Pajanimals

Madeline Fretz - Pajanimals was a series from the Jim Henson Company. The show started out as interstitials made by Henson and 4KIDS in 2008, and consisted of four puppet characters singing nighttime-related songs. In 2011, Henson and Sixteen South made a full, half-hour series based on the show. Here, the characters would go on imaginary adventures at bedtime to solve a problem.

A Sprout original series (and one of their first few), the show premiered on the network in November, and aired during The Good Night Show, Sprout's signature nighttime block. "La La Lullaby" aired every night before the final link.

Sprout described the show as:

"Meet The Pajanimals - CowBella, Apollo, Sweetpea Sue, and Squacky - four friends who snuggle together every night to sing sweet night time songs to their preschool friends at home."

The characters appeared with Nina in a PSA for The Great Sprout Tuck-In in 2008.

The half-hour series premiered on November 7th, 2011 during the sixth season of The Good Night Show, and "La La Lullaby" now aired after the final link every night, instantly becoming a one-hit wonder. The characters have also appeared on The Sunny Side Up Show several times - Squacky appeared in 2011, Sweetpea Sue for Valentine's Day 2013, and Granny Pearl for Grandparents' Day 2012.

The show survived the third generation rebranding, making it one of the only shows to air during all three Sprout generations, but stopped airing sometime in 2016. The show may no longer air, but it lives on in our memories.

My Week with 2016

• Floogals
• Terrific Trucks
• Dot.
• Space Racers
• YaYa and Zouk

My Week with 2016: YaYa and Zouk

 

Madeline Fretz - YaYa and Zouk is a French animated series from Animations ToonDraw.

The show premiered on Sprout on February 20th, 2016, and the channel didn't do much to promote. It just popped out of nowhere! The show was probably unsuccessful, but continued to air on Universal Kids until May 20th, 2019.

My Week with 2016: Dot.

 

Madeline Fretz - Dot. is an animated series about technology created by Industrial Brothers and the Jim Henson Company based on a book by Randi Zuckerberg, whose brother Mark is known for founding Facebook. In Canada, the series has also aired on CBC as part of its CBC Kids block.

Image from Brown Girl Gumbo

The show premiered on Sprout on October 22nd, 2016, and to promote, Sprout held a launch party at The Black Tap and Randi Zuckerberg appeared on Sunny Side Up, probably the only time they had a series creator on the show, already a celebrity cult at the time.

With Sprout's closure in 2017, the show continued to air on the then-new Universal Kids channel, which had a Sprout-branded preschool block when it launched. The show is one of the only Sprout shows to still air on Universal Kids, and its page is still up on the channel's website.

My Week with 2016: Terrific Trucks

 

Madeline Fretz - Terrific Trucks was a Sprout original series about five real trucks named Tork, Dug, Blinker, Sparky, and Stotz learning lessons about teamwork, problem solving, and friendship.

Image from Africa's Blog

The show premiered on Sprout on July 9th, 2016, and to promote, Sprout held a launch party in which Kristofer Updike explained how the show was created and what went on behind-the-scenes - the show took three years to be created, the trucks were all real, while their eyes were CGI, and the show's set in Toronto was the size of four football fields. Pretty amazing if you ask me!

I guess Updike was right when he said the show took three years to be created. Image from Vimeo (this sizzle reel also includes early versions of both Nina’s World and Floogals).

The show aired on Universal Kids once Sprout closed in 2017, and continued to air on the networks until July 7th, 2016, almost three years after it first aired on Sprout.

My Week with 2016: Floogals

 

Madeline Fretz - Floogals was a British-American children's show from Jellyfish Pictures and Zodiak Kkds about three tiny aliens discovering the human world.

One of Sprout's original series, the show premiered on the channel on January 23rd, 2016. The show continued to air on Universal Kids even after Sprout closed.

The show stopped airing on Universal Kids in 2020, although its page is still up on the channel's website.

My Week with 2014: Lily's Driftwood Bay

 

Madeline Fretz - Lily's Driftwood Bay was an Irish mixed-media show from Sixteen South Productions, who also brought us Pajanimals.

Sprout described the show as:

"Lily is 5 years old and lives with her Dad in a little hut on the beach. Across the way is Driftwood Bay - the island that Lily can see from her window, and it is here that the characters that she has created from her imagination come to life. Every day the sea washes up a new treasure which sparks Lily's imagination about what might be happening on Driftwood Bay. And so, accompanied by her best friend Gull, the clever seagull, an adventure begins as they go across the way to Lily's Driftwood Bay."

The show premiered on Sprout on May 12th, 2014, a day after Fireman Sam and The Sprout Sharing Show were taken off the schedule. It aired during The Good Night Show and The Sunny Side Up Show.

The show survived both the third generation rebranding in 2015 and the Universal Kids rebranding in 2017, but was one of many shows, also including Astroblast!, Clangers, Zou, Zerby Derby, and Stella and Sam, to get pulled from Universal Kids' lineup in 2018.

My Week with 2014: Boj

Madeline Fretz - Boj was a Britsh-Irish show that followed the adventures of a bilby (an animal from Australia who looks like a mouse) and his friends.

