BOSTON, May 17, 2022 -GBH Kids and The Magic House today announced the opening of “Molly of Denali: An Alaskan Adventure,” an interactive traveling exhibit and life-size replica of the fictional village of Qyah, from the award-winning PBS KIDS animated seriesMOLLY OF DENALI®. Debuting in St. Louis to coincide with the opening of theAssociation of Children’s Museum’s annual conference, it’s an opportunity for children’s museums across the United States to bring the exhibit to their local community, offering children the chance to experience life in an Alaska Native village right in their own backyards.
“Whether it’s riding a dog sled or exploring the Alaska’s wilderness, ‘Molly of Denali: An Alaskan Adventure’ offers Molly fans the opportunity to experience what it’s like to live in an Alaska Native village,” said Yatibaey Evans, creative producer for MOLLY OF DENALI® at GBH in Boston. “Recreating Qyah is a special way for us to share Indigenous and Alaska Native cultures and heritages with children and their families.”
Led by an advisory group of educators from the Alaska Native community, the exhibit is an authentically representative experience, designed to educate and engage young audiences and their families about Native cultures and current day life in Alaska. “Molly of Denali: An Alaskan Adventure” showcases Molly’s life in her hometown Qyah during the summer and winter seasons. A series of interactive learning experiences immerses visitors in the unique landscape of Alaska. The centerpieces of the experience are replicas of the Qyah Trading Post and the Tribal Hall, where visitors are encouraged to explore the culture and values of the Alaska Native peoples. A replica of Molly’s mom’s plane and an invitation to fly using a video screen “windshield” allows kids to experience what it is like to be a bush pilot in Alaska.
Reflecting the series’ educational focus on introducing Informational Text (IT) curriculum to young learners, technology is integrated throughout the exhibit, including opportunities for visitors to be part of Molly’s vlog, games, and other hand-on activities. Launching at Magic House in St. Louis, the exhibit will then travel to the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum in winter 2023 followed by an installation at the Springfield Museum (Springfield, MA). For information to have the exhibit at your museum reach travelingexhibits@magichouse.org.
In collaboration with the exhibit, MOLLY OF DENALI® is also launching the first ever MOLLY OF DENALI e-store. Available to fans across the country, the store includes books, t-shirts, hoodies, and hats for kids and adults, featuring Molly, her friends Tooey and Trini and her favorite dog Suki. The shop is joining other beloved GBH brands including ARTHUR, PINKALICIOUS & PETERRIFIC, and ZOOM.
“For two seasons, Molly Mabray has charmed young audiences with her spirit of adventure and use of informational text to solve everyday challenges,” said Terry Fitzpatrick, GBH Vice President for Children’s Media. “We hope this exhibit will allow visitors to connect with life in Alaska in new ways through this hands-on exhibit.”
The George Foster Peabody Award-winning show MOLLY OF DENALI® is the first nationally distributed children's program to feature Native American and Alaska Native lead characters. Over 80 Alaska Native and Indigenous people work on every aspect of MOLLY OF DENALI,® including an advisory group, producers, writers, voice actors, and musicians. Produced by GBH Boston and available on PBS KIDS, MOLLY OF DENALI® is in its second broadcast season, reaching 2.7 million viewers per week and third podcast season with over 12 million audio streams and over 146,000 YouTube Views.[1]
About Molly of Denali
MOLLY OF DENALI is produced by GBH and its animation partner, Atomic Cartoons. MOLLY OF DENALI® involves Alaska Native voices in all aspects of the production, both on screen and behind the scenes. Every Indigenous character is voiced by an Indigenous actor, including Molly, voiced by Alaska Native Sovereign Bill (Tlingit and Muckleshoot).
Support for MOLLY OF DENALI® is provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the GBH Kids Catalyst Fund, and by public television viewers. Corporate funding is provided by Target and ABCmouse.com.
Alaska Native collaborators: Wilson Justin, Lorraine David, Rochelle Adams, Dewey Kk’oleyo Hoffman, and Princess Johnson. Language Advisors: Allan Hayton, Aassanaaq Kairaiuak, Joel Isaak, Lance X’unei Twitchell, Lorraine David, and Marjorie Tahbone. Informational text advisor: Nell K. Duke, University of Michigan.
About GBH Kids
GBH Kids is one of the top producers for public media, creating educational content for kids, parents, caregivers and teachers, including iconic PBS KIDS programs such as the award-winning Arthur and Molly of Denali, digital series such as Scribbles and Ink, games, apps and podcasts. GBH Kids, based in Boston, also works closely with PBS LearningMedia, providing digital curricula for more than 2 million teachers across all 50 states. GBH Kids is committed to equity and access to educational media and the healthy development of all children. As the inventor of closed captioning and audio description, GBH is dedicated to making media accessible and inclusive. Find more information at gbh.org/kids.
About The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum
The Magic House is a not-for-profit participatory museum that provides hands-on learning experiences that spark imagination, pique curiosity, enhance creativity and develop problem-solving skills within a place of beauty, wonder, joy and magic. Serving more than 550,000 visitors annually, The Magic House opened in 1979 and has 55,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits. In 2019, the Museum opened an all-new satellite makerspace in the City of St. Louis on Delmar Boulevard, located between the Central West End and the Delmar Loop. For additional information, please call or text 314.822.8900 or visit The Magic House online at www.magichouse.org.
[1] Nielsen NPower Program Reach Report, all Molly of Denali, NTI 7/1/2019 - 3/27/22
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