Nickelodeon, the leading kids’ entertainment brand, is thrilled to announce the isiZulu premiere of one of the world’s most beloved animated preschool series, PAW Patrol, airing on 18 March at 15:00 on NickToons (DStv channel 308).
This announcement marks the beginning of a PAWsome adventure, leading up to the PAW Patrol Live shows in June across Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
March is set to be an exciting month for Nickelodeon, embracing the theme of adventure and camaraderie with the debut of PAW Patrol in isiZulu. Following the immense success of the SpongeBob SquarePants: isiZulu series last year, which garnered 2,602,520 unique viewers and attracted 909,000 new viewers who were not previously tuned in to NickToons, Nickelodeon is enthusiastic about extending this linguistic inclusivity to more of their cherished content.
Dillon Khan, VP of Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Studios & Creative Services (Africa), emphasized the importance of language representation in children’s media, stating, “TV shows shape our view of the world. The things we see and hear on TV don’t just start and stop there; they influence us, shape our perceptions of ourselves and others in the world around us. That’s why we feel projects like this are so important. They allow our kids to feel seen and heard and they offer a wonderful, fun and engaging learning opportunity for those who do not yet speak isiZulu. We have more exciting announcements on local languages coming, so watch this space”
Nickelodeon’s commitment to inclusivity has solidified its position as the most-watched kids’ channel across the region. The success of the isiZulu SpongeBob SquarePants series demonstrates the audience’s enthusiasm for culturally diverse content, encouraging Nickelodeon to extend this initiative to more of its beloved shows.
The decision to dub PAW Patrol into isiZulu aligns with research findings, such as the investigation study by Marian and Shook (2012), which suggests that bilingual advantages in improving a set of mental skills known as executive functions which contribute to cognitive and sensory processing improvements. Learning a new language positively influences brain development, particularly in memory, speech, sensory processing, and contributes to a child’s self-esteem.
PAW Patrol is on a roll this March, leading the way in linguistic inclusivity and cultural representation. Parents of PAW Patrol fans can head to Nickelodeon Africa’s Instagram page, @Nickelodeon_Africa, to enter their kids for a chance to win PAW Live tickets. Join us on 18 March at 15:00 on NickToons (DStv channel 308) for the isiZulu premiere of PAW Patrol, and let the adventure begin!
