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| Between the Lions | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Animated, educational children's TV |
| Created by |
|
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Sarah Durkee Paul Jacobs |
| Opening theme | "Between the Lions" (sung by Cindy Mizelle) |
| Ending theme | "Between the Lions" |
| Composer | Chris Cerf |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 10 |
| No. of episodes | 130(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Production location | New York City, New York |
| Running time | 26 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | PBS Kids |
| Release | April 3, 2000 (2000-04-03) – November 22, 2010 (2010-11-22) |
Between the Lions is an American animated/live-action/puppet educational children's television series designed to promotereading. The show is a co-production betweenWGBH inBoston, Sirius Thinking, Ltd., inNew York City, andMississippi Public Broadcasting (the latterPBS station co-producing from 2005–2010) inJackson, the distributor from seasons 1–10. The show won nineDaytime Emmy awards between 2001 and 2007. Although it is created by alumni of the fellow PBS children's showSesame Street and featured guest appearances from some of its characters,Between the Lions was not created bySesame Workshop, nor was it produced with their involvement in any way. The show premiered onPBS Kids on April 3, 2000, taking over the schedule slot held byThe Puzzle Place upon its debut, and ended on November 22, 2010. This TV show is a companion piece toSesame Street aimed at slightly older children.
The series focuses on a family ofanthropomorphiclions working and living in a large, busylibrary called "The Barnaby B. Busterfield III Memorial Public Library", starring alongside characters such as Click, an electronic, anthropomorphiccomputer mouse; the Information Hen, who answers library calls; and Heath, adinosaur who serves as the library's thesaurus. The program's format is intended to promote literacy and reading; in each episode, the lions introduce a picture book to the audience and read it. Some episodes have featured adaptations of well-known folktales, ancient myths, or fables. In contrast, others have featured popular storybooks such asClick, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, or shown the lions learning or benefiting from the lessons presented by the story.
The series often features an array of educational segments formatted each in its distinctive style, particularly parodies of notable media redesigned educationally for younger audiences or simple animations, some sketches more repetitive than others. A unique feature of the series is that it is virtually never set outside of the library, as it usually chronicles the lions' experiences within it. A sub-plot features a pair of pigeons named Walter and Clay, comically infuriating a living bust of the library's deceased founder, Barnaby B. Busterfield III, located in the dome of the library, which is normally intended for comic relief.
After the fourth season, the series underwent a noticeable format change. Notably, the show consisted of two 10-minute shorts, each a condensation of an earlier episode, tied together and united around a theme. The library set was greatly reduced, with just one small section as the primary location. The series also began to focus on consonants instead of vowels. Past segments such as "Magic Time," "Sam Spud", and "The Monkey Pop-Up Theater" were replaced with new animated ones such as "Joy Learno" and "The Trampolini Brothers". Later episodes shifted away from the earlier focus on reading, and stories were just told to tie into the theme of the episode. Major characters such as Busterfield, Walter and Clay, Heath, and Martha Reader vanished from the show as well, despite still appearing in the intro.
There are many special guest appearances in the show featuring well-known celebrities.[2]Al Roker,India Arie,[3][4]Jasmine Guy,Ossie Davis (along with his wifeRuby Dee),Bruno Kirby,Denyce Graves,Larry King,Roma Downey, Vanessa E. Williams, andJane Seymour as well as a few athletes have also made appearances to read words to the viewers, including basketball playerStephon Marbury.Joe Lynn Turner sang a few songs on the show.LeVar Burton also appeared alongside the cast in several PBS Kids promotional spots. In addition, characters from other PBS Kids shows have appeared inBetween the Lions. Three cast members ofZoom (Rachel Redd, Kenny Yates, andKaleigh Cronin) have appeared, teaching viewers how to read the wordZoom. SeveralSesame Street Muppets made cameos in Season 2 and the "Dance in Smarty Pants" music video.
Between the Lions often makes wild parodies of (usually children's) programming. The title is a play on words of the phrase "read between the lines" and that many historic library buildings have two lions posted at the main entrance. Thus, one must go "between the lions" to enter the library. Examples of recurring segments (animation and live-action):
The Monkey Pop-Up Theater: Amonkey with blonde hair (monkeys are often featured as background characters or library patrons in this series) opens apop-up book which presents a zany musical performance by monkeys who sing inoperatic voices.
