PBS KIDS Announces Newest Animated Series, PHOEBE & JAY, Premiering Fall 2025

ARLINGTON, VA (January 22, 2025) - Today PBS KIDS announced PHOEBE & JAY, a new animated series for children ages 3-5. The series is designed to support early literacy skills for preschoolers by showcasing the various kinds of texts they see in their everyday lives-from signs and posters to labels and movie tickets-helping them understand, navigate, and participate in the world around them. Created by Genie Deez and Thy Than, the series is produced by Phoebe & Jay Productions and Mainframe Studios (SUPER KITTIES, COCOMELON, OCTONAUTS). PHOEBE & JAY will premiere on PBS KIDS in Fall 2025.

"PHOEBE & JAY beautifully blends fun and learning by introducing young viewers to the importance of everyday problem solving, literacy, and life skills in a way that's relatable and engaging," said Sara DeWitt, Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS KIDS. "We're excited to bring this series and its endearing stories that celebrate family, community, and the power of literacy to families across the U.S."

PHOEBE & JAY follows the adventures of 6-year-old fraternal twins Phoebe and Jay Yarber, who live with their family in the fantastical Tobsy Towers. At the heart of PHOEBE & JAY is a foundational literacy curriculum highlighting the importance of developing preschoolers' functional literacy and skills, empowering them to use and create functional texts in the world around them to tackle challenges and accomplish tasks in their everyday lives. From using a flyer to help a neighbor find a lost pet, to reading clothing labels to find the right size shirt, Phoebe & Jay model for young viewers how they, too, can use everyday texts to navigate their daily activities, develop important life skills, and communicate with others in their family and community.

PHOEBE & JAY depicts the experiences and learning opportunities found in Tobsy Towers, where the curiously charismatic twins, Phoebe and Jay, are being raised by their ever-optimistic dad, Pete, with the support of their no-nonsense Grandma Annie after the loss of their mom. Tobsy Towers is inspired by old grand hotels that have been converted into affordable apartment housing and serve as a unique setting for many of the literacy-based stories for the tight-knit Yarber family. For example, in one episode the twins find old reel-to-reel recordings left behind by Tobsy, the architect of Tobsy Towers, and decide to create labels to sort the records they found.

"The opportunity to help teach kids at home how to navigate life's challenges with humor and positivity through a foundational literacy curriculum has been and continues to be an amazing adventure and gift," says co-creator Genie Deez. "Growing up in a low-income environment, we didn't see too many Black kids who spoke or looked like us on television, and we're excited to feature an awesome cast of characters dealing with similar environmental influences. I was also inspired by my own Grandma Annie, who helped raise me and my brother."

"We're so excited to bring this series to audiences across the country with PBS KIDS." said co-creator Thy Than. "The inspiration for our stories comes from our lived experience, and they embody the belief that 'things don't have to be the best, to make the best of things.'."

Funding for PHOEBE & JAY was provided by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and a grant from the U.S. Department of Education as part of the Ready To Learn Initiative, a federal program that supports the development of innovative educational television and digital media targeted to preschool and early elementary school children and their families.

"PHOEBE & JAY builds young children's essential literacy skills," said Debra Tica Sanchez, CPB senior vice president, educational media and learning experiences. "By highlighting the importance of functional texts in everyday life, this show helps children from a very young age understand just how fundamental reading is."

PHOEBE & JAY is created and Executive Produced by Genie Deez and Thy Than and is produced by Phoebe & Jay Productions and Mainframe Studios. Tanya Green is Supervising Producer. Thy Than is Supervising Director. Mike Alcock and Mark Sinclair are series co-directors. Aydrea Walden is Head Writer. Executive Producers for Mainframe are Michael Hefferon and Kim Dent Wilder. Additional Executive Producers are Wendy Klein and Nancy Steingard.

Advisors for the series include Lead Curriculum Advisor, Kelly Cartwright, PhD, Spangler Distinguished Professor of Early Child Literacy at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Dr. Geraldine Oades-Sese, Ph.D, licensed psychologist, children's book author, and former Adjunct Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; Tim Ojetunde, MEd, educator from South LA, Culture Specialist; and Cathy Tran, PhD, Writer's Room Curriculum Consultant.


About PBS KIDS 
PBS KIDS believes the world is full of possibilities, and so is every child. As the number one educational media brand for kids, PBS KIDS helps children ages 2-8 learn lessons that last a lifetime. Through media and community-based programs, PBS KIDS wants children to see themselves uniquely reflected and celebrated in lovable, diverse characters who serve as positive role models, and to explore their feelings and discover new adventures along the way. Families can stream PBS KIDS for free anytime, no subscription required. A large collection of mobile apps and pbskids.org provide accessible content that spark kids' curiosity. PBS KIDS and local stations across the country support the entire ecosystem in which children learn and grow - including their teachers and caregivers, parents, and community - providing resources accessible anytime and anywhere. For more information, visit pbs.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.

About Phoebe & Jay Productions
Phoebe & Jay Productions is a Los Angeles based media company that specializes in authentic, educational, and story-driven media. Formed in 2021, the founders Genie Deez and Thy Than bring a breadth of experience from various fields including music production, live-action, animation, television, feature film, interactive and education. Their mission is to create characters and stories that celebrate the lived experiences of underrepresented groups and to advance diversity both on-screen and behind the scenes as well.

About Mainframe Studios
Since 1993, Vancouver based Mainframe Studios has been a leader in animation, producing creative, ground-breaking animated content. Mainframe has produced 1,000+ television episodes and 70+ long form projects, including two original theatrical feature films. The studio harnesses the creative power of its global talent base along with the latest innovative technology in CG, 2D and Unreal, to create top-tier animated productions for broadcasters, clients, and partners.

About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for other updates.

About The Ready To Learn Initiative
The Ready To Learn Initiative is a cooperative agreement funded and managed by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE). It supports the development of innovative educational television and digital media targeted to preschool and early elementary school children and their families. Its general goal is to promote early learning and school readiness, with a particular interest in reaching children living in low-income households. In addition to creating television and other media products, the program supports activities intended to promote national distribution of the programming, effective educational uses of the programming, community-based outreach and research on educational effectiveness.

Contacts:
Lubna Abuulbah, PBS; 703-739-8463; [email protected]
Alison Grand, Grand Communications; 212-584-1133; [email protected]
Gabrielle Torello, Grand Communications; 917-312-2832; [email protected]

The contents of this document were developed under grants from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education and/or the National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. The project is funded by a Ready To Learn grant [PR/Award No. S295A200004, CFDA No. 84.295A] provided by the Department of Education to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and by a grant from the National Science Foundation (DRL-2005975) to WGBH Educational Foundation.