Sprout and Autism

Image from 2018

Madeline Fretz - You know me, but one thing you don't know about me is that I'm an autistic girl, which may explain why I love little kids' shows. I'll admit, I've loved little kids' shows ever since I was a toddler, but having autism may be the reason why I'm a big fan even to this day. Autism is amazing, it means you see the world differently.

Having autism also means you behave differently. I'm good-mannered, but, like Caillou, I sometimes throw tantrums and cry like a little kid, which is probably why, over the years, I've used chewy necklaces and went to speech and occupational therapy classes (and had some at my own house) (as for the former, I bite my fingers a lot, so that could be why). In addition, we were not alone, as several children's shows, including those I like, have introduced characters with autism. With characters like these, kids like me were represented.

As I said, like other people I know, I'm autistic and I love kids' shows, which could be the reason why I stay inside and spend a lot of time on screens (I'm more of an indoors person, though I usually go outside), which may lead to lack of sunlight. Sprout is something I've loved ever since I was little ... or have I? As you probably know, I had "Sproutophobia" as a "Sproutlet" - I was afraid of whenever The Sunny Side Up Show had guest appearances from characters, but calmed down and overcame my fears as I got older.

I have four of the same picture on each wall in my room, and it's THIS ONE. No, seriously!

Sprout was hugely impactful on children with special needs, including those like me on the autism spectrum. The hosts made the children feel safe, comfortable in a troublesome world, and, like Mr. Rogers, were very gentle and understood their viewers, treating them like real people. Serenity.

In this post, you'll find out why Sprout was a place for kids with autism. Read on!

The Sunny Side Up Show was like any other children's show, except it was live, unscripted, and the hosts never talked down to kids. Unlike Play School, the hosts of The Sunny Side Up Show behaved like real people rather than actors. They were sweet, calm, and made kids feel welcome in their own little world. Sunny was also a place where kids could learn about a different educational topic each week and could get to send in fun stuff related to the week's theme. I'd have to say, very autism-like.

The Good Night Show was like The Sunny Side Up Show (I even made a piece about which one of the two was better), except it was slower, calmer, and, like most of Sprout's other programming, pre-recorded. It was probably better for me since I'm a calm girl most of the time. Like Sunny, it was also a place where children could learn about a different topic through various fun activities and segments of their favorite shows - both old and new. The scenarios between Nina and Star were a bit little kid-like. Star asks Nina to stay up late, the two engage in banter for the rest of the night, and Star finally goes to bed. When I was in preschool, I went to bed around the same time, slept through the whole night, and probably got up at different times.

Even though kids watched The Good Night Show, it did not put them to bed. A Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood study in early 2009 showed that the show kept kids awake. Sandy Wax, president of Sprout at the time, explained that The Good Night Show, which launched when Sprout did in 2005, fulfilled the social function of reminding "Grown-Up Sprouts" that it was time to put their Sproutlets to bed after a busy day, which is probably why they had that Nina/Star banter. That study may have led to two things - 1. The Good Night Show was better off watching at daytime. 2. The Sunny Side Up Show was probably better for kids.

Nina also understood the viewers and treated them like they were actually there. Again, hugely impactful on the autism spectrum.

The Sprout Sharing Show. The hosts on the block were all puppets, their mouths didn't move (ala Yo Gabba Gabba!), and their voices were kind of annoying. Despite all these, I kind of enjoyed the block, even if I may not have watched it as a Sproutlet. The Sharing Show was like a talent show in a way, as the characters showed off their talents and sang songs, and viewers were encouraged to send in videos of them showing off their talents like swimming or ballet dancing. Characters' family members often appeared to encourage Grown-Up Sprouts to join in the fun. Autistic kids like me love to draw, and one of the key parts of The Sprout Sharing Show was that Sproutlets were encouraged to send in their drawings and see them on TV as animated shorts. This I would've loved, as you know two things about me. 1. I love to draw. 2. I sent in content to Sprout via both SproutOnline.com and the Send to Sprout app, including videos. This was around the time The Sharing Show dissolved, so I never got to send videos or artwork in to Patty, Ricky, and Curtis, though I still sent in videos to Sprout, hoping to someday make a guest appearance on The Sunny Side Up Show. The closest I ever came was this.

