANDY FERGUSON ON PINWHEEL SET.jpg|
File:BOB BENEDICT.jpg|
File:GEORGE AND ANDY ON PINWHEEL SET.jpg|
File:GEORGE AND ANDY ON PINWHEEL SET.jpg|
File:GEORGE JAMES.jpg|
File:GEORGE JAMES.jpg|
File:MORTON HAMS FOR PINWHEEL KIDS.jpg|
File:MORTON HAMS FOR PINWHEEL KIDS.jpg|
File:PINWHEEL PRODUCER SANDY KAVANAUGH AND PUPPETEER BRAD WIILLIA.jpg|
File:PINWHEEL PRODUCTION MEETING.jpg|
File:PINWHEEL PRODUCTION MEETING.jpg|
File:PINWHEEL PUPPETS.jpg|
File:Ebeneezer.jpeg|
File:Pinwheel Butterfly Puppet.png|
File:Pinwheel Butterfly Puppet.png|
File:Felxitoon.png|
File:Felxitoon.png|
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File:SilasTheSnail Closeup.png|
File:SilasTheSnail Closeup.png|
</gallery>
</gallery>
===Videos===
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  |description3 =The Pinwheel Roadshow
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  |description4 =Most of an unknown episode.
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  |description4 =''The Pinwheel Songbook''.
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  |description3 =50 minutes of QUBE Pinwheel.
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  |description4 =30 minutes of Plus and Minus segments.
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  |id1          =QEH-g4ZJoZg
  |description1 =22 minutes of Plus and Minus segments.
}}
==See Also==
===Pinwheel===
*[[O parádivé Sally aka "Clock Man" (found Czech animated short film; 1976)]]
===Anthology and Short Series===
*[[Astrology with Squidward (found series of "SpongeBob SquarePants" Nickelodeon animated shorts; early 2000s)]]
*[[Attack of the Giant Vulture (found Nickelodeon short film; 1998)]]
*[[Balinese Slapping Fish (found Nickelodeon Australia animated short series; 1998)]]
*[[Bobby the Lizard Boy (found Nickelodeon animated short; 2000)]]
*[[Eddie Retractorhead (partially lost Nickelodeon UK animated short series; 2008)]]
*[[Gordon Bleugh! (found Nickelodeon animated short series; early 2000s)]]
*[[The Hopkins (lost Nickelodeon Australia animated short series; 2005)]]
*[[ICarly at the 2008 Kids Choice Awards (found Nickelodeon promotional short web series; 2008)]]
*[[Leader Dog (partially lost Nickelodeon animated short series; 2004)]]
*[[Making Fiends (partially lost promotional shorts for Nickelodeon animated series based on web series; 2008)]]
*[[Meet The Moores (partially found Nicktoons UK animated short series; 2002-2003)]]
*[[Nick Studio 10 (partially found Nickelodeon channel block; 2013)]]
*[[Nickelodeon Addicting Games Showdown (partially found interstitial TV event of online game website; 2009-2010)]]
*[[Nickelodeon Blimp (found Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards animated short; 2005-2007)]]
*[[Oh Yeah! Cartoons (found Nickelodeon animated anthology series; 1998-2001)]]
*[[Schoolyard Safari (found Nickelodeon short series; 2002-2003)]]
*[[SpongeBob: Re-Hydrated (partially lost "SpongeBob SquarePants" animated short; 2003)]]
*[[Tortellini Western (partially lost Nickelodeon animated short series; 2004)]]
*[[A Very Aggressive Vegetable (partially lost Nickelodeon Australia animated short series; 1998)]]
===Bumpers and Promos===
*[[101% Whizbang! with Henry & June (partially found Nickelodeon channel block; 1999)]]
*[[Blood and Guts (partially found Nickelodeon bumpers; 2000s)]]
*[[HaHa Nick (lost Chinese block of Nickelodeon shows; 2005-2007)]]
*[[Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (partially lost TV promos for Nickelodeon animated film and TV series; 2001–2002)]]
*[[Nickelodeon (partially found idents and bumpers from TV channel; 1979-present)]]
*[[Nickelodeon's Historical Firsts (partially lost animated promos from TV channel; 1997) ]]
*[[SpongeBob's Nicktoon Summer Splash (partially lost bumpers from Nickelodeon channel block; 2000-2001)]]


