St. Paul, Minn. (PRWEB) March 01, 2016
The land that spawned such off-the-wall TV comedy as “Mystery Science Theater 3K” and “Let’s Bowl” is also home to a children’s show with the same unmistakable Minnesota sense of offbeat goofiness. “The Choo Choo Bob Show” — an Emmy-winning live-action kids’ show for preschoolers and any kids who love trains, featuring the titular train-obsessed host, his goofy sidekick and a collection of rail-yard pals — is currently chugging its way to a national audience: on QUBO weekdays at 5 and 5:30 p.m. Eastern, and on ION Sundays at 9 and 9:30 a.m. Eastern. These new ION and QUBO partnerships dramatically increase visibility for “The Choo Choo Bob Show,” which debuted on a single Twin Cities broadcast channel and grew to a handful of local broadcast channels.
“The Choo Choo Bob Show,” aimed primarily at kids aged three to seven (although it’s perfectly great for older kids, and parents too), features a fictional Choo Choo Bob (played by Sam Heyn) and his friends — creatively exploring all things train-related. Full episodes, clips and original songs can be found on its YouTube channel. It is old-school children’s programming at its best, with its relatable and wacky characters having fun, and offering up a dose of education and even original music. Think “Mr. Rogers” meets “PeeWee’s Playhouse,” or Captain Kangaroo after a couple of double espressos.
"Choo Choo Bob” is unusual among contemporary children’s TV programs for eschewing animation and special effects in favor of real people and real locations. And it’s almost certainly the only train-themed TV show that grew out of a local hobby train shop.
“’Choo Choo Bob’ is like the old time kids’ shows of the past, but charged with contemporary energy and goofiness,” says Bob Medcraft, the show’s creator and producer, owner of Choo Choo Bob's Train Store, and the real-life Choo Choo Bob. ”It’s magical and surreal. It’s about friends and friendship and social learning. But it’s also educational and informative. Trains are so much a part of our country’s history — it’s great to introduce this generation to them.”
The show is produced and shot in St. Paul, Minn., but the cast visits real trains across the country, including the historic Pike’s Peak cog railway in Colorado and Los Angeles’s Union Station. Renowned musical guests often drop by to jam: Notables include LA-based fusion group Ozomatli, indie rock singer/songwriter Haley Bonar, and Minnesota native Jeremy Messersmith.
“The Choo Choo Bob Show” is a production of Birdhouse Holdings, LLC, founded by Bob Medcraft, producer of the show and creator of Choo Choo Bob's Train Store, and Bob Vince, the show's executive producer. For more information about where to see the show both on television and live, how to visit the store, and for other news, visit choochoobobs.com, and like the show at facebook.com/TheChooChooBobShow.
