City Island is an American children's 3-minute short education comedy animated television series created by Aaron Augenblick. The series features two young inanimate friends (voiced by Kimia Behpoornia and Kimiko Glenn) in the fictional city of City Island learning about how the city works, with a focus on civics. The three-minute episodes play between long-form series on PBS Kids. City Island debuted in December 2022.
City Island is an educational series of animated shorts that follow a talking light bulb named Watt and his best friend, a kite named Windy. The series educates children on civics-related topics including economics, geography, finance, and transportation.
City Island was created by Aaron Augenblick, known for Ugly Americans and Wonder Showzen. Augenblick stated that he created the series in part as an homage to Sesame Street, "because IâÂÂve always liked the idea that, in any episode, kids can ⦠meet all these different people in a location thatâÂÂs friendly, inviting, and seems like it would be really fun to hang out in." The purpose of the series is to educate children about civics. Augenblick worked with academic Elizabeth Hinde to decide what concepts to cover. Season 2 expanded content to include media literacy with collaboration from National Association for Media Literacy Education.
The theme music was composed by TV On The RadioâÂÂs Tunde Adebimpe. The style is based on the work of art director Gemma Correll.
Each episode is approximately 3 minutes long and plays as interstitial content between long-form series.
The series debuted in December 2022. Season 2 debuted on July 5, 2024. City Island airs on PBS Kids and on the official website in the United States.
City Island Sings!, a spin-off series of music videos with original songs inspired by artists such as The Beatles, Dua Lipa, and David Bowie, premiered on May 29, 2024.