Aside from show segments of course, The Let's Go Show had songs, crafts, recipes, planting seeds, and kid-friendly science experiments. Kids with autism love music, and The Let's Go Show was full of fun songs to sing, dance, and clap along to. As a foodie myself, boy were the recipes Miles and Banjo made, which were also available on SproutOnline.com, made for me! Aside from those, I don't think they had any other autism-friendly features.

The programming. While both Sesame Street and Caillou had autistic characters, only two Sprout shows were aimed at autistic kids or had characters on the autism spectrum. Bounce, which aired on Sprout as part of Musical Mornings with Coo, was aimed at children on the autism spectrum, and thus was also known as Spectrum Connections. Pablo, which came from the UK's CBeebies and aired on the Sprout block on Universal Kids, had a titular character with autism who would draw his own adventures, and the cast was entirely autistic. Pablo was the final show to air under the Sprout name.

Not only that, but I, for one, believe Chica has autism. She only speaks through squeaks, and I believe her way of communicating is echolalia, an unsolicited repetition of vocalizations made by another person. Chica may have selective mutism and echolalia, she plays autism-like games, and interacts with soft-spoken people, so she could have autism, thus making her a character I can really relate to.

It may not be autism acceptance month, but I just wanted to let you know I have autism. Sprout was full of amazing, autism-approved programming. I, as well as other kids, was represented. Isn't that the most amazing thing?

Click here to see amazing in all children on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

The Girls of Sprout

A trio with only one female. Image from the Wayback Machine

Madeline Fretz - Even at the tender age of fourteen, I'm a big fan of children's shows. Not just ones from America, but also ones from other countries, even if they're not in English. I don't know why. Maybe this is because I have autism (discovered in maybe 2011), and it is known that autistic kids, even those over the age of four, like little kid shows.

Ever since I was a little girl, I've been obsessed with three preschool entertainment brands - Sesame Street, Baby Einstein, and Sprout. I started out thinking all three were real, but as I got older, became a historian and learned about what went on behind-the-scenes. Now, if you know me, you know that I love Sprout. I grew up watching it, and, if it weren't successful, there's a low chance that there would even be a Sprout fan blog. Now for a story I've told many, many times on this blog - I was scared of The Sunny Side Up Show and Sprout in general as a little girl, but, unheard of the first time, I calmed down and became a historian. 

I'm also a member of the Sprout fan server on Discord as cbeebiesfan (that was also my old DeviantArt username), and probably the only female member on there - a girl in a shining sea of boys.

If you know Sprout, you know that girls were everywhere - both human and puppet. I even wrote a post about the female hosts of The Sunny Side Up Show. I was not alone, I was represented.

I see a lot of myself in my Sprout heroes - sometimes I stay up late like Star, I ask questions from time to time like Banjo, and, as I said, most of them, almost all of them, were girls (well, Star's not a girl, but sounds like one).

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the girls of Sprout. Enjoy!

Melanie and Nina were the hosts of The Good Night Show, and both taught Spanish words, made crafts, told stories, played games, said goodnight to Hush the Fish, and even had the same Sprout stretch poem. The two had the same energy, bond with the camera, and were both pretty playful.

Bean was a blue-haired 12-year old girl who was the main host of Sprout's The Super Sproutlet Show, a programming block based on LazyTown which initially aired from 2PM to 4PM ET. She rode her Bean Pod, interacted with her friends from LazyTown, made recipes with Sproutlets and Grown-Up Sprouts and showed healthy food creations from Sproutlets at home in the SportsCandy Kitchen segments, and introduced shows.