==Videos==
===Films===
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;"
*[[Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (non-existent Nickelodeon TV film; 1998)]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
*[[Cry Baby Lane (found Nickelodeon TV horror film; 2000)]]
| {{#ev:youtube|WQehYMxtc5U|320x240||Full episode}}
*[[A Day With SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie (unproduced unauthorized direct-to-DVD mockumentary film; 2011)]]
| {{#ev:youtube|PTkdq4UoM4A|320x240||Partial episode}}
*[[The Electric Piper (found Nickelodeon animated TV film; 2003)]]
| {{#ev:youtube|3q2zU6geQAo|320x240||About 2 ½ hours of footage}}
*[[Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie (partially found production material of cancelled original adaptation of Nickelodeon animated series film; 2002)]]
|}
*[[Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus (lost/unreleased deleted Tak scenes of film based on Nickelodeon animated series; 2018-2019)]]
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;"
*[[Prometheus and Bob (lost production material of cancelled film adaptation of "KaBlam!" Nickelodeon stop-motion animated series; late 1990s)]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
*[[Rugrats Go Wild (partially found original 90 minute cut of Nickelodeon animated crossover film; 2003)]]
| {{#ev:youtube|fJpqTqK7LpQ|320x240||Most of an episode}}
| {{#ev:dailymotion|xn0y7w_pinwheel-pt-1_creation|320x240||Full Episode}}
| {{#ev:dailymotion|xn11hi_pinwheel-pt-2_creation|320x240||Full Episode}}
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| {{#ev:dailymotion|xn128f_pinwheel-pt-3_creation|320x240||42 minutes of an episode}}
| {{#ev:dailymotion|xn1onl_pinwheel-pt-4_creation|320x240||48 minutes of an episode}}
| {{#ev:dailymotion|xn1ppw_pinwheel-pt-5_creation|320x240||Full Episode}}
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| {{#ev:dailymotion|xn1q94_pinwheel-pt-6_creation|320x240||43 minutes of an episode}}
| {{#ev:youtube|C0eZjJZzNB4|320x240||A 4 minute short}}
|}


==Notable ''Pinwheel'' clips==
===Game Shows===
This is a brief list of ''Pinwheel'' clips that have separate articles on this wiki.
*[[BrainSurge (partially lost Nickelodeon game show; 2009-2014)]]
*[[Double Dare (partially found Australian adaptation of Nickelodeon game show; 1989-1992)]]
*[[Double Dare (partially lost Nickelodeon game show; 1986-1993)]]
*[[Family Double Dare (partially found spin-off of Australian adaptation of Nickelodeon game show; 1989)]]
*[[Figure It Out (partially found episode of Nickelodeon game show; 1998)]]
*[[Friday Night Slimetime (partially found Nickelodeon game show; 2005-2006)]]
*[[Gamefarm (partially lost Nickelodeon GAS game show; 2003)]]
*[[Legends of the Hidden Temple (lost Pit of Despair incident footage from unaired final round/episode of Nickelodeon game show; 1994)]]
*[[Legends of the Hidden Temple (partially found original consolation plugs from Nickelodeon game show; 1993-1995)]]
*[[Nick Arcade (found Nickelodeon game show; 1992)]]
*[[Nick Arcade (partially found original consolation prize plugs from Nickelodeon game show; 1992)]]
*[[Nickelodeon Splat! (partially found Nickelodeon game show; 2004)]]
*[[Slime Time Live (partially found Nickelodeon game show; 2000-2004)]]
*[[SuperNick (partially found Nickelodeon Netherlands game show; 2007-2011)]]
*[[SuperNick op De Stoep Bij... (partially found Nickelodeon Netherlands sports show; 2007-2008)]]
*[[Webheads (partially found second season of Nickelodeon game show; 2015)]]


Sketches:
===Inaugural Series===
*[[Pinwheel "Clock Man" (lost animated short; existence unconfirmed; 1970s-1980s)]]
*[[By The Way (partially found inaugural Nickelodeon series; 1979-1980)]]
*[[Pinwheel "Video Comic Books" (partially lost segment; 1979-1981)]]
*[[Hocus Focus (partially found inaugural Nickelodeon series; 1979-1981)]]
*[[Nickel Flicks (lost inaugural Nickelodeon series; 1979)]]
*[[Pocket Money (non-existent inaugural Nickelodeon series; 1979)]]
*[[Video Comics (partially found inaugural Nickelodeon series; 1979-1981)]]
 
