Monday, January 31, 2022

My Week with 2014: Astroblast!

 

Madeline Fretz - Based on the books by Bob Kolar, Astroblast! was an animated series by the company Soup2Nuts about animals running a smoothie shack in outer space. From what I have heard, the show has gained a large cult-like following, and, along with LazyTown, I think it is one of the Sprout shows with a very large fanbase. 

Sprout describes the show as:

"See that twinkling little speck in the night sky – three stars and two light years to the right of Al- pha Centauri? That’s no meteor... it’s the Astroblast Space Station! The Astroblast Space Station is like an intergalactic clubhouse... where everyone is welcome! Visitors flock from planets near and far. Why? Because it’s the perfect place to gather with old friends while making new ones!"

The show aired during The Good Night Show and The Super Sproutlet Show, and also on Saturday Mornings on NBC Kids.

The show premiered on Sprout in summer 2014, and the channel did a lot to promote, which is what they always did with new original series. SproutOnline.com had a space-themed background and released previews of the show, Sprout hosted a launch event at New York's Sugar Factory (source) and a Space Camp Tour across America, the characters would interrupt various shows at points, Sprout aired a few new space-themed idents, The Sunny Side Up Show dedicated an entire week to the show, and Nina and Star would host an Astroblast!-themed live broadcast of The Good Night Show that took place on the set of The Sunny Side Up Show (I written about the broadcast on my old blog).

The show survived the third generation rebranding in 2015, but stopped airing on Sprout in 2016 due to Soup2Nuts' discontinuation. However, it did return to Universal Kids at some point, but again stopped airing in 2018 along with a few other remaining Sprout shows.

Sunday, January 30, 2022

Sprout movie?

 

The poster for my Sprout fanfic, inspired by several movies such as The Muppets and The Country Bears

Madeline Fretz - I was thinking - wouldn't it be great if there was a Sprout movie? I know Sprout wasn't popular enough to spawn its own movie, but a few nights ago I think I had a dream in which a Sprout movie was announced.

Last year, I wrote a Sprout fanfic inspired by the likes of The Muppets and The Country Bears, and a few nights ago posted commentary on said fic. The Muppets proved that if you want to reintroduce the public to an irrelevant but classic brand, make a movie. In the fic, I, along with my mom and Yo Gabba Gabba!'s Muno reunited the Sprout gang for a telethon to bring their shows back. To you, the plot may sound unnessecary, but to me that sounds like a great plot - even if you don't have to raise money. 

Now, I know its plot has been done many times, but my fanfic would make a great movie plot. Sprout may have been aimed at the Elmo in Grouchland/Barney's Great Adventure/Oogieloves set, but, as I said, if there's going to be a Sprout movie, make it a mix between Follow That Bird and The Muppets - make it a family movie with references to Sprout's past.

A Sprout movie can't be a Sprout movie without some of the old characters and hosts - as well as their performers. I'm friends with a few people who used to work at Sprout on Facebook, so I could probably ask or contact them to see if they want to get the old gang back together to make a Sprout movie. There may be a low chance for the movie, as what Sprout is now is a channel that airs three-hour marathons of the same shows, but I say "never say never."

Anyways, what do you think of that idea, and what are your ideas for a Sprout movie? There have been lots of movies based on kids' shows over the years and theatrical revivals of classic brands, so I'm up for a Sprout movie! How about you?

Click here to share your thoughts on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Friday, January 28, 2022

My Week with Split-Screen Credits: Seasonal

 


This squeezeback played during the winter seasons from 2009 to 2015. The credits would play on a snowed in tree frame while the words "next" and "later on" and a picture of the show next or later on would be on a blue leaf.  "Jingle All the Way" from Sprout's Preschool Musical would often play during winter split-screen credits.

...And this one played during the Fall or Thanksgiving seasons. The credits would play on a tree frame in a fall setting while the words "next" and "later on" and a picture of the show next or later on would be on a yellow leaf.

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Everyday Moments

 

Madeline Fretz - Last night while editing the wiki (I'm a big fan of the wiki) and preparing for bed, I came across this cute little video from 2014. It is one of the only Sprout videos Peacock Jr. still has up on their channel (I once had a dream where the channel was called "Peacock Soup" (I think) and still had Sprout videos (including ones from the first generation) up on its channel). The description even mentions Sprout. The video is called "Everyday Moments" and is about how parents and kids use Sprout in their everyday lives.

