Meet Emmanuel Carter, The Noggin Knows Host Making Learning Fun

Nickelodeon’s Noggin has been through a few iterations since it first launched in 1999, but its current era just may be the most exciting one yet. Designed for children ages two to seven, Noggin is now a full-fledged interactive learning platform full of books, games, activities, and original series, including the incredibly fun Noggin Knows. Fatherly chatted with Noggin Knows host Emmanuel Carter ahead of the educational series’ third season, which is set to be the show’s greatest adventure yet.

“I’m always surprised that there are so many new things to still learn about the world around us,” says Carter. “As I’m teaching these facts, I’m still learning alongside the children I’m teaching. It shows you just how big the world is.”

Noggin Knows is a virtual class for little learners that takes them on a never-ending field trip across the United States. Backed by research, the show is developed by a team of educators to set up young kids with important skills for school and life. The show’s lessons — taught through song and dance — manage to strike the balance between being age-appropriate for kids while also engaging the grown-ups in the room. Carter explains that Noggin Knows wasn’t originally intended to be as musical as it currently is, however.

When he submitted his audition tape in 2020, he was tasked with putting together a lesson in the form of a simple rhyme, but instead, he created an entire song. Noggin then discovered an opportunity to create a different kind of show that could help kids safely learn at home. Carter’s creativity landed him the job, and he soon found himself hosting Noggin Knows and writing the songs for Season One.

Since then, the show has continued to grow and evolve, including some major surprises in store for Season Three. We won’t spoil too much, but here’s a little teaser: The latest installment of Noggin Knows is taking viewers everywhere, from their local fire station to a thrilling animal safari. “Honestly, there’s no children’s TV show like it,” says Carter. “We do take those leaps and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to go as big as we can.’ The more fun the show is, the more fun the children have watching it.”

Although Noggin Knows is all about having a great time, Carter takes his role pretty seriously. The importance of being a role model for a huge audience is not lost on him. “I didn’t grow up with a male around, and so I want every father or man that has a little person that’s important to them to always consider that they have somebody that they can cultivate and bring up to be a great person,” he says.

Noggin Knows certainly helps provide fathers with useful tools to inspire their little ones, from entertaining television episodes to educational activity books. Carter says he enjoys seeing his own children apply lessons from the show in their daily lives. One example he cites was a recent heartwarming moment: His son excitedly broke out into a song from the series about the Statue of Liberty when he recognized the monument on a mall poster near their home in Indiana.

“As a father of three boys, I just want to make sure that they’re watching something that is going to foster their intelligence and who they are as a person,” says Carter. “Our mission statement at the end of every single episode is to make sure that you keep your minds strong, your bodies healthy, and your hearts big.”

Check out Noggin Knows and try Noggin for $0.99/month for three months!