===Live Action===
*[[The Adventures of Pete & Pete (partially found original versions of episodes of Nickelodeon live-action comedy series; 1991-1993)]]
*[[All That (partially lost Nickelodeon sketch comedy series; 1994-2005)]]
*[[Bing! The Sound of Something New (partially found Nickelodeon magazine TV series; 1995)]]
*[[Cousin Skeeter (partially lost Nickelodeon live-action/puppet series; 1998-2001)]]
*[[Drake & Josh (partially found widescreen version of episodes of Nickelodeon sitcom; 2004-2007)]]
*[[Innie & Outie (found live-action Nickelodeon short film; 1996)]]
*[[Just For Kicks (found Nickelodeon live-action comedy-drama series; 2006)]]
*[[Kids' Court (partially found Nickelodeon non-traditional court series and other media; 1988-1994)]]
*[[Mcjuniorclub TV (partially found Nickelodeon Netherlands/McDonald's live-action short series; 2008)]]
*[[Nick News with Linda Ellerbee (partially found Nickelodeon educational news series; 1992-2015)]]
*[[Noah Knows Best (partially found English audio of Nickelodeon sitcom; 2000-2001)]]
*[[Reggie Jackson's World of Sports (partially found Nickelodeon sports series; 1981-1982)]]
*[[U to U (partially found Nickelodeon interactive series; 1994-1996)]]
*[[Vic's Vacant Lot (partially found ESPN/Nickelodeon sports series; 1982-1985)]]
 
===Pilots===
*[[Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (partially found unaired pilot of Nickelodeon animated series; early 1990s)]]
*[[The Adventures of Johnny Quasar (found prototype "Jimmy Neutron" animated shorts; 1995-1997)]]
*[[The Angry Beavers "Cuffed Together" (non-existent pilot episode of Nickelodeon animated series; early-mid 1990s)]]
*[[Back at the Barnyard (partially found original test pitch of Nickelodeon CGI animated series; 2000)]]
*[[Bad Seeds (found pilot of "Harvey Beaks" Nickelodeon animated series; 2013)]]
*[[Big Beast Quintet (lost Nickelodeon animated pilot; 1990)]]
*[[Camp Nick (partially found Nickelodeon game show pilot; mid-1990s)]]
*[[Catscratch (found animated pitch of Nickelodeon animated series; 2004)]]
*[[The Crowville Chronicles (partially found Nickelodeon animated pilot; 1990)]]
*[[Drake & Josh (partially found unaired pilot of Nickelodeon sitcom; 2002)]]
*[[Figure it Out (partially found unaired pilot of Nickelodeon game show; 1990s)]]
*[[Fresh Beat Band of Spies (found unaired pilot of Nickelodeon animated spin-off of "The Fresh Beat Band" musical series; 2013)]]
*[[Generation Gap (partially found Nickelodeon game show pilot; early 1990s)]]
*[[Gibby! (partially found unaired pilot of cancelled spin-off of "iCarly" Nickelodeon teen sitcom; 2012)]]
*[[Go For It (lost Nickelodeon game show pilot; early 1990s)]]
*[[Hey Arnold! (found unaired pilot of Nickelodeon animated series; 1994)]]
*[[Humongous (lost pilot of Nickelodeon game show; early 1990s)]]
*[[I Don't Think So (partially found Nickelodeon game show pilot; 1994)]]
*[[Invader Zim (lost 3D animation test sequence from pilot of Nickelodeon animated series; 1999)]]
*[[KaBlam! "The Henry and June Show" (found spinoff pilot of Nickelodeon animated series; 2000)]]
*[[Kappa Mikey (found original MTV pitch and Nicktoons pilots of animated series; 2004)]]
*[[Morph Sports (partially found Nickelodeon game show pilot; 1995-1996)]]
*[[Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide (partially found pilots of Nickelodeon sitcom; 2003)]]
*[[Ned's Declassified High School Survival Guide (lost pilot of rejected spin-off series of Nickelodeon sitcom; 2008)]]
*[[Pudding Toast (lost Nickelodeon animated pitch pilots; 2012)]]
*[[Rocket Beach (found unaired pilot of "Rocket Power" Nickelodeon animated series; 1998)]]
*[[Roundhouse (partially found unaired pilot of Nickelodeon comedy series; 1991)]]
*[[Slime Survivor (partially found Nickelodeon game show pilot; 2000)]]
*[[The Thundermans (partially lost unaired pilot of Nickelodeon live-action comedy series; 2012)]]
*[[Tooned In! (partially found Nickelodeon game show pilot; 1998)]]
*[[Trash (lost Nickelodeon stop-motion animated pilot; 1990)]]
*[[The Weasel Patrol (lost Nickelodeon animated pilot; 1990)]]
*[[Who Knew? (partially found Nickelodeon game show pilot; 1998)]]
*[[The Wild Thornberrys (found pilot of Nickelodeon animated series; 1998)]]
 