The show was one of many picked up by Sprout in 2013, but didn't premiere until October 11th, 2014. The show aired during The Sunny Side Up Show.

The show survived the third generation rebranding, but was one of many shows, also including LazyTown, Earth to Luna, and Tree Fu Tom, to stop airing a year later, during the Back to New campaign. However, a fan remembers these shows airing well into 2017.

My Week with 2014: Earth to Luna

 

Madeline Fretz - Earth to Luna is a Portuguese cartoon from PinGuim Studios that came to Sprout in 2014.

Sprout described the show as:

"“Earth to Luna!” is a new pre-school series about science and the exciting process of scientific inquiry that naturally leads to scientific knowledge."

The show was announced to air in March, but premiered on the channel on August 16th, with episodes being released on-demand prior. The show aired during The Sunny Side Up Show.

The show survived the third generation rebranding, but was one of several shows to stop airing a year later, along with LazyTown, Poppy Cat, and Tree Fu Tom (a fan remembers those shows airing well into 2017). This was a day before the Back to New campaign and the premiere of The Furchester Hotel.

My Week with 2014: Zerby Derby

 

Madeline Fretz - Zerby Derby was a show about pint-sized cars, including Zack, Lily, Rec, and Axle, living and playing in and exploring a life-sized forest. The show premiered on Sprout on March 1st, 2014.

Zack also made a handful of appearances on The Sunny Side Up Show. In the video above, Tim sings about him to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus."

The show survived the third generation rebranding, but was one of many remaining Sprout shows that stopped airing on Universal Kids in early 2018.

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.

The Berenstain Bears

 

Based on the books by Stan and Jan Berenstain, The Berenstain Bears is a Canadian cartoon series about a family of bears that learn morals or safety-related lessons. The series was produced by Nelvana and aired on PBS.

Image from YouTube

The series was one of many PBS shows that aired on Sprout when the channel launched on September 26th, 2005, and aired every night during The Good Night Show.

Sprout also aired a marathon of episodes once original book author Stan Berenstain died, and a Father's Day marathon in 2006 called "Papa Bear's Day Celebration."

The show also got a Sprout Diner recipe called Berenstain Bears' Breakfast Oatmeal.

Along with Caillou, the series was one of two PBS shows that survived the third generation rebrand. However, it stopped airing in 2017, shortly before the launch of Universal Kids.

My Week with Halloween: Knock-Knock, Who's There?

 I'm! I'm who? I'm here to tell you about something Sprout did in 2016. Ha!

Sprout's Knock Knock Joke Halloween was a series of animated interstitials that aired on Sprout in 2016, written and directed by Marc Cantone and animated by Aaron Stewart.

BONUS! Sprout's Dream Halloween Costume, from the same year, had animated kids explaining their dream Halloween costumes. They were also written and produced by Cantone.

Weekly Character Wednesdays: Hush

 

HUSH

FIRST APPEARANCE:

The Good Night Show (2005)

MOST RECENT APPEARANCE:

Nina's World

BEST-KNOWN ROLE:

Show-introducer, very good swimmer

WHO IS HUSH? This is Hush the Fish from The Good Night Show. At the end of each show, Nina (previously Melanie Martinez) and the viewers would say goodnight to him via a sign language poem and make wishes about what they'd like to have tonight. What did you wish for? In later shows and in a Kindness Counts PSA, Nina and Star would feed Hush. Hush also appeared in animated form on Nina's World, which premiered in 2015.

WHY DOES THE GOOD NIGHT SHOW NEED HUSH? Before Lucy the Firefly was introduced in 2006, Hush was originally the go-to for introducing shows coming up next - he blew bubbles in his bowl that had clips of the show coming on and, as mentioned earlier, appeared in the final continuity link for the host and the viewers to say goodnight and make a wish. 

My Week with Birthdays: It's YOUR Birthday!

 Starting with the site refresh in July 2015 (during Summer of Sprout, a few months before the 10th anniversary rebrand), viewers could celebrate their birthdays ON Sproutonline.com, something Sprout has never done before.

(I can't seem to find a picture of personalized birthdays)

It was just like the birthday wishes on Sunny Side Up - you could upload a picture of your child, type in his (or her) name, and make the screen his (or her) favorite color, all on his (or her) special day, and voila - they have a Sprout birthday surprise!

The Chica Show

 

Madeline Fretz - Have you ever seen The Chica Show? Think of it as Elliot Moose meets Mr. Benn meets Sesame Street meets The Sunny Side Up Show! The show features Chica the chicken from The Sunny Side Up Show herself, as well as Kelly (played by Sunny Side Up Show host Kelly Vrooman, who also played Patty the Pig on The Sprout Sharing Show) and her mom, Mrs. C (played by Jennifer Barnhart, who played Cleo on PBS' Between the Lions). They are joined by new characters Mr. C (Chica's dad) (played by John Kennedy of Sesame Street and The Muppets (source)), Stitches the mannequin doll (voiced by Saved by the Bell's Mario Lopez) and Bunji the Rabbit (voiced by John Taylor, who also voiced Sal the Octopus from Astroblast!). The series premiered on Sprout on November 24, 2012 and quickly became the channel's highest rated original series. It also aired on NBC Kids on Saturday mornings.