The video has several little noticeable things. Like for one, a family can be seen watching the original Astroblast! pilot. The video was released online on March 27th, 2014, a few months before Astroblast! premiered on Sprout.

Several scenes from this video are re-used in both a Sprout's Viewer Circle commercial and a commercial for Sprout's Mom is Here.

In one scene, a little girl can be seen watching The Sunny Side Up Show (a clip of Carly and Chica to be precise) on her iPad with her Chica plush while her father hands her some cereal. The Find More of This Show bug can noticeably be seen on the iPad.

A family can be seen watching a Good Night Show episode from either Season 6 or 7, but I'm not sure what episode, could be one from the Goodnight Stories DVD.

A girl can be seen playing on the Good Night Star app with her parents.

Anyways, that's all I've noticed about the video. Have you noticed anything? I also made a wiki page for the video so you can learn more about it (PBS Kids Sprout TV Wiki is all about learning new things about Sprout, right?).

Click here to make everyday moments on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

My Week with Split-Screen Credits: Gen2 Blocks

 


Madeline Fretz - Now that we've talked about the regular squeezebacks that aired during the Second Generation, it's time to talk about the squeezebacks that aired during Sprout's programming blocks during the "Gen2."

On Season 5 (or 3, if Melanie and Leo's tenures don't count) of The Good Night Show, the show credits played on a purple screen on a tree with a bird's nest and the Sprout logo on a leaf. This practice is shown in the above video. By Season 6, the credits played on a frame with leaves.

On The Super Sproutlet Show, the credits would play on a blue screen while Bean or Mayor Meanswell would talk to the viewers.

Image from YouTube

With the Sunny Side Up Show set change in 2013, the credits would play on an overhead screen outside the Sunshine Barn.

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Weekly Character Wednesdays: Meeka


MEEKA

APPEARED IN:

Sprout Control Room

BEST-KNOWN ROLE:

Director, works in the Sprout Control Room, Banjo doppelganger

WHO IS MEEKA? Meeka is a loud-mouth canine director who appeared on Sprout during the Sprout Control Room segments, which aired during afternoons from 2014 to 2015. Her partner is M'Goats.

WHY DOES SPROUT CONTROL ROOM NEED MEEKA? People need to run control rooms and buttons need to be pushed. And kids need to know Nina and Star and Miles and Banjo are not the only duos in the Hills of Sprout, and who better to prove it to them than Meeka and M'Goats?

Click here to press buttons on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

My Week with Split-Screen Credits: Second Generation

Madeline Fretz - The second generation daytime block squeezebacks came in two forms.

In this one, the show credits would play on a frame by a tree. Hanging from a branch on that tree was a milk carton birdfeeder which would show the words "next" and "later on" and a picture of the show coming up next or later on.

In the other, the show credits would play on a yellow frame hanging from a tree, next to a ladybug on a flower. A tire swing adjacent to the frame showed the words "next" and "later on" and a picture of the show coming up next or later on. 

Image from YouTube

This squeezeback practice aired during nighttime and early mornings, and supposedly took place in the Goodnight Garden. The credits would play on a blue and purple screen, a blue star would read the words "next" and "later on" and show a picture of the show next or later on, and the Sprout logo was on a full, Kix cereal-like moon. 

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Dennisha, Carly, Kaitlin, and Kelly

 

Madeline Fretz - Sprout sure has had many programming block hosts over the years - from Melanie on The Good Night Show and Kevin on The Birthday Show and The Sunny Side Up Show to Carly and TJ on Sprout House. But there was one problem - most of them were girls.

The Sunny Side Up Show is no exception. Chica has had her fair share of hosts over the years, and in recent years she met Carly and Kaitlin, introduced in 2012 and 2014 respectively.

After The Sunny Side Up Show, Carly went on to do the aforementioned Sprout House, Universal Kids' The Big Fun Crafty Show and Get Up and Move, the Kiddie Pool podcast, Disney+'s Weird But True, Pinna's Hey Story Go, and Tube Town, based on a Sunny Side Up Show segment. Carly had to take a train, bus, and plane to get to the Sunshine Barn, and played the ukelele often when she first showed up. She was on for about the same time as Kelly (six years), and went on to host Sprout House, which replaced Sunny Side Up in 2017.