The Vowelles: Three colored lips with satin gloves and wigs perform vowel songs for an audience. In the early seasons, a grey hand would pick up the letters of a word from the book and transition them to their segment to establish the vowel andword family of the episode. The Vowelles are usually accompanied by Johnny Consananti and Martha Reader. In the first season, the stage backdrop is not lit, leaving viewers to see only lips, usually satin gloves and feather boas, and hair. In seasons 2–4, the dark stage background is replaced with a colorful silver background obviously revealing that The Vowelles are only three pairs of lips surrounded by wigs, and usually accompanied by satin gloves and feather boas, and the unidentified puppets in the audience are replaced with monkeys and Johnny Consananti is the announcer. Martha Reader and The Vowelles is a parody ofMartha Reeves and The Vandellas, a popular Motown group from the 1960s.
The Word Doctor with Dr. Ruth Wordheimer: Dr.Ruth Westheimer portrays "Dr. Ruth Wordheimer", a friendlytherapist. Her two types of clients are:
Little Wendy Tales: In an animesque segment, an Asian girl withblack hair tied inpigtails reads the misadventures found in Little Wendy Tales when sitting next to her white cat, Cuddly Kitty, on her bed. Classically, the dark-haired girl and Cuddly Kitty transform themselves into The Punctuator and Emoticon the Cat (a parody ofSailor Moon, among otheranimeclichés) and save Wendy using switching around the punctuation, altering the scene in the process. She rereads the altered adventures after correcting the sentences.
Fun with Chicken Jane: A parody of the well-knownDick and Jane books for children. In this, two naive children, Scot and Dot, place themselves in pain's way. An intelligentchicken named Chicken Jane spells out an obvious solution to the problem. At the last moment, the children get out of the way, and Chicken Jane gets hurt instead. The theme song is a parody of the oldAlka Seltzer jingle. When the skit starts, Scot, Dot, and Chicken Jane come skipping down a dirt road to the jingle that goes "Look, look, see, see, coming down the lane. Here comes Scot, here comes Dot, here comes Chicken Jane!" When the skit is over, Scot and Dot head back up the road (Chicken Jane limping along behind with an injured wing) to "Look, look, see, see, going up the lane. There goes Scot, there goes Dot, there goes Chicken Jane!". In the Episode, "Stop That Chicken", Chicken Jane once fell out of one of the books and ended up in many other books, which are "Colonial America", "Sleeping Beauty", and "Cook A Lot Like Me" by Molly Stewpot (a reference to the famous chefMartha Stewart). The very demanding chef Molly sees Chicken Jane and wants to use her in one of her recipes while ignoring what Chicken Jane is saying. The book is then swatted at in an attempt for Chicken Jane to come to life while jelly is spilled onto Molly in defeat, and Leona succeeds in getting Chicken Jane back in her book.
