Janice Burgess, ‘The Backyardigans’ creator, dies at 72

Janice Burgess, creator of Nickelodeon show ‘The Backyardigans’, has passed away at 72.

Fracaswell Hyman, Burgess’ long-time friend, confirmed her death via Instagram on Monday.

Hyman reminisced about their experiences together, including developing shows and making each other laugh.

He also stated that she created several shows aside from ‘The Backyardigans’ and hailed her creativity.

“I met Janice Burgess early in my career when I was head writer on GULLAH GULLAH ISLAND and she was assigned to be our Executive in Charge of Production,” he wrote.

“Janice created THE BACKYARDIGANS and guided countless other shows for Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop, Disney and Apple TV,

“Her script/story critiques were astute, clear and constructive – and I really thank her for that.

“Janice, Maria Perez-Brown and I developed shows together, gossiped together and oh, how we laughed! I will miss my dear friend. RIP. Oh, how we laughed…”

The cause of death, however, was not revealed.

Burgess was an American television executive, screenwriter, and producer for Nickelodeon.

She joined Nickelodeon in 1995 as executive-in-charge of production and worked on several shows, including ‘Gullah, Gullah Island,’ ‘Allegra’s Window,’ ‘Blue’s Clues,’ and ‘Bubble Guppies’.

‘The Backyardigans’, her show, premiered in 2004 and wrapped production in 2010.

Burgess received several awards and recognitions, including an Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program.