Carly and Chica also sang some insanely catchy songs together, including Numbers in the Ocean. Numbers in the Ocean doesn't seem to be on YouTube anymore, so I'm going to have to go with Days of the Week, which (SURPRISE!) is the most popular Sprout video on the Peacock Jr. YouTube channel.

Carly was fine, but, as you found out, she was too visible outside Sunny.

Compare her to Dennisha, who replaced Kevin in the host roster at the end of 2009. Dennisha was a mother, her son Declan appeared several times on The Sunny Side Up Show (usually during Hooray for Mother's Day), is a children's book author, and sang Miss Polly Had a Dolly with The Wiggles (she even appeared with them on Sunny in 2012). She left the Sunshine Barn in 2014 since she was moving, and was replaced by Emily. Dennisha, in my opinion, was more fleshed out than Carly.

However, like Carly, Dennisha was also known for her songs on the show. The only video of a solo number is "Working Time," as the rest of the songs that have Dennisha in them are group numbers. This song was sung to the tune of "Down Down Baby," and the video was taken during a Juicebox Pick segment on the January 14th, 2011 broadcast of Sprout's Wiggly Waffle.


After Sprout, Kaitlin went on to play Meekah on Amazon's "Blippi's Treehouse" and hosted Pinna's Hey Story Go. Along with Tim, she was one of the winners of Sprout's Host Hunt contest in 2013. The two were introduced to Sproutlets on the Sprout float in the 2013 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, where they sang the song "Kindness Counts," and sang "The More We Get Together" with Kelly and Chica on TV. Kaitlin officially made her Sunny Side Up Show debut on January 6th, 2014. Like Carly, Kaitlin was often involved in recurring sketches such as "Coach Kaitlin" and "Queen B" (a parody of Beyonce).


Now let's compare her to Kelly. Kelly, along with Kevin, was one of the first hosts of The Sunny Side Up Show in 2007. She performed Patty the Pig on The Sprout Sharing Show, voiced the Sprout Player app in 2009, and played and voiced herself on The Chica Show.

Kelly has been on The Sunny Side Up Show for six years, and provided some of the show's most memorable moments. Who's not to say the same about Carly and Kaitlin?

Now, I'm not saying that I don't like Carly and Kaitlin, but Dennisha and Kelly are the bomb! They all had their fair share of great songs and segments, but Carly and Kaitlin's sketches were too "recurring" and both are (and were) too visible outside Sprout.

So there you have it. Along with Nina and Melanie from The Good Night Show and, to a lesser extent, Liz from The Sunny Side Up Show, Kelly and Dennisha were strong hosts that made Sprout shining gold. Who doesn't love them?

Click here to play and voice yourself on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

My Week with Split-Screen Credits: Gen1 Blocks

 


Madeline Fretz - I talked about the split-screen credits of The Good Night Show in a previous post, but I'm going to talk about them again today along with the other programming blocks squeezebacks that aired during the first generation.

The Good Night Show squeezebacks were a bit similar to the regular squeezabacks, but the lollipop was replaced by a bird's nest as time went by.

Image from YouTube

The split-screen credits played on the set of The Sunny Side Up Show, on the pink toaster-like screen. With the set renovation in 2009, the credits played on the purple screen. During split-screen credits, the hosts would usually read viewers' messages.


On The Sprout Sharing Show, the credits would play on an easel while Patty would talk to the viewers, generally assisted by other characters.


On The Let's Go Show, the credits would play on an overhead screen between trees, while Miles and Banjo would watch the end of shows while driving Carla the Car. To me, this seemed like a throwback to the old "drive-in movie" thing.


...And this was the squeezeback used during Sprout Diner March Menu. Slightly resembled the regular squeezebacks, except with healthy food instead of lollipops.

Leo tape

 



Madeline Fretz - So ... a tape of a Good Night Show broadcast featuring Leo recently surfaced onto YouTube. I started the new Sprout Most Wanted website for one reason: to find rare stuff. This is officially the first thing we found during the age of SMW. 

Bob Runkel, the host of the DJ Bob Show podcast, says he had two Leo tapes, so maybe this is one of them. You never know.

EDIT: PBS has seemed to yank the video, so I'm instead showcasing three videos of footage from my channel contained from the tape.

Click here to upload your rare tapes to YouTube on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Monday, January 24, 2022

My Week with Split-Screen Credits: First Generation

 


Madeline Fretz - These squeezebacks were used during the first generation of Sprout, from the channel's launch in 2005 to late 2009. 

The above pictures were used during show credits. The credits played on a screen with buttons on a tree with the Sprout logo and what looks like a lollipop to me. The words "next" and "later on" on a blue circle and a picture of the show up next or later on were on the adjacent tree. A male (later female) announcer would tell you about what shows we'd see later on during the day. This squeezeback was also used during The Good Night Show.

Image from YouTube

This picture is from a YouTube video I previously blogged about. The show credits play on a screen above the Sprout logo on a triangle and two cars, while we see the words "next" and "later on" and a picture of the show up next or later on on a stoplight right by them. It is unknown when this was used or what it was for - maybe for The Let's Go Show when or before it launched. 😉

Sunday, January 23, 2022

The Great Sprout Survey: Little L

ANSWERS FROM LITTLE L

What's your favorite Sprout show and why?


Astroblast, because I have a love for cute anthropomorphic animals and SPACE!

What's your favorite Sprout programming block and why?

The Sprout Sharing Show, because I really liked the character designs of the puppets.

Name your three favorite Sprout characters and why

1. Noodle from Gorill...I mean Noodle & Doodle, since I really like puppets plus arts-n-crafts. (sorry for my Gorillaz fangirl ramblin')

2. Halley from Astroblast since I have a love of cute pink cartoon bunnies.

3. Chica from The Sunny Side Up Show and The Chica Show because like I said, I really like puppets.

If you could tell the Sprout people one thing, what would it be?

If I tell it to the Sprout Sharing Gang, I'll say "Hi Patty, Ricky, and Curtis! I miss your programming block and I love you, Patty Pig!"

If you had a picture taken with a Sprout character, who would it be and why?

Chica! Because I really wished that I'd give her a high five or a hug.

What is your favorite Sprout memory?

I watched the whole part of The Sprout Sharing Show (I think during its final year) when I was at my old house.

Favorite piece of Sprout merchandise you own?

I think I used to have a giant Thomas the Tank Engine plushie. I think I lost it when me and my family moved to a new house.

When I Was a Sproutlet: Little L

 ANSWERS FROM LITTLE L

My first pets were... 

I used to have 2 (or 1) goldfishies, rest in peace.

I loved to eat...

Mcdonald's chicken nuggets and fries, no sauce.

My nickname was...

Like I said, it's Little L.

My favorite Sesame character was...

It's either Abby Cadabby, Elmo, or Cookie Monster.

My grandparents used to...

Pick me up after school, well mostly. Mom sometimes picks me up after school.

My favorite thing to wear was...

My Pokemon shirt. IDK where it is now.

I refused to go anywhere without...

A plush toy of Pablo from Backyardigans. 

I wanted to be an... 

Animator!

My most memorable birthday was

Littlest Pet Shops, I mean alot of them. I collected LPS until the toys were redesigned in 2012.

When I got older, I got great grades in... 

Math! Who says that girls aren't great in math? I'm great at math.

My favorite color was... 

PINK! And it always is! Don't worry, I like other colors too!

Saturday, January 22, 2022

Contribute to Parents and Kids Share Together!

 Hi, Sproutlets! It's me, Maddie! I'm here to give you the opportunity to write for Parents and Kids Share Together. The show can't go on without YOU! What separates PAKST from other fan blogs is that we have recurring series our readers contribute to, and below are guidelines and examples. Feel free to submit your answers to our series OR write a new post of your own.

RULES:

  1. STAY ON TOPIC! Parents and Kids Share Together is mainly a Sprout fan blog. All posts should be related to Sprout shows, blocks, or just Sprout in general. Thanks!
  2. EMAIL TO THE RIGHT ACCOUNT! Submit all articles to energeticjustinmaddiellabie@gmail.com for approval on articles.
  3. If there are specific pictures you would like to include with your post, please submit those at the same time you submit your piece.
The Great Sprout Survey:

In this series, we talk about our favorite Sprout-related things and whatnot. (WARNING: When choosing your answers, PLEASE don't say "I can't decide" or "I like them all")

What's your favorite Sprout show and why?

What's your favorite Sprout programming block and why?

Name your three favorite Sprout characters and why

If you could tell the Sprout people one thing, what would it be?

What is your favorite Sprout memory?

If you had a picture taken with a Sprout character, who would it be and why?

Favorite piece of Sprout merchandise you own? (Feel free to post a picture)


When I Was a Sproutlet:

Inspired by a series of Sunny Side Up Show articles on SproutOnline.com, we talk about our favorite things from when we were little.

My first pets were

I loved to eat

My nickname was

My favorite Sesame character was

My grandparents used to

My favorite thing to wear was

I refused to go anywhere without

I wanted to be a

My most memorable birthday was

When I got older, I got great grades in

My favorite color was

The History of The Sunshine Barn

Image from YouTube

Madeline Fretz - Every kids' show has a central location, and for eight years the Sunny Side Up Show found itself a central location in the Sunshine Barn.

As you probably know by now, after deciding on several titles for their new live show, the Sprout team settled on "The Sunny Side Up Show," a reference to sunny-side-up eggs. Chica, the puppet co-host, was going to be a chicken hence the block's title. (source)



I discussed the 2007 set in a previous post and on my old blog, but I'm going to break it down again. The set had a closet to play "Dress Chica" games, a window with the day of the week, a blue clock, a birthday card billboard, a computer screen that resembled a toaster, and several crates. As shown in the "pilot," Mr. Mailman was originally going to slide out through doors by the crates and deliver the birthday cards, but he ended up delivering the cards through the window. Pretty cramped and cheap set if you ask me, as it was from back when Sprout was still a small channel with a pretty low budget.

Originally, cast and crew rehearsed and recorded background material in Haddon Heights, New Jersey (source), but moved to the 24th floor of Philadelphia's Comcast Center in early 2008 (source).

Image from YouTube

Here's my drawing of the 2009 set.

In early 2009, Sean and Chica had a big announcement. Construction workers were on set, Sean explained that the barn was being renovated, and we would see its new look next week, built by set constructor Gregory Kochan (source). Next week, Kelly greeted the Sproutlet viewers, and the camera zoomed out to reveal the new barn (source). 

This new barn had - lemme break it down - a printer with a face, a purple computer screen, a chair spotted like a cow, a sun clock, a window with the day of the week (or the Sprout logo), a barn crate, and, once again, a birthday card billboard. A moon or balloons would be in place of the sun clock during "Today's Birthdays" segments. The new set looked more like a barn than a decorated office, that whenever children were invited onto the set, they couldn't believe Sprout Farm, itself in the Hills of Sprout, was in the city.


In September 2010, Sprout launched its first full-length original series, Noodle and Doodle, and dropped The Let's Go Show in favor of weekend editions of The Sunny Side Up Show, so that meant another new set. The new barn had a printer, a green flower-shaped clock, a red and blue crate and cupboard, while still retaining elements from the previous set, such as the purple computer screen, the window, the sun clock, and the cow chair.


In 2013, Kelly Vrooman announced she was leaving The Sunny Side Up Show, so Sprout launched the Host Hunt contest. Tim Kubart and Kaitlin Becker auditioned and won the contest, and debuted on the Sprout float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. When the two did debut on the actual show, the set was once again remodeled. The new set had a blue board that bore the week's theme and a craft billboard, kind of like a throwback to the birthday card billboard of the first two sets. Also introduced was the Sprout Pad, an iPad the hosts used for viewers' messages and birthday wishes.


NBCUniversal acquired full ownership of Sprout in 2013, and operations of the channel moved from cozy Philadelphia to the hustle and bustle of New York City in 2014. Filming of The Sunny Side Up Show moved to 30 Rockefeller Center. The new set, which closely resembled the 2013 set, now had an arts and crafts shelf and the "Sunshine Stage," a stage for musical performances and sketches, while retaining elements from its aforementioned Philly predecessor. It was around this time that Sunny started hosting celebrities, tagging guest stars after they appeared on Today.

2015 was Sprout's tenth year in business, so that meant new digs. The channel was rebranded with new graphics and a new slogan "free to grow," new shows such as Nina's World, and Alyssa Milano became the channel's new "mom-bassador" and face of Kindness Counts. All this meant that The Sunny Side Up Show had to move to a loft in the big city, which had a flight of stairs and plenty of touch screens. The last show in the barn was September 18th, and the show had a "road trip" arc until finally moving to the city on the 26th.

Image from Facebook

Events such as Chica's Big Birthday Surprise and The Wiggles' 2009 appearance supposedly took place outside the barn. In addition, replications of the Barn set were made for the Macy's Parade float and the Sprout Mall Tour.