===Other===
*[[Action League Now!: The Series "Monster Mashed" (found episode of "Kablam!" spinoff animated series; 2002)]]
*[[Action League Now!: The Series "Thunder Girl: Tracking The Storm" (found episode of "Kablam!" spinoff series; 2001-2002)]]
*[[The Angry Beavers "A Tail of Two Rangers/Bye Bye Beavers" (partially found finale episode of Nickelodeon animated series; 2001)]]
*[[The Butcher (lost Nickelodeon puppet short film; existence unconfirmed; 2001)]]
*[[Crash Nebula (lost production material of cancelled spinoff of" The Fairly OddParents" Nickelodeon animated series; 2004-2006)]]
*[[Danny Phantom (partially found original opening title sequence of Nickelodeon animated series; 2003)]]
*[[Got Chocolate Milk? (found "SpongeBob SquarePants" animated tie-in commercial; 2001)]]
*[[Gruff's Groove Box (lost Nickelodeon music series; 2001)]]
*[[ICarly "How To" (found bonus content DVD from Nickelodeon sitcom "Web Show Set"; 2011)]]
*[[Invader Zim (partially found production material of cancelled episodes of Nickelodeon animated series; 2001-2002)]]
*[[KaBlam! "Episode 29" (non-existent episode of Nickelodeon animated series; 1998)]]
*[[KaBlam! "Just Chillin" (found final episode of Nickelodeon animated series; 2000)]]
*[[KaBlam! "KaFun!" (found episode of Nickelodeon animated series; 1999)]]
*[[KaBlam! "An Off-Beats Valentine's" (found spinoff special of Nickelodeon animated series; 1998)]]
*[[The Loud House (partially lost deleted scenes of Nickelodeon animated series; 2016-present)]]
*[[Nickelodeon Japan (partially found various final sign-off footage of Japanese TV channel; 2009)]]
*[[Nickelodeon Launch Box (partially found educational series; 1991-1994)]]
*[[Nickelodeon Magazine's Big 10 Birthday Bash (found Nickelodeon TV special; 2003)]]
*[[Nickelodeon Studios Opening Day Celebration (found live broadcast of Nickelodeon event; 1990)]]
*[[The Ren & Stimpy Show (non-existent unused Kurt Cobain song for Nickelodeon animated series; 1990)]]
*[[The Ren & Stimpy Show "Man's Best Friend" (found banned episode of Nickelodeon animated series; 1992)]]
*[[Robot and Monster (partially found unaired/unfinished episodes of Nickelodeon animated series; 2012-2013)]]
*[[Rugrats: A Live Adventure (partially found footage of musical adaptation of Nickelodeon animated series; 1998-2000)]]
*[[Rugrats "Incredible" (partially lost storyboard jam comic of Nickelodeon animated series; 1998)]]
*[[SpongeBob SquarePants (partially lost deleted scenes of Nickelodeon animated series; 1999-present)]]
*[[SpongeBob SquarePants "Sailor Mouth" (lost uncensored version of Nickelodeon animated series episode; 2001)]]
*[[SpongeBob SquarePants "Shanghaied/You Wish" (lost English audio from alternate "Patchy the Pirate" segments of Nickelodeon animated series episode; 2001)]]
*[[SpongeBob SquarePants "SpaceBob InvaderPants/Krabs' Army" (lost production material of cancelled Nickelodeon animated series episodes; 2015)]]
*[[War Blowers (found full version of "SpongeBob SquarePants" production music; 1999)]]
*[[Weinerville (partially lost Nickelodeon variety puppet series; 1993-1997)]]
 
==External Link==
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinwheel_(TV_series) Wikipedia article for ''Pinwheel''.]
 
==References==
{{reflist}}


== References ==
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[[Category:Lost animation]]
[[Category:Lost animation]]
[[Category:Lost puppetry]]
[[Category:Lost TV]]
[[Category:Lost TV]]
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[[Category:Partially found media]]
[[Category:Partially found media]]
[[Category:Historic]]
[[Category:Historic]]

Revision as of 01:24, 24 January 2023

Nickelodeon-Pinwheel-promo-image.jpg

Promo image showing the characters Luigi (puppet), Franci, and Coco.

Status: Partially Found

Pinwheel was an American television series for preschoolers.[1] It was the first series to air on the Nickelodeon cable network, as well as the first to appear on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block.[2] With 260 episodes, it remains Nickelodeon's longest-running series in episodes and hours on air to date. It aired from 1977 to 1990.