The Adventures of Cliff Hanger: This common animated segment centers around Cliff Hanger, a lantern-jawedoutdoorsman who is usually stranded hundreds of feet above the ground, holding onto a treebranch on the side of acliff (hence the skit's title). Each episode presents Cliff with a preposterous situation of some kind, which he attempts to use to his advantage by reaching into hisbackpack, pulling out what he calls his "trusty survival manual", and following the instructions provided there. The instructions, though often highly unconventional, usually prove successful, and Cliff briefly escapes from the cliff. But, inevitably, another highly unlikely incident sends Cliff back to where he started, hanging onto his branch once again. The animated segment then ends when the branch starts cracking as Cliff says his baleful catchphrase: "Can't... hold... on... much... longer!" and the sun sets as a cliffhanger. This scene occurs at the beginning of the animated segment as well. Similar to cartoons such asWile E. Coyote and Road Runner, these animated segments follow the same storyline; although Cliff never gives up on trying to get off the cliff, he never succeeds. Each segment begins and usually ends with a theme song sung off-screen by a formally dressed group of singers (flying by in ahelicopter), singing "Cliff Hanger, hanging from a cliff! And that's why he's called Cliff Hanger!" Cliff attempts to attract their attention to his predicament by calling out "Excuse me! Excuse me!", but to no avail. In one episode, he succeeds at drawing their attention, and they rescue him, but it turns out he is simply dreaming. He once got off the cliff when he jumped on a whale's blowhole and washed up on a beach in "The Last Cliff Hanger" Lionel is upset about the last book, but eventually missed his cliff and, through a series of bizarre events (thanks to the writer, Livingston Dangerously), got himself back onto it. His name is a play on the media term "cliffhanger" which is often shown on non-BTL episodes as "to be continued". In three episodes:Cliff Hanger and the Solid Oil Lamp,Cliff Hanger Meets the Sleeping Gypsy, andCliff Hanger and the Sheep on a Ship, Cliff Hanger imagines he is in a restaurant eating steak, he is in a bathtub and a starstrucked door. In another episode “Five, Six, and Thistle Sticks”, Lionel's best friend Lenny, alizard, introduces a similarly-styled series of books calledJustin Time, about a stereotypical explorer named Justin Time who relaxes in ahammock until an absurd scenario like those of Cliff Hanger occurs, forcing him to intervene to restore the calm, boasting, "Couldn't be more comfortable.", as opposed to Cliff Hanger's catchphrase "Can't hold on much longer!" He too used a version of the Survival Manual, called a Safety Manual, which is from his Survival Kit, a version of Cliff Hanger's backpack and the same formally dressed four-piece chorus, riding in the back of aPickup truck introduces him at the beginning of the story, singing "Justin Time, he's always saved just in time! And that is why he is called Justin Time!" Then Justin rudely tells the singers "Go away!" just like how Cliff Hanger always gets their attention to his predicament. Ironically, Lionel disliked this book. OneJustin Time segment was shown as it only appeared in one episode. In the series, the character Lionel is a fan of Cliff Hanger's books, which his sister Leona thinks are pointless. But, even in episodes where she expresses hatred, she shows respect for it, such as when she decides to help Lionel get Livingston Dangerously to write more books.
Gawain's Word: AWayne's World spoof hosted by a knight with an Golden State surfer accent, featuring two jousting knights charging at each other, each touting a speech balloon with half of a word which then became their respective names, then demonstrating the word. For example, one skit featured "Sir Sh" dressed in silver armor and "Sir Ark" dressed in gold armor. Then Gawain says, "Blend on, dudes!" when it is time to put the halves together. When Sir Sh bumps into Sir Ark, their speech balloons meld together to form the word "shark." Then they react to the word by running away from a hovering shark. Though the title of the segment is a parody of theSaturday Night Live skit, the two knights in the segment speak more characteristically like Bill and Ted fromBill & Ted's Excellent Adventure than Wayne and Garth fromWayne's World.
Tiger Words: A pun of golferTiger Woods. Tiger is always seen participating in a spelling competition (modeled off a golf tournament), where he always misspells a word. While the crowd and announcer are surprised and dismayed at his error, Tiger corrects his mistake by using another tool in his pencil bag (using an eraser to fix mistakes in pencil or paint to fix mistakes in pen, for example). Tiger correctly spells the word and wins the championship.
The Trampolini Brothers: Theringmaster introduces three acrobatic brothers, Arturo, Lorenzo, and Felix performsuperlative adjectives under the carnival's big top (For example, Arturo isgood. Lorenzo isbetter. Felix is thebest.).
Synonym Sam's Lab: A Black girl named Synonym Sam and her dog, Rufus, gain knowledge aboutsynonyms by using Sam's Super Synonym Machine.
Sam Spud: Par-Boiled Potato Detective: A spoof of theSam Spade detective stories, this segment portrays apar-boiledpotato (voiced by Michael K. Frith) who types out thevoice-over narration typical of film noir on a late night, making and correcting typographical errors that demonstrate word sounds. This segment makes heavy use of sight gags based on wordplay (such as the narrator referring to the entrance of a "tomato"—1930s slang for an attractive woman—who is revealed to be a real tomato wearing a costume; or a neon sign that blinks the words "Flicker Flicker" or "On" and "Off"). In most cases, the segments would end with alive-action child watching Sam Spud on television and calling out to his or her mother that "there's a talking potato with a hat on and no mouth!" (or some variation), and the mother calling from offscreen telling her child not to worry and that it's educational television, so itmust be good for him/her. On one occasion, it ends with the mother saying that it is mean to say "dumb" after a child was describing a pickle with a zipper.
