About – The Zinghoppers

Jack and Kitty Norton from the Zinghoppers at the lake.

Hey there, friends! We’re thrilled you’ve found us! We’re high school sweethearts and best friends since we were 14, now married soulmates and creators of the Zinghoppers — an educational children’s music brand. We’ve worn lots of hats over the years — traveling the country in our old beat-up pickup truck as bluegrass musicians, playing rowdy tunes in honky-tonks back in the day, teaching preschool, writing books, and even serving as ordained ministers! But through it all, two things never changed: our love for each other and our passion for educating, entertaining, and inspiring folks.

Our mission is to spread joy and celebrate the simple things in life. We feel called to do this by entertaining children.

Our colorful animated characters (Penelope the Possum, Olo the Donkey, Coconuts the Kangaroo, and their puppet pals Grandpa Sven and Buppy Bear) were born in our classroom as teaching tools to engage children in daily lesson plans. When parents and fellow teachers kept asking for more, we knew we had something special. We recorded simple albums and made teacher training materials so our peers could use our songs in the classroom too! Then we hit the road as digital nomads, traveling the back roads of America’s heartland, and started a blog to share our songs and stories with families and educators. That blog morphed into a parenting lifestyle blog which currently has over 500,000 unique visitors every month!

Jack and Kitty Norton, creators of the Zinghoppers.

We’re not fancy folks with deep pockets, but we pour our hearts into everything we do. We are now focused on building our brand new YouTube Kids channel: From writing the songs and creating animations to “lending” our voices to our animated Zinghoppers friends, we do it all ourselves. Why? Because we believe in spreading hope, kindness, and good old-fashioned honesty to the world — one child at a time. Give us a subscribe here.

Finally, to all the teachers, parents, and caregivers out there shaping young hearts and minds: YOU are our heroes. Thank you for nurturing imagination and learning. We’re so grateful to be on this journey with you!

Career Highlights

2003 – Kitty earns her degree in Early Childhood Education and starts working as a preschool teacher. Soon, Jack is bringing his guitar and the duo start writing songs as The Zinghoppers.

2005 – The Zinghoppers start performing at kid’s birthday parties and small appearances throughout Minnesota. Eventually, they go on the appear at major venues such as The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, the Minnesota State Fair, and the Mall of America.

2009 – The Zinghoppers move to Nashville and began performing concerts across Tennessee.

2009 – Jack partners with HIT! Entertainment and appears at Day Out With Thomas events across the United States, performing alongside Thomas the Tank Engine.

2010 – The Zinghoppers are named Nashville’s Best Children’s Performers by Nashville Parent Magazine. They would win the award for the next five years, before moving back to Minnesota. Performances include the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Bluebird Cafe, and CMA Fest.

2010 – Produced first PBS concert special for fundraising telethon. Filmed live in Cookeville, Tennessee.

Michelle Obama dancing to the "Tooty Ta" by the Zinghoppers.

2011 – The Zinghoppers first world tour! 24 country children’s concert tour for Armed Forces Entertainment and the U.S. Pentagon – performing for U.S. Military families serving overseas.

2012 – Season One of The Zinghoppers Show airs on PBS Kids, with Nashville Public Television as our presenting station, and The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) as our distribution partner.

2012 to 2018 – The Zinghoppers perform an average of over 500 shows at schools, libraries, festivals, and theaters every year.

2013 – The Zinghoppers perform at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

2013 – The Zinghoppers win regional Emmy Award for songwriting, Janet’s Planet, airing on PBS.

2013 – Season Two of The Zinghoppers Show airs on PBS Kids, with Nashville Public Television as our presenting station, and The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) as our distribution partner. Over 100 PBS Kids member stations air the interstitial series.

2013 – Produced second PBS concert special for fundraising telethon. Filmed live in Franklin, Tennessee.

2013 – Brand partnerships with KidzBop, Chick-fil-A, and Whole Foods. The Zinghoppers Show airs on over 174 countries thanks to licensing partnerships with The Armed Forces Network’s Family Channel and Trinity Broadcast Network’s Smile of a Child (preschool education channel).

2014 – The Zinghoppers move back to Minnesota.

2014 – Produced third PBS concert special for fundraising telethon. Filmed in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

2015 – Three Zinghoppers songs appear in the soundtrack for Jug Band Hokum, a feature film acquired by Amazon Prime, starring Garrison Keillor, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Dom Flemons, and Charlie Parr.

2017 – The Zinghoppers compose and perform four original songs as the Zinghoppers for The Florida Project, an Oscar-nominated film starring Willem Dafoe, directed by Sean Baker (Anora, Tangerine). The film premieres at the Cannes Film Festival.

2019 – The Zinghoppers return to touring Europe, with family concerts in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Czechia, and Denmark.

2020 – Founded a multimedia publishing company, where Kitty currently serves as President and CEO. Jack continues to tell bad jokes.

2023 – Founded a parenting lifestyle and family travel blog — currently averaging 500,000 monthly visitors.

2024 – In October the blog gets 1.4 million unique visitors.

2025 – The Zinghoppers return with a new series for YouTube Kids which includes live action, animations, puppets, and more.

Jack and Kitty from the Zinghoppers visit East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville, TN.

Music for Healing: Volunteering at Children’s Hospitals

The Zinghoppers passionately volunteer their time bringing joy to children’s hospitals across the country. Armed with their vibrant puppets, like Penelope the Possum and Coconuts the Kangaroo, and their infectious preschool pop music, they create uplifting experiences for young patients and their families.

Their performances, filled with singing, dancing, and laughter, aim to inspire hope and provide a dose of happiness, reflecting their deep commitment to supporting children in need through the healing power of music and play.