A brand new daily children’s show is coming up on NHK this spring. Premiering on April 2nd at 7:00am, The Wakey Show is aimed at elementary school kids before they head off to school. The main character, Wakey, who is a DJ, and his puppet friends will deliver bits of fun and music each day to make the children’s lives a little brighter. Drawing from the diverse educational content of NHK’s educational TV channel, this 20-minute edutainment show will open the children’s door to knowledge through games, exercises, dance, music, food, fashion, comical skits, manga and more. It is the first time in 3 years that NHK launches a new daily program for children.
NHK Educational Corporation’s Masakazu Sato, Producer of The Wakey Show comments,“In Japan, 7:00am is a valuable time when the entire family is together in front of the TV. By sharing with the children interesting insights from various fields every day, we hope to convey and nurture a sense of appreciation for the world that we live in.”
The Wakeys are a team of 6 members. In addition to the main character, Wakey, there are four puppet characters who each have a field of expertise and one musician. The puppets and the puppeteers represent one character – a new style of puppetry – that enables the characters to sing, dance, move more freely like even do comical skits etc
Partnering with Sesame Workshop, the global nonprofit behind Sesame Street, the program will have a weekly segment featuring Elmo. “Elmo’s Like It Rap” will invite children across Japan to share who they are, what they like, and what they’re proud of through the power of rap. Sato explains: “We’re excited to be working with the Sesame Workshop to introduce Elmo’s Like It Rap, a segment designed to foster children’s emotional well-being. By using rap — a style so popular among kids today — we hope to encourage children to be open about their feelings.” This will be the first time in 22 years that original Sesame Street content will appear as a regular program on NHK.
Manabu Nagaoka, VP & General Manager, Sesame Street Japan, comments, “As societal and academic pressures on Japanese children continue to grow, it is increasingly important to foster environments that strengthen emotional health, self-esteem, and resilience. By giving children a platform to express themselves and share their feelings, Elmo’s Like It Rap helps build children’s confidence, reduce stress by encouraging them to express themselves, and encourage positive communication.”
NHK enjoys a long history of collaboration with the Sesame Workshop. The globally beloved children’s series Sesame Street aired on NHK from 1971-2003, and in 2020, Sesame Street specials like Elmo’s Playdate were enjoyed by NHK viewers. More recently in 2024, the two collaborated on the music video“We Belong” featuring Midories, the popular children’s group, to promote social development goals. Additionally, NHK and Sesame Workshop teamed up with Japan Committee for UNICEF on the joint campaign “For Every Child” to help nurture a better future for every child.