The Un-People: AMo Willems-styled cartoon segment aimed at teaching kids theirprefixes. The main character is "young" Monica Maxwell, a bespectacled Black girl about 8 years old who seems to have an inordinate amount of trouble with a group of rambunctiousrhinos or other misfortunes. The segment always begins with the rhinos running amok (or other non-rhino-related situations, such as when Monica marches down a street in a parade), usually in Monica's house. The clever, resourceful girl somehow manages to subdue or round up the rhinos, for example, putting them in a zippered bag (not all these segments have a relationship with rhinos). And, suddenly, the evil Un-People come along and "un-zip" the bag, causing the rhinos to run free again and resume their rampage of destruction (or other misfortune not caused by the animals.) But when the crime-fighting Re-People appear, they "re-zip" the bag, and the destruction of the charging rhinos stops, or other misfortune-quelling results. This segment is aparody of commonsuperhero-themed cartoons such as theJustice League. There are at least two skits that did not feature rhinos—the "undressed"/"redressed" skit where a marching band is seen without clothes, only to get redressed in their outfits, and the "unbuttoned"/"rebuttoned" skit where Monica is seen playing in the snow, with her coat becoming unbuttoned and then finally rebuttoned.
Silent E: A sly criminal, Silent E, can make the vowel sounds say their names and changes the words without a silent e into words with a silent e, for example: he changes a cub (which resembles Leona) into a cube, a tub into a tube, a twin into twine and a can into a cane. In each segment, Silent E is carted off to jail by apoliceman. Silent E then writes a note to the policeman, which usually reads something like, "Sure do like that pin/cap you're wearing! I would love to get a closer look!" The policeman then remarks, "Well, sure! I don't see any harm in that!" The policeman hands the object to Silent E, who then easily escapes by using either the policeman'spin and turning it into apine to climb out the window or the policeman'scap and turning it into acape to fly out the window. Either way, after that, the policeman shouts, "Well, Silent E, you may have slipped out of my grasp this time, but mark my words: I'll get you YET!!!!"
Dr. Nitwhite: This sketch usually begins with Dr. Nitwhite ordering in his assistant, Watson (the character most guilty of calling him "Dr. Nitwit"), for Nitwhite claims he has discovered "the only word in theentire English language!" with a particular letter combination in it, showing extreme pride in his achievement. Unfortunately for Nitwhite, Watson casually utters an expression or sentence containing another word with that same combination (for example, in one sketch, Nitwhite proudly presents what he claims to be the only two-letter word with the short 'I' sound:in. An impressed Watson remarks, "Dr. Nitwhite! This time, I think you have really doneit!"). After Nitwhite realizes this, he breaks down and advises Watson to leave, which the latter does, calling him "Dr. Nitwit" once more.
Vowel Boot Camp: In this segment, the soldiers, who arelowercase vowels (except the drill sergeant, who is an exclamation point and is revealed to be aptly named Sergeant Mark in one sketch), practice making their sounds and then go out to make words. The famous catchphrase is "This isn't 'Camp [name]', this is Vowel Boot Camp!" In three skits, the lowercase "I" soldier is seen missing a dot before being corrected by the drill instructor, the "U" soldier is seen upside down, looking like a lowercase "N" before being corrected by the drill sergeant to set his head to the proper position and the "O" soldier has a pillow from hisfootlocker in his mouth before the sergeant (who had told him this on several prior occasions) tells him to spit it out, which he does. Portions of this segment deal with the silent "E" and letters containing two vowels. For example, the "I" soldier is accompanied by two letters, "R" and "P", to form "rip" until the "E" is added at the end of the word to turn the word into "ripe". The drill sergeant then asks the soldiers about the rule, prompting the soldiers to sing the tune "When "E" on the end plays a no-talking game, the vowel before it says its name." The tune would later be the basis for the following examples. Another example is when the "A" soldier is placed between two lowercaseconsonants "M" and "N" to form the word "man". However, the "I" soldier comes into the word to change it into "main". The drill sergeant then asks the other vowels regarding the rule, prompting them to sing the tune "When two vowels stand side by side, the first one says its name with pride." The sergeant always ends up getting trampled by the vowels as they leave. On one occasion, he misses them, but they end up shutting the door on him, locking him in, causing him to bang on the door.
