Japan’s NHK is saying rise and shine to kids with its first new daily program for this audience in three years.

The public broadcaster has scheduled The Wakey Show (pictured) to launch on March 31, and the plan is to air 210 20-minute episodes on weekday mornings through to the end of 2025.

This puppet-driven live-action series is headlined by a teddy bear DJ named Wakey and his besties. Together, they participate in comedy skits, perform exercise/dance sequences, and teach kids about everything from food and music, to fashion and manga.

Designed to help kids ages six to 12 perk up before they head to school, the show is scheduled to air at 7:00 a.m. This is “a valuable time [in Japan] when the entire family is together in front of the TV,” notes Masakazu Sato, a senior producer at NHK Educational Corporation who also produced the last daily program three years ago, Blue Yellow.

Courtesy of Sesame Workshop

NHK, NHK Educational and Sony Music Entertainment are producing The Wakey Show in association with Japanese studio Directions. And the series is also banking on the appeal of popular Sesame Street character Elmo, who will star in a weekly segment called “Elmo’s Like It Rap” made in partnership with Sesame Workshop. The world-renowned Muppet will listen up as real Japanese kids express themselves through rap in a bid to promote emotional health and self-esteem.

This builds on a longstanding relationship between Sesame Workshop and NHK, which played a pivotal role in expanding Sesame Street‘s global footprint early on, acquiring and launching the series in Japan shortly after it won the Japan Prize Grand Prix in 1971.

Featured image credit ©NHK

Updated on March 24, 2025