Ni Hao, Kai-Lan
GenrePreschool
Fantasy
Comedy
Created byKaren Chau
Developed byMary Harrington
Karen Chau
Judy Rothman
Sascha Paladino
Written bySascha Paladino (Head Writer)
Bradley Zweig (Staff Writer)
Directed byDavid Marshall
Voices ofJade-Lianna Peters
Clem Cheung
Ben Wang
Jack Samson
Khamani Griffin
Angie Wu
Beverly Duan
Terence Hardy
Hsiang Lo
Theme music composerMatt Mahaffey
Opening themeTheme song composed by Matt Mahaffey, lyrics by Sascha Paladino
ComposerDoug Califano
Country of originUnited States
Original languagesEnglish
Mandarin
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes42 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerMary Harrington
ProducersSascha Paladino
Supervising Producers:
David Marshall
Jeff DeGrandis
Running time24 minutes
Production companiesHarringtoons Productions
Nickelodeon Animation Studio[lower-alpha 1]
Original release
NetworkNickelodeon
Nick Jr. Channel
ReleaseFebruary 7, 2008 (2008-02-07) –
August 21, 2011 (2011-08-21)

Ni Hao, Kai-Lan is an American animated children's television series produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio. It began as a series of three interstitial shorts on Nick Jr. called Downward Doghouse.[2] The first full episode was initially set to premiere in fall 2007[3][4] on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block in the United States, but it was pushed back to February 7, 2008, coinciding with Chinese New Year.[3]

Ni Hao, Kai-Lan is based on the childhood memories of the show's creator, Karen Chau, who grew up in a bicultural (Chinese-American) household.[5] "Ni hao" (你好 nǐ hǎo) means "Hello" in Mandarin, and Kai-Lan (凯兰 Kǎilán) is the Chinese name Chau was given at birth, which was later anglicized to Karen.

The first two seasons had 20 episodes each. The third season consisted of a two-part series finale. Sascha Paladino was the head writer and developer for the show.

The entire series was released on Paramount+ (at the time CBS All Access) on January 19, 2021.

Premise

The series follows the adventures of Kai-Lan and her group of talking anthropomorphic animal companions. The group consists of Kai-Lan, a 6-year-old Chinese-American girl; Rintoo, a yellow 6-year-old Bengal tiger; Tolee, a gray 5-year-old koala; Lulu, a light pink 5-year-old rhinoceros; and Hoho, a white 3-year-old monkey. Each episode is based around a series of events that occur during Kai-Lan's day, along with obstacles that she and her friends are forced to overcome (with "assistance" from the viewing audience) relating to riddles, playing games, and working together. Common rituals may involve Kai-Lan resolving conflicts with her friends when they feel negative emotions. To help them, Kai-Lan has the audience help her figure out why they are having difficult situations. Usually, once Kai-Lan's friends discover that their actions are wrong, they apologize and promise to work together better. The audience is usually presented with two musical sing-alongs where Kai-Lan sings about what must be done to overcome her and her friends' challenges. The episode always ends with Kai-Lan successfully helping her friends and everyone getting along. At the end of all episodes, Kai-Lan thanks the viewer for helping her and adds, "You make my heart feel super happy!", saying it again in Chinese in Season 2 onward before saying goodbye. In the Season 1 finale, it is stated that they all live in California.

Other aspects generally featured in episodes are breaking the fourth wall, 11 minutes of interactivity,[6] a target word that is repeated multiple times,[7] a few words of Mandarin Chinese vocabulary, and before saying goodbye (at the end of each episode), Kai-Lan says, "You make my heart feel super happy." Later installments added Kai-lan saying this phrase in Mandarin after she said it in English: "Ni rang wo hao kai xin." Ni Hao, Kai-Lan introduces its viewers to the Mandarin Chinese language, along with elements of Chinese culture and values, and intergenerational families (e.g., Kai-Lan and her relationship with Ye-Ye).