It is worth noting that Sprout had TWO Beans, and I may be the only fan who noticed that. Sprout Diner had Bean, who interacted with her Sprout friends on the phone, and her daughter Alfalfa, who delivered the characters' meals on her bike, and hosted the Time to Create segments. Both girls also got their own online games.

Coo the Cuckoo Bird was the singing host of Musical Mornings with Coo, an early morning block which aired on Sprout from 6AM to 9AM ET. Coo sang songs about morning routines such as eating breakfast or getting dressed, and taught important lessons such as brushing your teeth. Other than that, I don't think there's much to her character.

Kelly Vrooman's Patty the Pig was one of the three hosts of The Sprout Sharing Show. Patty introduced shows, talked to Sproutlet viewers during split-screen credits, sang songs, and showed videos and artwork sent in by Sproutlets at home, often accompanied by other characters. Her mom, Sharon, has appeared several times to encourage parent participation.

Now for three (THREE!) characters often mistaken for being males, but are actually females played by males.

Chica was the squeaky poultry co-host of The Sunny Side Up Show. She was a chicken because, as said many times on this blog, Sprout executives wanted the puppet co-host to be a chicken, hence the new block's egg-inspired title, even though Andrew Beecham didn't think preschoolers could connect well with chickens. The Sprout team worked with a designer to make sure Chica was cute enough, and went with the version we all know (source). Chica accompanied original hosts Kelly and Kevin on live broadcasts, and only they could understand her squeaks. She also produced surprise eggs that would crack open to link into segments.

…Hence the egg in the original opening?

The Sunny Side Up Show was very different from the children's shows today. Segments, which aired as links in between such gold-standard shows, were live, unscripted, and, like kids' shows before it such as ZOOM, had viewer-submitted material such as birthday cards and wishes, pictures and videos, messages, and artwork. Chica helped bring unrealism to what felt like a mostly real block - real hosts, content sent in by real kids, and real weekly themes.

Once plush toys of her sold out, Chica got her own show, The Chica Show. The Chica Show, which premiered in 2012 and instantly became a success, focused on the titular character as she, Kelly and her parents ran a costume shop known as the Costume Coop, and solved typical preschool problems by becoming animated and going on imaginative adventures. Contrary to popular belief, the show is not the same as its preceding block. Despite the show being an extended toy commercial (like most Nick Jr. shows nowadays), it did teach some important lessons like perseverance, safety, and healthy habits (the show was originally going to take place in a farmers' market and focus on healthy eating).

Chica inspired Sproutlets and Big Sprouts almost every time she was on, entertained and brought smiles to children everywhere, but, once Sunny Side Up "moved" to a city loft, the hosts started hanging out with their Sproutlet friends from time to time and poor Chica got downplayed.

Banjo from The Let's Go Show. A character whom I said no one cares about a few months ago (🎵 We don't talk about Banjo, no, no. 🎶). Unlike Chica, she didn't get much attention or her own show, but was still important in her own way. Like a typical preschooler, Banjo almost always asked questions, and, hence the name, loved to play her homemade banjo. She was often paired up with the human host, Miles, and the two got along like two peas in a pod.

JB the Juicebox was the co-host (main host?) of Sprout's Wiggly Waffle, which launched in 2009, and introduced segments such as the Fifth Wiggle Game and Juicebox Pick. Now, I know what you're thinking - "isn't JB a boy?" Well, from what we have heard, it's a she. So, yeah.

Anyways, strong female characters were everywhere in Sprout's programming blocks and, as a girl myself, I couldn't be happier to have great friends like these. I'm never alone!

Click here to enjoy being a girl on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

A Tale of Two Beans

Pages I made for both Beans in my fanmade Sprout Character Encyclopedia.

Madeline Fretz - As Sprout fans, we all know what Sprout was named after - a growing seed. The Sprout Family from Sprout Diner were all named after Sprouts - Brussel, Alfalfa, and Bean.