The Lone Rearranger Rewrites Again: A spoof ofTheLone Ranger, this animated segment features an intelligent,banana nosecowboy named The Lone Rerranger, (or Lone for short), with hishorse Hiho, and his sidekick whose name is Russell-Upsome Grub, and a sentence which needs to be rearranged. For example, "Horses must ride cowboys into the corral" needs to be rearranged to say "Cowboys must ride horses into the corral". After Lone fixes the sentence with his whip, he, Hiho, and Russell leave, and the people who did what the original sign said for them to do never get a chance to thank him or Russell, or something loosely related to the subject. Afterward, the segment would end with Lone on top of Hiho yelling, "Hi-yo, Hiho! Away!", and then the camera would pan to Russell, who was seen covering his ears and then saying, "Why you must you always yell in that poor horsey's ears?"
Moby Duck: A spoof ofMoby-Dick, this takes place in apea pod (a spoof ofPequod) where there are twocaptains. The first is Captain Starbuck, and the second is Captain Ahab. Starbuck looks through atelescope and sees a white animal and yells, "Wait, Cap'n! Thar she quacks! Moby, the great white duck!" Captain Ahab takes a closer look and gives the tagline "Nay, Mr. Starbuck! That not be Moby, the great white duck! Argh!", and explains the differences and sounds out syllables, showing, for example, Daisy, the entertaining whitesnail. The two admit defeat before continuing their search. A running gag is the fact that they never look behind them, which is exactly where Moby is. Another running gag would feature an onscreen assistant throwing water into the face of Ahab, humiliating him. The author is said to be "Melvin Hermille", a spoof ofMoby Dick authorHerman Melville.
Polly and the Pirate: An animated segment focuses onlocative words (such as over, under, next to, and around). A parrot and a blonde-haired pirate (both named Polly) sail the ocean looking for treasure, whatever it may be.
Blending Bowl: A kind of "bowl game" in whichNFL players blend sounds to make words. It stars former NFL superstar quarterback turnedFOX Sports co-hostTerry Bradshaw as a commentator. It is similar to Gawain's Word and Blend Mart but with a football setting.
Opposite Bunny: A superherobunny who saves the day by turning bad things happening in the neighborhood back into good things. The segment ends with the neighbors reviewing the opposites. For example, one episode has the neighbors saying, "First it was raw; now it is cooked. How does that bunny do it?!"
Arty Smartypants:A farcical and somewhat discombobulatedbunraku puppet man with largeoveralls (which he refers to as his "smarty pants"). He is the start of a few multiple segments:
In later seasons, the segments were replaced with new ones:
Swami Marmy: This segment features Smarmy Marmy as afortune teller who tells monkeys their future. In one segment, she tells a monkey that his sister will drop in for a visit, after which she literally drops in from above. In another segment, she simply tells a monkey, "Oops!" after which Marmy knocks her crystal ball off the table, and it rolls off and breaks.
Fred Says:Fred Newman portraying himself appears onscreen, sounding out a word syllable by syllable, after which he acts it or demonstrates it in his normal humor by attaching sounds to each syllable. On many occasions, Fred would appear doing his segment twice in the first season.
What's Cooking? with Theo and Cleo: A cooking segment starring Theo and Cleo Lion aschefs. In each segment, they have arecipe and all the things they need (and a few they do not need) in front of them with their names on them (For example, "Slammed and Rammed Ham with No Yam or Clam"). They read the recipe step-by-step, which usually involves getting rid of the extraingredient and doing something (rather literally) to the main item before placing it in something. When they reach the last step, which involves cooking the food for a certain amount of time, they just say "Nah" and eat it raw. Sometimes, the camera zooms in on the refrigerator and segues into a Sam Spud segment.