To promote the show's launch, Sprout interrupted its shows at points by having the characters imitating Chica. The same thing also happened with people in a promo, in which Chica herself makes a cameo. A sneak peek of the series was shown on Halloween 2012, which makes sense because the show took place in a costume shop, and you wear costumes on Halloween.

In addition, an online "Squeakstakes" was held in which viewers would select costumes for Chica to wear on the day of her show's premiere.

The show, along with Noodle and Doodle, left Sprout on July 2017, a month before its inspiration dissolved and two months before Sprout became Universal Kids. However, the show returned to Universal Kids on May 20, 2019 in order to revive ratings and appeal to nostalgia. This was the same day Mofy and Moon and Me started airing on the channel. As of 2020, the show has left Universal Kids due to the channel airing "best of" blocks daily.

My Week with 2011: Get Lazy!

 

One of the only TV shows made in Iceland, LazyTown is a show based on a play and a few books about exercise and nutrition. The show has garnered a large adult fanbase and spawned many memes. The show came to the US in 2004 on Nick Jr., but Nickelodeon lost the rights to the show in 2010. Where did it move to a year later?

Sprout! It moved to Sprout on September 5th, 2011, and aired during their afternoon Daytime block (the block before The Sprout Sharing Show) and on Sprout's Wiggly Waffle.

The next Valentine's Day, Sprout would give LazyTown what it gave The Wiggles three years ago - a programming block. The Super Sproutlet Show launched on February 14th, 2012 and aired from 2PM to 4PM ET (it moved to 6AM the next year). Sportacus and Mayor Meanswell would appear in the new block alongside a new character called Bean (Catherine Missal).

Sportacus also appeared in "Let's Move" PSAs with Chica and former FLOTUS Michelle Obama, in the "Family Challenge" app, and on The Sunny Side Up Show on July 27, 2012. Stephanie also appeared the same year.

The characters also appeared on Sprout and Produce for Kids signs in grocery stores and made public appearances in grocery stores to promote the two's partnership. 

Unlike Nickelodeon, Sprout showed all of Seasons 1 and 2. The show proved popular that Seasons 3 and 4 premiered on Sprout in 2013. The show also aired during NBC's Saturday morning Sprout block, NBC Kids.

The show left Sprout on September 26th, 2016 during the "Back to New" campaign, along with Poppy Cat, Tree Fu Tom, Earth to Luna, and Boj.

My Week with 2011: The Purr-Fect Show

 

The year is 2011. The Good Night Show is preparing for its sixth season - there's the You and Me Tree, Nina's new pajamas, Sandy Stories, Star Talks to Kids, and the "Clean Up Song." Sprout also adds two new shows for the season - the half-hour Pajanimals series and Poppy Cat, which is the show we're talking about.

Based on a series of children's books by Lara Jones, Poppy premiered on Sprout on November 7th, 2011, the day of the new Good Night Show season. The show also aired on The Sunny Side Up Show and on NBC Kids, NBC's Saturday Morning block of Sprout shows.

The show left Sprout on September 26, 2016 during the "Back to New" campaign, along with LazyTown, Boj, Earth to Luna, and Tree Fu Tom.

My Week with 2010: Another Dress Up Day

 Nowadays, kids watch Peppa Pig and speak in British accents. Apparently, Sprout aired British programming too, and I wonder if kids did the same back then. This show had a lot of those:

Chloe's Closet is a children's show about a Welsh girl named (SURPRISE!) Chloe and her friends going on dress-up adventures in her closet. 

The show first aired on Sprout on July 12, 2010 during The Sprout Sharing Show (at 5:30PM) and The Sunny Side Up Show (at 11:30AM). It also found a timeslot on Wiggly Waffle at 8:30AM. The show last aired in December 2016.

My Week with 2010: Let's Cook and Craft!

 

Madeline Fretz - Hi, my name is Maddie, and welcome to a week where we're covering 2010, a great year! This was not an ordinary year for Sprout, as the channel let go of The Let's Go Show to have LIVE weekend broadcasts of The Sunny Side Up Show. What did it do to promote?

When Sprout launched, its original series were all interstitials - The Many Adventures of Mr. Mailman, Sprout Diner, and Jim Henson's Pajanimals (the latter would get its own half-hour series in 2011). Sprout executives decided to try something different, something they have never done before… a full-length, half-hour series!

What was the half-hour series called? Noodle and Doodle. The series taught viewers how to make crafts and recipes that also got their own pages on Sproutonline.com - in fact, the show also got its own website on Sproutonline.com. The new show aired on weekends on The Sunny Side Up Show.

The series was hosted by actor Sean Roach, who joined The Sunny Side Up Show in early 2008. Roach was joined by a new female puppet character named Noodle McNoodle, played by an unknown actor. The duo was joined by real kids who would help out with the lessons.

The show also had its own animated segment called Doggity's Diner, which was basically Sprout Diner with dogs. That also got a page on Sproutonline.com.

The show proved very popular and continued to air daily on Sprout until Summer 2017.