Village Gamer

Opie has a big surprise in store on an upcoming episode of Hi Opie! called Not Ms. Doney which features special guest star Pay Chen (The Pay Chen Show, Newstalk 1010) as his substitute teacher Ms. Lynne. When Ms. Doney is away, Opie is faced with the challenge of learning to do things a little differently, even though it might seem scary at first. Written by Miklos Perlus (Degrassi: The Next Generation), the episode is scheduled to air on September 26^th on TVO (6:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. ET) and City Saskatchewan (9:00 a.m. CST).

Hi Opie! is a live-action preschool series, developed in partnership with TVO and produced by marblemedia in association with The Jim Henson Company. Designed for preschoolers, the show centres on the social, emotional and intellectual escapades of 5-year-old Opie, a puppet custom-built by the experts at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Opie and his real kid classmates are in their first year of kindergarten – uncertain of what to expect. With each new day, Opie learns more about himself, his friends and his teachers. Each story marks a new chapter in Opie’s personal growth as he participates in, struggles with and inevitably succeeds in kindergarten activities.

Pay Chen currently hosts The Pay Chen Show Sundays at 8:00 p.m. ET on Newstalk 1010. Her live show is a mix of lifestyle topics and comedy, with special celebrity guests and a slightly twisted sense of humour. An experienced TV host, writer and producer, Chen’s hosting credits include Breakfast Television Winnipeg (City), OMNI Television in Toronto, G4 TechTV, The Biography Channel Canada and the popular national preschool program 4 Square on Treehouse. She has also been a regular guest expert on shows such as Cityline (City), BT Toronto (City) and George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight (CBC), in addition to writing for the preschool series’ Wee 3 and My Big, Big Friend. Chen also contributes food and lifestyle content to various publications in print and online.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-diLIoBSdK8]

Coinciding with the premiere of Not Ms. Doney is the launch of HiOpie.com, an interactive website that is hosted by Opie himself. This extensive interactive component to the series will reinforce the core messages of the brand by offering kids meaningful interactive stories, explanatory environments, as well as activities and games that entertain and deliver important educational takeaways. Users will join Opie as he takes them on a tour of what a typical kindergarten classroom would look like, preparing preschoolers for what they might expect when they enter that environment. On they way they will have the chance to watch exclusive videos and play various games that teach them matching, health, music, culture and memorization.

For more information and updates, follow @HiOpie_TV or “like” on Hi Opie! on Facebook and join the conversation with the hashtag #HiOpie.