The Joy Learno Show: Female parody of the former late-night hostJay Leno talks to several guests about words and their meanings.
Marmy's Poetry Corner: This segment features Marmy with guest stars.
Replacing Letter Songs: Each song for the vowels, such as "a" and "e", etc. This is sung in different words, such as "Ben" and "hen". In the end, a letter is replaced such as "t" and changes a letter to "ten". Heath the Thesaurus would sometimes introduce the segment by saying, "And now, a little poem in which letters change, and make something very interesting happen."
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 30 | April 3, 2000 (2000-04-03) | May 12, 2000 (2000-05-12) | |
| 2 | 25 | April 2, 2001 (2001-04-02) | May 4, 2001 (2001-05-04) | |
| 3 | 10 | September 16, 2002 (2002-09-16) | November 18, 2002 (2002-11-18) | |
| 4 | 5 | September 15, 2003 (2003-09-15) | September 19, 2003 (2003-09-19) | |
| 5 | 10 | April 18, 2005 (2005-04-18) | June 21, 2005 (2005-06-21) | |
| 6 | 10 | April 17, 2006 (2006-04-17) | June 19, 2006 (2006-06-19) | |
| 7 | 10 | September 17, 2007 (2007-09-17) | November 19, 2007 (2007-11-19) | |
| 8 | 10 | September 15, 2008 (2008-09-15) | November 17, 2008 (2008-11-17) | |
| 9 | 10 | September 21, 2009 (2009-09-21) | November 23, 2009 (2009-11-23) | |
| 10 | 10 | September 20, 2010 (2010-09-20) | November 22, 2010 (2010-11-22) | |
Between the Lions focuses on teaching reading and a love of books to young children in a fun, informative way.
Among the educational techniques used byBetween the Lions are the following:
In addition to teaching basic reading, pronunciation, and grammar skills,Between the Lions also strives to promote a general love of reading in its viewers. It explores the many subjects that books can cover and shows how diverse people may enjoy reading different things. It also demonstrates the value of reference books and the importance of reading in other everyday activities like using a computer, cooking with a recipe, or finding your way with street signs.
SomeBetween the Lions episodes also deal with larger episodes related to literary matters: How to handle the scary parts of a story, for example, or the fact that it's okay to be a little sad or scared if something bad happens to a character that you like in a book. It also shows how children can use books as jumping points for their own imagination.
Above all, every character on the show expresses a contagious enthusiasm for reading, with the underlying message being "Reading is cool".
The show's curriculum director, Linda Rath, not only had been a working elementary-schoolteacher for many years specializing in reading but also has a PhD from theHarvard Graduate School of Education (where she obtained a master's before becoming a schoolteacher), working with reading specialist professorJeanne Chall. The program's educational effectiveness has been researched in several studies.[5][6]
The series has been nominated for 45 Daytime Emmy Awards and won 10.[7]
| Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Outstanding Music Direction and Composition | Paul Jacobs,Christopher Cerf,Sarah Durkee and Thomas Z. Shepard | Nominated |
| Outstanding Sound Editing - Special Class | Robert Schott, Andy Erice, Christopher Fina and Brian Beatrice | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Children's Series | Judith Stoia, Michael K. Frith,Norman Stiles, Christopher Cerf, Sonia Rosario, Elizabeth Benjes | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series | Norman Stiles, Louise Gikow, Christopher Cerf, Diana DeCubellis, Sarah Durkee, Joe Fallon, Michael K. Frith, Peter K. Hirsch, Sean Kelly, Sharon Lerner, Kathryn Mullen,Fred Newman, Belinda Ward, Kathy Waugh, Ellis Weiner, Tom Whedon, Richard Chevat | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Single Camera Editing | Vincent J. Straggas, Laura Cheshire, Jordan Montminy | Won | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Main Title Design | Randall Balsmeyer, Amit Sethi, Daniel Leung, Matt McDonald | Won | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design | Jim Fenhagen, Erik Ulfers, Laura Brock, Martin Fahrer, David Harwell | Won | |
| 2002 | Outstanding Sound Editing - Special Class | Robert Schott, Brian Beatrice, Christopher Fina | Nominated |