When The Super Sproutlet Show premiered in 2012 (exactly ten years ago), Sprout introduced a new original character in Bean, a blue-haired 12 year old girl played by Catherine Missal. Again, Bean was a Sprout name, so I believe that's why they called her that. I think Sprout named Bean from The Super Sproutlet Show without remembering that Sprout Diner also had a Bean.

On Sprout Diner, Bean was a fresh-faced woman with a green dress who answered phone calls from Sprout characters requesting meals. After the "It's Time to Create" song, Bean's father Brussel would get the idea for and make the daily special, which her daughter Alfalfa would deliver to the character. Bean also introduced the Time to Create segments and had her own online game on SproutOnline.com in the form of "Bean's Vegetable Garden."

LazyTown premiered on Sprout on September 5th, 2011, a year after it was pulled from Nick Jr.. The show was an instant success with viewers ("Sproutlets"), that when 2012 came along, Sprout decided to give what they gave The Wiggles when they first came to the channel - its own block. The Super Sproutlet Show premiered on February 14th, 2012 (otherwise known as Valentine's Day), airing from 2PM to 4PM ET and later in the timeslot before The Sunny Side Up Show.

The block was hosted by another character named Bean. Throughout The Super Sproutlet Show, this Bean would roll around in her "Bean Pod" (a bike attached to a closet), pass out superhero costumes to "Super" Sproutlets who were being active and/or good to the earth, make recipes with Sproutlets and Big Sprouts in the SportsCandy Kitchen segments, and check in with LazyTown characters via her "Sprout Spotter" (Miles from The Let's Go Show had something similar). On the day the block launched, Bean guested on The Sunny Side Up Show and made Valentine's Day crafts and recipes with hosts Liz and Chica. The Sunny Side Up Show has had a tradition of having Sprout characters over for holidays such as Valentine's Day.

How can there be two Beans? The two girls have the same name, and they're both from Sprout, but other than that, they don't have a lot in common.

Oh, and if your name is Bean, be lucky you share a name with these two, and my sister Ella, who is nicknamed "Ella Bean." (Hi, Ella!)

Click here to jump on over like a jumping bean to the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

My Sprout Art

 As many of you know, besides running this blog and PBS Kids Sprout TV Wiki, I am also an artist in my own right. I thought I’d share some of my Sprout drawings here.

Anyways, I started out as simply drawing humans and humanoid characters with stick arms and legs, one of the many things people have criticized me for. As time went on, I started adding sleeves, pants, and shoes, as well as ears, eyebrows, and teeth. Which picture do you like best?

The Sprout Art of Khalil

Hi, Sproutlets! Sprout fan Khalil, who is an administrator on PBS Kids Sprout TV Wiki, has made pictures of the Sprout Gang, but I deleted them since we don’t allow fan art on there, so I uploaded them and put them here instead. Enjoy!

Errors: Chica has a yellow mohawk(?), Curtis plays the bass, not the sax.

Errors: Miles has girl hair, Banjo doesn't wear a toolbelt, she wears overalls with a yellow note, Carla doesn't look like that and her seat looks like a Dora character.

Kelly's hair and skin isn't colored in

Dennisha looks like a boy, Liz's skin isn't colored in

JB has different foods on her body

I see nothing wrong with this pic, apart from Nina's creepy button eyes.

Noodle doesn't wear a chef's hat, Bunji looks like Garfield or the Lorax from Dr. Seuss.

How can you tell Chica's nana and Mrs. C apart? Mr. C doesn't have his glasses. Besides, Rico has glasses, overalls, and a hat.

Sharon looks like Patty with lipstick and shoes, Otis wears a yellow shirt and I haven't seen him play baseball. Reginald wears a different outfit.

Coo has rainbow feathers. Bean and Alfalfa look like generic cartoon characters.

They're good, but first of all, the people have button-like eyes, which is downright creepy. Second, most of the characters look nothing like themselves (see above).

Click here to wear a toolbelt on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum.