Janice Burgess, the creator of the popular Nickelodeon show The Backyardigans, died in hospice care in New York City.
According to The New York Times, the 72-year-old television executive's longtime friend and founder of Nick Jr., Brown Johnson, confirmed she lost her battle with breast cancer on Saturday. Nickelodeon released a statement shortly after her death praising Burgess for all that she contributed to the network and its other platform, Nick Jr., where The Backyardigans was aired between 2009 and 2018.
"We are saddened to learn of the passing of one of the great architects of Nick Jr. and creator of the globally beloved series, The Backyardigans," Nickelodeon said in a statement. "Janice was one of the greats–inherently creative and kind, and dedicated to the preschool audience everywhere."
Burgess was born in Pittsburgh and graduated from Brandeis University in 1975 with an art history degree. Her career path changed when she jumped into television, working for Pittsburg's WQED station.
Nickelodeon eventually hired her as an executive in charge of production for Nick Jr. and helped develop shows such as Blue's Clues, Little Bill, Allegra's Window, and Gullah Gullah Island. She crossed over to the creative side and helmed a pilot for a live-action puppet show titled Me and My Friends in 1998, but that was repurposed into the animated series called The Backyardigans.
The show ran from 2004 to 2013 and became a massive hit amongst children, before becoming a live show called The Backyardigans Live! Tale of the Mighty Knights. In 2021, the show saw a resurgence when remixes to the songs "Into the Thick of It!" and "Castaways" went viral on TikTok.
Burgess told the NYT that her own childhood backyard inspired the show. "I really remember it as a wonderful, happy, safe place," she said. "You could have these great adventures just romping around. From there, you could go anywhere or do anything," she said.