Click here to change throughout the years on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Friday, January 21, 2022

Who are those guest stars?

 

Image from Vimeo

Madeline Fretz - If you watch the "Behind the Squeak" video from 2012, there is a scene detailing which celebrities worked with Chica over the years - including Barney, Oscar the Grouch, Dan Zanes, Richard Blais, and ... these two?!

This is Chica at the beach with two unknown women holding beach balls. I don't know who they are or what they were there for. Anyways, we better ask or contact anyone who worked at Sprout to tell us who they were, if they remember. I will give an update if we find out.

Click here to ask who those two are on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Thursday, January 20, 2022

"Big Kid" Shows were too inappropriate for Sprout in 2005!

Madeline Fretz - One of the thing first generation Sprout fans like me (I was born in 2007, but became a Sprout fan and historian as time went by) know is that until at least December 2006, SproutOnline.com was called Sproutletsgrow.com. If you go on the "What's on TV?" page (for those who still have Flash, its icon is a television that shows pictures of characters from Sprout shows), you will see not only Sprout's original schedules, but a list of shows that aired on Sprout when it launched. (source)

A few shows on that list? (deep breath) Captain Zed and the Zee Zone, Dennis and Gnasher, Fly Tales, and Sheeep, mostly (or all?) owned by HiT Entertainment. The Three Friends and Jerry may have also aired, judging by a few sources (such as this one).

Apparently, a few of those shows had bad language and/or promoted bad behavior, so they were probably all removed a year later. However, a few shows aimed at preschoolers were also removed, such as Percy the Park Keeper and Brambly Hedge, which were a part of Summer Fun Fridays in 2008 and aired again for New Year's Day 2009 (source). As for the others (Archibald the Koala, Adventures of Captain Pugwash, and Seven Little Monsters), it is unknown what happened to them. These shows were probably exclusive to Sprout on Demand, as I see no sign of them on Sprout's schedules.

Earlier today, I wrote a post detailing HiT Entertainment's history with Sprout, and made a list of HiT's shows that aired on the channel. I mentioned a few shows that were only there at Sprout's launch, and a fan on YouTube requested I write about Dennis and Gnasher. I felt like these shows were crucial to Sprout's history, so they deserved to have a spot on this blog.

Click here to go too far on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Sprouterrific Links

 WORK IN PROCESS! I will update this post when I find more websites.

  • SesameStreet.org - The official home for all things Sesame. Here, you can find games, videos, and activities featuring everyone's favorite furry friends!
  • en.caillou.com - A site for stuff related to Caillou.
  • Bobthebuilder.com/en-us - This is Bob the Builder's official website, even though the site mostly has to do with the 2010s CGI series.
  • Thomasandfriends.com/en-gb - Thomas fans will love everything about this website.
  • Firemansam.com/en-gb/home - On TV, Fireman Sam lives in Pontypandy, but this is his home online. This site features content related to the show and its characters.
  • TheWiggles.com - Wiggles fans young and old will love visiting their website - which features games, videos, and more information about the band.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
FANSITES:
MY OTHER WEBSITES:

The History of HiT Entertainment and Sprout

 

Sprouting a Seed: The four companies that founded Sprout.

Madeline Fretz - For several decades, PBS was the home of several shows produced or distributed by HiT Entertainment (Henson International Television) - including Barney & Friends (originally from The Lyons Group and then Lyrick Studios, based on the Barney and the Backyard Gang video series), Thomas & Friends (based on Wilbert Awdry's Railway Series, came to the US as part of a series called Shining Time Station), Bob the Builder, and Angelina Ballerina (based on a series of children's books). These shows aired as part of PBS' PBS Kids block and 24-hour channel. The channel launched on September 6th, 1999, but didn't find success.

In October 2004, PBS and HiT, along with Sesame Workshop, whose shows PBS aired for decades, and Comcast Corporation, entered a partnership and announced the launch of a 24-hour preschool channel featuring shows from their archive libraries. Similarily, Sesame Workshop, formerly the Children's Television Workshop, helped Nickelodeon launch its educational cable channel NOGGIN in 1999. NOGGIN became Nick Jr. in 2009, but returned in streaming app form in 2015. Comcast announced the channel's name would be PBS Kids Sprout in 2005.

