| Ni Hao, Kai-Lan | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Animated series |
| Format | Children's television series |
| Created by | Karen Chau |
| Developed by | Mary Harrington Karen Chau Judy Rothman Sascha Paladino |
| Written by | Sascha Paladino (Head Writer) Bradley Zweig (Staff Writer) |
| Starring | Jade-Lianna Peters Clem Cheung Ben Wang Jack Samson Khamani Griffin Angie Wu Beverly Duan Terence Hardy Hsiang Lo |
| Theme music composer | Matt Mahaffey |
| Opening theme | Theme Song composed by Matt Mahaffey |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English Chinese (Teaches Chinese) |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 43 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 24 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Nick Jr. |
| Original run | February 7, 2008 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan (simplified Chinese: 你好, 凯兰; traditional Chinese: 你好，凱蘭; Hello, Kai-Lan) is a Canadian/American children's television show, which premiered on Nickelodeon on February 7, 2008, and on Noggin (now Nick Jr.) on February 2, 2009. It also premiered on the Canadian Television Channel Treehouse TV Since November 2009 the show has also premiered on Nickelodeon in Israel. This show is a former programming of Nick Jr. 2 on 2009.
Ni Hao, Kai-lan is based on the childhood memories of the show's creator, Karen Chau, growing up in a bicultural (Chinese-American) household. “Ni hao” means “Hi” in mandarin, and Kai-Lan is the Chinese name Ms. Chau was given at birth, later Anglicized to Karen.
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The setting of the show appears in China throughout most episodes. It is revealed in Season 1 finale that they all live in California implied to be Chinatown. However it appears most characters aren't Chinese. The explanation is unknown. Ni Hao, Kai-lan introduces its viewers to the Mandarin Chinese language, along with elements of Chinese culture and values, multiculturalism (through the diverse backgrounds of Kai-lan's friends), and intergenerational families (e.g., Kai-lan and her relationship with Ye Ye).
Episodes generally feature breaking the fourth wall, 11 minutes of interactivity,[1] A target word that is repeated multiple times,[2] A few words of Mandarin Chinese vocabulary, One or more of Kai-lan's friends having a negative emotional response to some action or activity (problem), Kai-lan thinking out loud (observation), Cause-and-effect problem solving, and before saying good-bye (at the end of each episode), Kai-lan says, "You make my heart feel super happy!"
Kai-Lan is the main character of a 6 year old playful, adventurous preschooler with a big heart. She speaks both English and Mandarin Chinese, and she is eager to share her language, her culture, her playtime with her animal friends and the viewers at home. Kai-Lan is a natural leader but she is also thoughtful and caring with a gift for helping her friends when they really need her. Her favorite animal is a dinosaur and in her music group, she plays her tambourine. In the (aptly titled) episode Kai-Lan's Big Surprise, she tries to put together a big surprise party for Ye-Ye, but all the decorations, the pineapple cake, and even her card fall victim to gusty winds.
Voiced by Jade-Lianna Peters (English)
Ye Ye (Mandarin word for "paternal grandfather") is Kai-Lan's grandfather and legal guardian. He was born in Hong Kong and lovingly passes on his exciting traditions to his granddaughter. He provides Kai-Lan with gentle guidance, leading her to find her own answers, at her own pace. (Kai-Lan's parents and other grandparents are not known.) He can play the tuba. He also enjoys picking apples and making dumplings for Kai-Lan and all her animal friends. He's known to pop out of places unexpectedly, but the gang just gets used to it after awhile.
Voiced by Clem Cheung (English)
Rintoo is a rambunctious 5 year old tiger that often acts before he thinks. He likes to play rough but when it comes to his friends, he's willing to compromise. He loves dragons and racing race cars.
Voiced by Jack Samson (English)
Tolee is a 5-year-old koala that loves pandas and fruit (especially apples, bananas, and pineapples). He is intelligent and always thinks before he acts and sometimes worries too much, but he never lets that stop him from having a great time with his friends. Kai-Lan and her friends can always rely on him for good ideas. Tolee also has a stuffed Panda he affectionately named Pandy, and Tolee loves Pandy so much he can't imagine being without him. The unimaginable, however, happens in Pandy's Puddle when he accidentally drops Pandy into a mud-filled puddle, the reason being he was trying to pull up a very large Chinese Turnip. He is the vocalist in Kai-Lan's music group. His love for pandas culminated in the two part episode "Kai-Lan's Great Trip to China" when the group traveled to China to meet a whole family of Pandas' including baby Xiao Xi Gua (Little Watermelon).
Voiced by Khamani Griffin (English)
At age 3, Hoho the white monkey is the youngest of Kai-Lan's friends, so when he participates in activities, he often goes first. He's full of boundless energy and nothing makes him happier than being the center of attention. Whenever he jumps a spring sound can be heard. He can often be found jumping on his friends' heads or playing his turntables as the resident DJ in Kai-Lan's music group. The turntables are normally stored in a tree when not in use. Aside from his turntables and his friends, Hoho's favorite thing happens to be bananas.
Voiced by Angie Wu (English)
Lulu is a pink rhino. She is the same age as Kai-Lan, 6 years old. She has been best friends with Kai-Lan the longest. They have celebrated every birthday party together. Lulu speaks fluently in both English and Mandarin Chinese. She has a red balloon around her nose that helps her fly in the sky. In fact, Lulu lives in a castle on a cloud. Whenever a friend is sad or needs help, Lulu is always there. She is a great friend because she helps her friends solve problems. Often, she has playdates with all her friends. Lulu loves to dance and play the piano. In fact, she plays the piano in Kai-Lan's music group. Some of her favorite games include: playing house, having tea parties, and dressing up like a fairy.
Voiced by Beverly Duan (English)
At the start of almost every episode, Kai-Lan wakes up Mr. Sun so she can start her day. With the help of the viewer, Mr. Sun rises and showers down smiling sun fuzzies to Kai-Lan and she gets tickled by them. He also knows how to play the French Horn, so Kai-Lan and the lady bugs (playing the pi-pa) join him as a little music group at the beginning of Tolee's Rhyme Time and later joins Kai-Lan and her friends in the music show.
In one corner of Kai-Lan's backyard is a teeming mini-metropolis of ants called Ant City. The ants serve very important roles in the community: they deliver mail, they build things, and they love to play with Kai-Lan and her friends. San San is their leader along with his two right-hand ants, Bubu and Fufu.
San San is voiced by Zachary Gordon, Bubu is voiced by Luke Manriquez and Fufu is voiced by Kyla Rae Kowalewski.
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