| Outstanding Single Camera Editing | Vincent J. Straggas, Laura Cheshire, Terry Cafaro | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Children's Series | Judith Stoia, Michael K. Frith, Christopher Cerf, Norman Stiles,Carol Klein, Michele McDonough | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction | Bill Berner, Mitchell Bogard | Won | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling | John Orberg, James J. Kroupa, Matt Stoddart, Janet Kuhl | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design | Laura Brock, Sonia Alio, Jessica A. Milstein, Jim Fenhagen, Erik Ulfers, David Harewell | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Outstanding Single Camera Editing | Vincent J. Straggas, Tim Lagasse, Therese Cafaro, Kristi Kilkenny | Nominated |
| Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series | Norman Stiles, Louise Gikow, Joe Fallon, Ken Scarborough, Fred Newman, Carin Greenberg, Sarah Durkee, Gentry Menzel, Sharon Lerner, Christopher Cerf | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Children's Series | Judith Stoia, Christopher Cerf, Norman Stiles, Carol Klein, Michele McDonough | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition | Paul Jacobs, Sarah Durkee, Christopher Cerf, Thomas Z. Shepard, Chris Cardillo | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series | Lisa Simon, Emily Squires, Richard A. Fernandes, Bill Berner | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling | John Orberg, James J. Kroupa, Janet Kuhl, Matt Stoddart | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design | Laura Brock, Jim Fenhagen, Michael K. Frith, Evelyn Sakash, Jessica A. Milstein | Won | |
| 2004 | Outstanding Music Direction and Composition | Paul Jacobs, Christopher Cerf, Sarah Durkee, Thomas Z. Shephard, Fred Newman, Sharon Lerner, Chris Cardillo | Nominated |
| Outstanding Achievement in Single Camera Editing | Jordan Montminy, Kristi Kilkenny, Vincent J. Straggas, Therese Cafaro, Tim Lagasse | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series | Norman Stiles, Christopher Cerf, Sarah Durkee, Joe Fallon, Louise Gikow, Carin Greenberg, Sean Kelly, Sharon Lerner,Brian Meehl, Gentry Menzel, Fred Newman, Ken Scarborough | Won | |
| Outstanding Children's Series | Judith Stoia, Norman Stiles, Christopher Cerf, Brigid Sullivan, Carol Klein, Michele McDonough, Beth Kirsch | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Directing in a Children's Series | Lisa Simon, Emily Squires, Scott Preston | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling | John Orberg, James J. Kroupa, Michael K. Frith, Janet Kuhl, Matt Stoddart, Kathryn Mullen, Tim Lagasse | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design | Laura Brock, Jim Fenhagen, Michael K. Frith, Evelyn Sakash, Jessica A. Milstein | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series | Norman Stiles, Louise Gikow, Christopher Cerf, Gentry Menzel, Bill Shribman, Sarah Durkee | Nominated |
| Outstanding Children's Series | Judith Stoia, Brigid Sullivan, Christopher Cerf, Norman Stiles, Diane Hartman, Carol Klein, Beth Kirsch | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design | Laura Brock, Karen Wing | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Outstanding Achievement in Single Camera Editing | Vincent J. Straggas | Nominated |
| Outstanding Original Song - Children's/Animated | Sarah Durkee, Paul Jacobsfor "Q Without U" | Won | |
| Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design | Laura Brock, Karen Wing | Nominated | |
| 2008 | Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition | Paul Jacobs, Sarah Durkee, Christopher Cerf | Nominated |
| Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design | Laura Brock, Karen Wing, Jerel Levanway, Bill Reinhart, Jack Thomas, Mary Goodson, Ray Green, Jimmy Thrasher | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series | Norman Stiles, Ray Messecar, Peter K. Hirsch, Brian Meehl, Jennifer Hamburg, Sarah Durkee,Luis Santeiro, Christopher Cerf, Beth Kirsch, Fred Newman, Judith Stoia, Candy Kugel | Won | |
| Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series | Christopher Cerf, Norman Stiles, Judith Stoia, Brigid Sullivan, Bill Berner, Chris Cardillo, Philippa Hall, Diane Hartman, Rick Klein, Scott Colwell, Beth Kirsch, Carol Klein | Nominated | |
