For the fourth year running, KidScreen gave top

programmers and distributors unlimited budgets and the choice of any shows available, and asked them to pick ‘dream’ two-hour blocks of programming.

This year, with a nod towards niche, we asked respondents to chose their faves not only for kids, but for preschoolers and teens too. The response? A mix of returning classics and green up-and-comers.

Shows garnering the highest number of votes in each category earned a spot on the `A’ Team, with shows earning the second and third most votes assigned to the `B’ and `C’ Teams respectively.

Many of the top picks are hardly shocking. Rugrats, in particular, has earned itself classic status as the only show to make it into our Dream Block for four years running. It’s also interesting to note the sheer number of series chosen: A whopping 82 different shows were voted for in the kids category alone.

Preschool

A team

Teletubbies

Ragdoll Productions/BBC

‘It’s innovative and totally produced for its audience of very young children. It hits the mark.’

B team

Blue’s Clues

Nickelodeon

‘Interesting visuals and cutting-edge technology-with a simple setup.’

C team

Sesame Street

Children’s Television Workshop

‘It’s traditional, it’s like learning to walk.’

Bear in the Big Blue House

The Jim Henson Company for the Disney Channel

‘The show is high-energy, funny, with a contemporary attitude.’

Runners-up:

Maisy

King Rollo Films for PolyGram Visual Programming

Little Bear

Nelvana/John Carls Productions/Wildthings Productions

Arthur

Cinar/WGBH Boston

Most unusual pick:

The Three Stooges

Comedy III Productions

Kids ages six to 12

A team

Rugrats

Klasky Csupo/

Nickelodeon

‘Good, naughty fun within safe parameters.’

B team

Arthur

Cinar/WGBH Boston

‘Arthur deals with issues from a kid’s point of view. It’s funny and charming and gets kids to read books.’

Disney’s Doug

Jumbo Pictures in association with Walt Disney Television

‘Thoughtful situations that kids can relate to rendered in great animation style.’

C Team

The Magic School Bus

Scholastic Productions

‘It’s intelligent without being mawkish or pandering.’

Bill Nye the Science Guy

KCTS Television/Rabbit Ears Productions for Buena Vista Television

‘It suits kids’ attention spans and gets them thinking in a way that other shows don’t.’

Runners-up:

The Simpsons

Gracie Films/20th Century Fox Television/

Film Roman

Hey Arnold!

Nickelodeon

Most unusual pick:

Anything from The Chimp Channel

Turner Entertainment

Teen ages 13 to 19

A team

South Park

Comedy Central

‘Wonderfully irreverent.’

The Simpsons

Gracie Films/20th Century Fox Television/Film Roman

‘The best writing on TV.’

B team

Daria

MTV Networks

‘Cool, smart and sardonic. I wish I was like that in high school.’

Most unusual pick:

Whose Line is it Anyway?

Hat Trick Productions/ Riverside Productions

Dream Block intelligence agents

Natalie Altmann, head of children’s programming, M6, Paris, France

Jonathan Barzilay, senior VP and GM of children’s programming, ABC, Burbank, California

Hasmi Giakoumis, VP of production, Cambium Entertainment, Toronto, Canada

Kathy Hilbert, programming supervisor, WOIO/WUAB, Cleveland, Ohio

Lisa Hryniewicz, president, Salsa Distribution, Paris, France

Veronica Hutchinson, VP of programming management and creative services, BET, Washington, D.C.

Sydney Iwanter, VP of original programming, Odyssey Channel, Studio City, California

Frances James, acquisitions programmer, children’s department, TVOntario, Toronto, Canada

Virginia Lumsden, children’s programmer, ABC-TV, Gore Hill, Australia

John Mason, director of programming and promotion, WTIC-TV, Hartford, Connecticut

Susanne Miller, head of children’s, ZDF, Mainz, Germany

Adrian Mills, creative head of children’s, youth and daytime, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), Toronto, Canada

Dolores Morris, VP, HBO Family, New York, New York

Bertrand Mosca, head of children’s, France 3, Paris, France

Peter Moss, VP of programming and production, YTV, Toronto, Canada

Jay Mulvaney, VP of programming and production, Discovery Kids, New York, New York

Brian O’Neal, VP of children’s programming, CBS, Los Angeles, California

Kate Pearson, acquisitions director, HBO Latin America, Miami, Florida

Dea Connick Perez, VP of programming, Cartoon Network, Atlanta, Georgia

Maria Perez, head of youth programming, Canal+, Paris, France

Nathalie Pinguet, head of youth programming, TF1, Boulogne, France

Theresa Plummer-Andrews, head of acqui-sitions & creative development, children’s, BBC Television, London, England

Rick Potlock, producer/program schedule manager, WLRN-TV, Miami, Florida

Carole Rosen, VP of original programming, HBO Family, New York, New York

Robin Schwartz, producer, Schwartz/Tarlow Productions, Los Angeles, California (formerly VP of Saturday morning programs and prime-time series, NBC)

Mike Seymour, VP of programming, Florida West Coast Public Broadcasting, WEDU-TV, Tampa, Florida

Phil Sissons, director of programming, Fox Kids Europe, London, England

Brigid Sullivan, VP of special telecommunications services and children’s programming, WGBH-TV, Boston, Massachusetts

Toper Taylor, president, Nelvana, Toronto, Canada

Sarah Tomassi, director of programming, Noggin, New York, New York

Steve Weisberg, TV program director, WLRN-TV, Miami, Florida

Kevin Wright, VP of programming, Teletoon, Toronto, Canada