Nick Jr. Says Hello to More Ni Hao, Kai-lan

Nick Jr. has ordered 20 new episodes of the half-hour animated preschool series Ni Hao, Kai-lan. Created by Karen Chau and exec produced by Mary Harrington, the toon introduces preschoolers to Chinese culture and the Mandarin language and is currently the No. 2 ranked show on Nick Jr (ride behind Dora the Explorer).

Production on the new episodes is set to start in August, with the episodes to begin airing in winter 2009. Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products also are ready to launch an extensive merchandising program with deals already in the works for apparel and DVDs. The show’s first DVD Ni Hao Kai-Lan: Super Special Days will be released on August 12.