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
120February 7, 2008 (2008-02-07)August 14, 2009 (2009-08-14)
220February 2, 2009 (2009-02-02)October 8, 2010 (2010-10-08)
32August 21, 2011 (2011-08-21)August 21, 2011 (2011-08-21)

Characters

Main

  • Kai-Lan (voiced by Jade Lianna Peters) is a playful and adventurous 6-year-old Chinese-American girl and the host of the show with a big heart. During the show, she and her friends have to solve problems that come up during their daily life. Kai-Lan speaks both English and Mandarin Chinese. She can also translate the languages. She loves dinosaurs and hearts and she plays tambourine in her music group.
  • Ye-Ye (voiced by Clem Cheung (English dialogue) and Ben Wang (Chinese dialogue)) is Kai-Lan's playful, thoughtful, and caring maternal grandfather legal guardian. He was born in Hong Kong and passes on his 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 unknown.) He can play the tuba with surprises coming out of it like bubbles and confetti. 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 friends are always happy about it.
  • Rintoo (voiced by Jack Samson) is a rambunctious and energetic yellow 6-year-old Bengal tiger with a frontal lisp accent. Sometimes, Rintoo acts before he thinks and problems in the show happen to him more. Even if he's with Hoho most of the time like for favorites and problems, his actual best friend is Tolee besides Kai-Lan. He loves dragons and race cars and in Kai-Lan's music group, he plays xylophone.
  • Tolee (voiced by Khamani Griffin) is a 5-year-old gray koala who 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 that he cannot imagine being without him. He is the vocalist in Kai-Lan's music group and if he plays a musical instrument, he'll play guitar.
  • Hoho (voiced by Angie Wu) is an energetic 3-year-old white monkey and is the smallest and youngest of Kai-Lan's friends which makes him go first in activities. He is very hyperactive and bounces a lot, and whenever he does it, a spring sound can be heard, so he can often be found jumping on his friends' heads. He's full of boundless energy and nothing makes him happier than being the center of attention and sometimes because he's so young, he isn't a good listener that much. Hoho likes bananas, monkeys and stars and he plays them as the resident DJ in Kai-Lan's music group. He can't always control his emotions and can sometimes have a fiery temper when he doesn't get his way, so he sometimes needs help with them. He is very cute, adorable, bouncy, and loves playing.
  • Lulu (voiced by Beverly Duan) is a sweet and intelligent 5-year-old light pink rhinoceros. She has a red balloon tied around her horn that helps her fly. Lulu is always seen as being there to help her friends. Her musical instrument is piano or a keyboard. Her favorite fruit is lychee. She likes balloons, tea parties, dancing, playing house and dressing up like a fairy and more. She is very nice, energetic, and sweet.
  • At the start of almost every episode, Kai-Lan wakes up Mr. Sun with a tickle so she can start her day. After that, he sometimes bursts out sun fuzzies which are miniature versions of him and they tickle Kai-Lan. At night, he's called Mr. Moon and has moon fuzzies. He plays a French horn like at the beginning of "Tolee's Rhyme Time" as Kai-Lan plays her tambourine and some ladybugs play a pipa.
  • In one corner of Kai-Lan's backyard is a teeming mini-metropolis of ants called Ant City who deliver mail and build things. San San is their leader along with his two right-hand ants, Bubu and Fufu. San San is voiced by Zachary Gordon, Bubu by Luke Manriquez, and Fufu by Kyla Rae Kowalewski.

Other, grown-up, and minor characters

  • Howard (voiced by Khamani Griffin) is an owl who first appears in "Ni Hao, Mr. Dragon". He delivers letters and only speaks in hoots.
  • Mr. Fluffy (voiced by Elan Garfias) is a hamster and baker who first appears in "Everybody's Hat Parade".
  • Mei Mei (Chinese for "younger sister", voiced by Laura Marano) is a shy blue polar bear and is often Mr. Fluffy's assistant and partner.
  • Stompy (voiced by Hsiang Lo) is a big, playful blue elephant who made his first appearance in "Safari Pals".
  • Gu Nai Nai (voiced by Ming-Na Wen) is Kai-Lan's grandaunt and Ye-Ye's sister. She appears in "Kai-Lan's Trip to China".
  • Xiao Xi Gua (meaning "little watermelon") is a baby panda bear. He appears in "Kai-Lan's Trip to China".
  • The Peeking Mice are little black mice who are often seen playing music. They are voiced by assorted members of the cast.
  • Mr. Hoppy is a frog who starts out as light green with white eye with black pupils within and speaks in ribbits. Then later on, he's dark green with black eyes and talks.
  • The Snails (voiced by assorted members of the cast especially Olivia Fine, Kwesi Boakye, Zachary Gordon and Brittany Chen) are found in one corner of Kai-Lan's backyard just like the ants.
  • The Worms (voiced by assorted members of the cast especially Olivia Fine, Kwesi Boakye, Zachary Gordon and Brittany Chen) are found in one corner of Kai-Lan's backyard just like the ants.
  • The Monkey King (voiced by Jack Cygan) is a monkey superhero who lives in the sky.
  • The Fox King (voiced by James Siang'a) is a fox in The Fox Kingdom.
  • Xin Xin (voiced by Terrell Ransom Jr.) is a baby fox in The Fox Kingdom.
  • The Foxes are red foxes that live in The Fox Kingdom.
  • The Bear Queen (voiced by Lucy Liu) is a bear in The Bear Kingdom.
  • Tian Tian (voiced by Olivia Fine) is a baby bear in The Bear Kingdom.
  • The Bears are brown bears that live in The Bear Kingdom.