| 2009 | Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series | Norman Stiles, Judith Stoia, Beth Kirsch, Christopher Cerf, Fred Newman, Luis Santeiro, Sarah Durkee, Ray Messecar, Jennifer Hamburg, Brian Meehl, Louise Gikow, Keri Horn | Won |
| Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series | Judith Stoia, Christopher Cerf, Norman Stiles, Brigid Sullivan, Beth Kirsch, Rick Klein, Bill Berner, Diane Hartman, Chris Cardillo, Philippa Hall, Scott Colwell, Carol Klein | Won | |
| 2010 | Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series | Judith Stoia, Christopher Cerf, Norman Stiles, Brigid Sullivan, Marie Antoon, Beth Kirsch, Bill Berner, Philippa Hall, Chris Cardillo, Rachel Ford, Scott Colwell, Lisa Simon | Nominated |
| Outstanding Original Song - Children's and Animation | Paul Jacobs, Sarah Durkee for "It's a p-h!" | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing - Live Action and Animation | Nick Cipriano, Joe Franco, Jeff Malinowski, Jared O'Connell, John Kanakis, Matt Longoria | Nominated |
| Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series | Judith Stoia, Brigid Sullivan, Christopher Cerf, Norman Stiles, Marie Antoon, Beth Kirsch, Lisa Simon, Scott Colwell, Bill Berner, Chris Cardillo, Rachel Ford | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Music Direction and Composition | Paul Jacobs, Sarah Durkee, Christopher Cerf | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design | Laura Brock, Karen Wing, Jerel Levanway, Jack Thomas, Bill Reinhart, Ray Green, Jimmy Thrasher, Mary Goodson | Nominated |
| Date | Award | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Gold Award: Best Show for Kids Aged 4–7 | Parents' Choice Awards[8] |
| Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming | Television Critics Association[8] | |
| Silver World Award | New York Festivals[8] | |
| Best Children's Entertainment Site | Massachusetts Interactive Media Council[8] | |
| Gold Award for Web Site | New Media Invision Awards[8] | |
| Honorable Mention, "Leading the Way to Literacy" Video | 48thColumbus International Film and Video Festival[8] | |
| Parents Guide to Children's Media Award, "Leading the Way to Literacy" Video | Parents Guide to Children's Media, Inc.[8] | |
| 2001 | Parents' Guide to Children's Media Award | Parent's Guide to Children's Media, Inc.[8] |
| Broadcast Media Award for Television | International Reading Association[8] | |
| Most Worthwhile Kids' TV Show | Woman's World Magazine[8] | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming | Television Critics Association[8] | |
| Outstanding Educational/Instructional Program | Boston/New England Emmy Awards[8] | |
| Notable Children's Web Site | American Library Association[8] | |
| Best Parent and Teacher Information on a PBS Site | PBS Online's Eddie Awards[8] | |
| 2002 | Gold Award: Best Show for Kids Aged 4–7 | Parents' Choice Awards[8] |
| Nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming | Television Critics Association[8] | |
| Winner of Video Media Award, "The Ram in the Pepper Patch" | Parenting Magazine[8] | |
| 2003 | Parents' Guide to Children's Media Award | Parent's Guide to Children's Media, Inc.[8] |
| Gold Award: Best Show for Kids Aged 4–7 | Parents' Choice Awards[8] | |
| Finalist Award for Children's Periodicals for Between the Lions: Activities for Families with Children, Ages 3 to 5 | Association of Educational Publishers (Ed Press)[8] | |
| 2004 | International Finalist, Television for Children Under 6 | Prix Jeunesse[8] |
| Gold Award: Web Site for Kids Aged 4–7 | Parents' Choice Awards[8] | |
| Eliot Pearson Award for Excellence in Children's Programming | Tufts University Department of Child Development[8] |
Between the Lions premiered on PBS Kids in the United States on April 3, 2000,[9] replacingThe Puzzle Place on the schedule lineup.[10] The last episode aired on November 22, 2010, with reruns continuing through August 31, 2011. The show is no longer broadcast on PBS Kids, nor is it available on any streaming platform.[11] However, some video clips and other online resources remain available online for educators.[12]
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