The show's first season was shown exclusively on QUBE, an experimental cable system in Columbus, Ohio. The show was carried on a channel slot labeled C-3, which was dedicated entirely to Pinwheel. In 1979, Channel C-3 expanded into a national network called Nickelodeon. Pinwheel remained on the network, and an additional two seasons were made.

Premise

The show is set in Pinwheel House, a large boarding house that is powered by a spinning pinwheel. The house's residents are a mix of live-action humans and puppets, who band together to solve problems, sing songs, and play games relevant to preschoolers. In the first season, each episode featured long storytelling segments, narrated and illustrated by Franci Anderson. Anderson did not return for the second and third seasons, so the storytelling segments were replaced with foreign animations acquired from outside companies. Acquiring these animations also decreased the show's workload, allowing for higher production values for the main human/puppet segments.

History

The first season of Pinwheel aired locally in Columbus, Ohio, as part of an experimental cable system called QUBE. QUBE was the first two-way major market interactive cable system and introduced many concepts that are still used today in modern cable, such as pay-per-view and special interest networks. Pinwheel was carried on a channel slot labeled C-3. This channel slot, in particular, was a "community" channel (hence the "C" in "C-3"), meaning that it was provided to QUBE subscribers at no additional cost. Pinwheel would air exclusively from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM EST. Because Pinwheel was the only show on Channel C-3, some viewers mistakenly assumed that Pinwheel was the name of the network, when it was just the name of the series.

The series was created by Dr. Vivian Horner, an educator who had previously worked at the Children's Television Workshop. She notably served as the director of research on the Workshop's series The Electric Company. In the very early stages of Pinwheel's development, the cast and crew members (consisting of Dr Vivian Horner, Sandy Kavanaugh, Andrea Cvirko, Gabi Lopez, Brad Williams and George James) would meet at the Warner Communications offices four times a week to share ideas. These meetings resulted in the first season of Pinwheel episodes, produced in Columbus in 1977.[3]

Initially, Pinwheel was considered a loss leader for Warner Cable against rival companies such as HBO, due to the fact that HBO had no network specifically for children at this point in time. Warner eventually purchased the communications satellite RCA Satcom-1 from televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. This allowed them to expand Channel C-3 into a national network, which was renamed Nickelodeon. The satellite went into orbit on March 26, 1979, and on April 1, Nickelodeon was officially launched in Buffalo, New York. Pinwheel remained one of the most popular series on the network, not only spanning 260 episodes but also spawning a live show. Pinwheel remained in production until about 1984, and it aired reruns until 1990.

On January 4th, 1988, Nickelodeon launched the Nick Jr. block, a weekday morning block for preschoolers. Pinwheel was the first series to air during the block,[2] and for the next three years, Pinwheel was Nick Jr.'s flagship show. Since 1988, Pinwheel has been exclusively part of the Nick Jr. brand. When Nickelodeon makes reference to the show, they categorize it as a Nick Jr. series, and the social media pages for Nick Jr. feature images from Pinwheel on occasion.[4]

Availability

Despite airing for thirteen years, episodes have been proven difficult to find. Pinwheel last aired in 1990. In the 30 years, it has been absent from television. Only about 10 hours of footage have been recovered. This includes the segments featured in the show's only home media release, The Pinwheel Songbook. Much of the found footage was initially on a bootleg compilation DVD available through a Freewebs site called "Stuff I Like".[5]

Nickelodeon still owns the rights to the Pinwheel characters. They have been featured on Nick Jr.'s official social media pages as recently as 2020.[4] However, the show itself has never been aired or released since 1990. Chances of Pinwheel ever airing again are incredibly slim.

Gallery

Images

Videos

Full episode.

51 minutes of footage.

The Pinwheel Roadshow

Most of an unknown episode.

Full episode.

Full episode.

42 minutes of an episode.

48 minutes of an episode.

Full episode.

43 minutes of an episode.

A 4 minute short.

The Pinwheel Songbook.

22 minutes of Pinwheel from a Betamax tape.

47 more minutes of Pinwheel footage.

17 minutes of unidentified Pinwheel footage.

A full episode.

Nearly 9 minutes of an episode.

Over an hour of QUBE Pinwheel.

50 minutes of QUBE Pinwheel.

30 minutes of Plus and Minus segments.

22 minutes of Plus and Minus segments.

See Also

Pinwheel

Anthology and Short Series

Bumpers and Promos

Films

Game Shows

Inaugural Series

Live Action

Pilots

Other

External Link

References