When PBS Kids Sprout launched on Comcast on Demand and as a cable channel in April and September 2005, respectively, it aired shows from PBS, Sesame, and HiT's archive libraries. Several shows from the HiT Entertainment included Barney & Friends, Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, Angelina Ballerina, Kipper, Big Sister, Little Brother, Pingu, James the Cat, Fireman Sam, The Hoobs, Fifi and the Flowertots, PICMe, Frances, Roary the Racing Car, Rubbadubbers, and Monkey See Monkey Do. Some of these shows were exclusive to Sprout. The video you see above is full of HiT shows and shows you how many Sprout aired back in the day - Sesame Street and Make Way for Noddy being the exceptions.

HiT Entertainment also released a series of videos titled "HiT Favorites," which contained of themed episodes of the company's owned shows. In 2009, the Sprout Press Room announced that HiT and Sprout were partnering for a series of two videos titled "Let's Grow," after Sprout's original slogan. Lend a Helping Hand, which I wrote about on this blog, was released in 2010, while Safety First was released a year later in 2011.

As time went by, HiT Entertainment was acquired by the UK's Apax Funds, and sold its interest of Sprout to Comcast, shortly before the channel was fully acquired by NBCUniversal, which Comcast acquired itself in 2011. HiT was acquired by Mattel in America. Despite this, several of HiT's shows would continue to air on Sprout until 2015's 10th anniversary rebrand. However, HiT's seasons of Barney & Friends and Bob the Builder: Ready, Steady, Build would air on Universal Kids for a period of time.

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Weekly Character Wednesdays: Bean (from Sprout Diner)

 


BEAN

FIRST APPEARANCE:

Sprout Diner (2006)

MOST RECENT APPEARANCE:

Preschool Musical on Two Sticks (2009)

BEST-KNOWN ROLE:

Brussel's daughter, Phone caller

WHO IS BEAN? Bean is a character from Sprout's Sprout Diner webseries. With black hair and a green dress, Bean is Brussel's daughter and Alfalfa's mother. She answers phone calls from Sprout characters that phone in, requesting meals.

WHY DOES SPROUT DINER NEED BEAN? Sprout Diner needs Bean because they need someone to answer phone calls. Without her, her Sprout friends wouldn’t have something to eat. They also need her to show a strong family relationship - she’s both a mother and a daughter.

Click here to take phone calls on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Things We Hope Will Happen for The Sunny Side Up Show's 15th



 Madeline Fretz - Man, long title! Anyways, this year marks fifteen years of The Sunny Side Up Show (#SSU15). Even though the show hasn't been seen since 2017 and Sprout has a pretty small fanbase (if not very small), I hope they'll still be some surprises for us this year, and here's what I want to celebrate. Now, I know most of these may not happen, but I say "never say never." Enjoy!

Reunion show

Wouldn't it be great if there was a Sunny Side Up Show reunion show? It would be great to see the hosts talk to the fans. Maybe there can be a special play area for kids - filled with Sprout toys, books, and videos, while their parents and older siblings learn more about Sprout and The Sunny Side Up Show. There can also be live performances and screenings of the pilot/preview from 2007, the first broadcast (which I'll mention later), and other special broadcasts such as Chica's Big Birthday Surprise, Hooray for Mother's Day, #1 Dad's Day, and the 2011 Sweet Goodnight Treat. It may also happen for Sprout's 20th anniversary in 2025. Fingers crossed, Sproutlets!

Behind-the-Scenes documentary

Another thing I'd like to see is a documentary about how The Sunny Side Up Show was made. Maybe there can be interviews with the hosts and several crew members. Besides, with THAT video, anything's possible. If it won't happen, Behind the Squeak is probably the closest we'll come to getting a Sunny documentary. This also makes me hungry for the Sprout History Video from 2011.

Releasing rare content

The Sprout History Video I mentioned above is pretty rare, and speaking of rare things, ANY anniversary needs releasing rare or hard-to-find material from the past few years. I'd like to see what I mentioned in this post. What would you like to see?

Launch day


...And finally, I would like to see a video or at least footage of The Sunny Side Up Show's launch day on September 26th, 2007, Sprout's second anniversary. In 2014, Kelly uploaded a video of the control room on launch day to her Facebook. It's one of the most wanted on my Sprout wanted list. We should make a website for finding rare Sprout content! Who's with me?

15th isn't that big, and there isn't really a big market for classic Sprout, but still, I would like to see these things this year to celebrate 15 years of The Sunny Side Up Show. Anything's possible!

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