DVD releases

Ni Hao, Kai-Lan home video releases
SeasonEpisodesDVD release dates
Region 1
1 2007–0820Volume 1: Super Special Days: August 12, 2008[8]
Episodes: "Dragonboat Festival" • "Beach Day" • "Twirly Whirly Flyers" • "Everybody's Hat Parade"
Volume 2: Celebrate with Kai-Lan: January 6, 2009[9]
Episodes: "Safari Pals" • "Tolee's Rhyme Time" • "Kai-Lan's Campout" • "Happy Chinese New Year!"
Volume 3: Kai-Lan's Great Trip to China: July 14, 2009[10]
Episodes: "Kai-Lan's Trip to China" • "Rain or Shine" • "The Ant Playground"
Volume 4: Kai-Lan's Carnival: October 6, 2009[11]
Episodes: "Kai-Lan's Carnival" • "Lulu Day" • "Roller Rintoo" • "Wait, Hoho, Wait"
2 2009–1020Volume 5: Princess Kai-Lan: October 5, 2010[12]
Episodes: "Princess Kai-Lan" • "Lulu's Cloud" • "The Moon Festival"

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipients and nominees Outcome
2008 Artios Award Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Animation TV Programming Sarah Noonan and Meredith Layne Nominated
2009 Annie Award Best Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production Notes[13] Nominated
2010 Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Special Class Animated Program Sascha Paladino, Mary Harrington, Jeff DeGrandis and Andrew Huebner Nominated

Video games

The success of Ni Hao, Kai-Lan spawned its own video game series, supported by various gaming consoles and platforms:

  • Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: Super Game Day (Wii, PS2) – released, October 26, 2009[14]
  • Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: New Year's Celebration (DS) – released, November 5, 2009[15]

The show's success also spawned merchandise from 2007-2014. Kai-Lan also made appearances in Nickelodeon Fit, Nickelodeon Dance, Nickelodeon Dance 2, Dora and Kai-Lan's Pet Shelter, and Team Umizoomi & Dora's Fantastic Flight.

References

  1. ↑ "Monday, January 14th, 2008". Cynopsis Media. January 14, 2008. Archived from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  2. ↑ "'Ni Hao, Kai-lan': Tigers and Dragons and Mandarin Lessons". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  3. 1 2 Hale, Mike (February 7, 2008). "A Pint-Size Peacemaker With a Lot to Teach". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  4. ↑ Davis, Micheal (April 15, 2007). "Cartoons With Heart ... and a Little Mandarin". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  5. ↑ "HOW 'KAI-LAN' GOT HER GROOVE". Hartford Courant. March 9, 2008. Archived from the original on 2020-04-06. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  6. ↑ Strike, Joe (2007-12-04). "Ni Hao, Kai-lan: Tigers and Dragons and Mandarin Lessons". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on 2009-06-27.
  7. ↑ Liu, Ed (2008-01-21). "Toon Zone Interviews Nick SVP Teri Weiss About "Ni Hao, Kai-lan"". Toon Zone. Archived from the original on 2008-04-20.
  8. ↑ "Ni Hao, Kai-Lan – Super Special Days". Amazon.com. August 12, 2008. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Ni Hao, Kai-Lan – Celebrate with Kai-Lan". Amazon.com. January 6, 2009. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Ni Hao, Kai-Lan – Kai-Lan's Great Trip to China". Amazon.com. July 14, 2009. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Ni Hao, Kai-Lan – Kai-Lan's Carnival". Amazon.com. October 6, 2009. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Ni Hao, Kai-Lan – Princess Kai-Lan". Amazon.com. October 5, 2010. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  13. ↑ Crump, William D. (April 4, 2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland. ISBN 9781476672939. Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  14. ↑ Liu, Jonathan (February 6, 2010). "Have a Super Game Day with Kai-Lan". WIRED. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  15. ↑ Healy, Christopher (June 19, 2019). "Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: New Year's Celebration". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020.

Notes

  1. ↑ Animation outsourced to Wang Film Productions[1]
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