Sprout’s Snooze-a-Thon

 

Ever watched something on TV and just thought it was so boring-- "Wow, what a snooze-a-thon"? Ever Christmas Eve from 2007 to 2015, Sprout gave new meaning to the term, with a 12-hour continuous stream of sleeping characters from shows and blocks.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, so I thought now would be a good time to take a look back at this special annual event.

The event's official summary from Sprout's press room:

Sprout, the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, is offering a unique solution this Christmas Eve for parents trying to get their little ones settled down and ready for bed. 

From 6:00 p.m. ET on December 24 straight through to 5:00 a.m. ET Christmas morning, Sprout will air the “Snooze-A-Thon,” an 11-hour, uninterrupted block showcasing popular nighttime host Nina and her puppet sidekick Star from The Good Night Show® snoozing comfortably on the set, along with clips of beloved characters from preschool favorites like Sesame Street®, Dragon Tales™, The Hoobs™, Pingu™ and Berenstain Bears™ catching some zzz’s.  So, no matter what time of night the kids are up checking for the sound of reindeer hooves on the roof, parents can tune into Sprout to show them that even their favorite television friends are fast asleep waiting for Santa to arrive.

“Parents have told us that bedtime is the most challenging time of day, and getting children settled in on Christmas Eve can be even more difficult,” said Andrew Beecham, senior vice president of programming for Sprout.  “We help parents wind down their kids every night with The Good Night Show, but wanted to do something unique and fun for this special evening.”  

Sprout also aired "Nina Sleeps," an on-demand version of this event.

Anyways, the Danish children’s channel DR Ramasjang includes a ten-hour loop of their characters sleeping every night since 2009, oddly similar to what Sprout did.