The Zinghoppers are a children's brand that focus on creating content for preschoolers and families. The show includes three animal characters: Penelope The Possum, Olo The Donkey and Coconuts The Kangaroo. They are joined by their friends Conductor Jack (a friendly train conductor played by educator Jack Emmett Norton, and his wife DJ Kitty (played by Norton's real life wife Kitty who usually plays the turntables). The Zinghoppers have released CDs, DVDs and maintain an active tour schedule. It was announced in 2010 that production of their first TV series, "The Zinghoppers Show" would occur that fall with filming in Nashville, Tennessee.
The characters and songs were created by husband and wife team of Kitty and Jack Norton and developed by a team of Early Childhood Educators from the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic.
In 2007, the Zinghoppers performed their first shows at the Mall of America, Minnesota State Fair, South Dakota State Fair, and released their first CD, "Hop, Hop, Hop". Later that year, the band relocated from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Phoenix, Arizona to film a season of "The Zinghoppers Show" for a local Arizona Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Public television station affiliate. This series was very low-budget and is currently out of circulation.
The Zinghoppers moved to Nashville in 2009 and we're instantly popular with families and many local celebrities. Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and members of Kings of Leon have all been spotted in the audience of Zinghoppers shows. The group was named "Nashville's Best Kids Entertainers" in 2009 and 2010 by the readers of Parent Magazine.
The success of their Youtube music video, "Tooty Ta", and their local popularity led to a venture with Nashville Public Television on a kids show slated for a summer 2011 broadcast. It was reported much of the show was filmed backstage during the Justin Bieber North American leg of the wildly successful My World Tour. The band re-shot their viral video hit "Tooty Ta" with popular Radio Disney rock band Allstar Weekend.
The Zinghoppers, and all related trademarks, are under the exclusive ownership of Kitty and Jack Norton under their limited liability corporation, The Zinghoppers Group. TZG is now based out of Franklin, Tennessee.
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Crawford, Jim (7 November 2007). "Zinghoppers invade Valley to kids’ delight". The Desert Advocate Newspaper, Carefree, Arizona. Woodward, Erica (6 May 2009). "Nashville's most Famous Musicians...if you are under 5". The Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee.