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!

Fireman Sam

Madeline Fretz - Fireman Sam was a Welsh show about a firefighter who lived in a town called Pontypandy, and would teach its young residents safety lessons. Since the show was produced and distributed by HiT Entertainment, a company which also served as one of Sprout's founders, it aired on the channel for some time.

Sprout described the show as:

"Fireman Sam and the Pontypandy Fire Brigade never seem to have a quiet day -- their services are always needed. Whether stuck on a high cliff-face or caught in a cave, the children of Pontypandy know help is close at hand -- thanks to the brave and resourceful Fireman Sam."

One of HiT Entertainment's finest, the show premiered on PBS Kids Sprout on Demand when it launched on Comcast on Demand in April 2005 (proof?), and was one of the shows advertised on the Sproutletsgrow.com TV schedule page. However, the show didn't premiere on the actual linear channel until a year later.

When Sprout was celebrating its first anniversary in 2006, it was announced that the channel would air stop-motion episodes of Fireman Sam and, to promote, release fire safety shorts starring real-life firefighter Dayna Hilton and her dalmatian Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog. Fireman Sam's Safety Special aired in October.

The show got its own Sprout Diner snack, Fireman Sam's Sloppy Fire Truck.

The show aired on Musical Mornings with Coo, The Sunny Side Up Show, Sprout's Wiggly Waffle, and The Super Sproutlet Show when they launched.

The CGI episodes premiered in September 2009, shortly after the second generation rebrand. It was Fire Prevention Week, and Firefighter Dayna made an appearance on The Sunny Side Up Show.

The show stopped airing on Sprout on May 11th, 2014, the same day The Sprout Sharing Show dissolved (new segments haven't aired in years) and a day before Lily's Driftwood Bay made its Sprout debut.

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!

Ten Years of The Super Sproutlet Show

Madeline Fretz - Dear friends, as of today, it's been an entire decade since Sprout launched The Super Sproutlet Show, a block that was based on LazyTown, but also aired other shows. In case you're not familiar, let me sum it up for you. Bean (Catherine Missal), a twelve-year-old blue-haired girl, would go around on her "Bean Pod" searching for "Super Sproutlets" (kids who were healthy, active, and/or good to the earth), and often check in with LazyTown's own Sportacus, who would teach super moves and showcase videos sent in by Sproutlets, and Mayor Meanswell. Shows aired included LazyTown (of course), but also Astroblast!, Thomas & Friends, Fireman Sam, Noodle and Doodle, and The Chica Show. Most of these shows also aired on NBC Kids.

On the block's launch day ten years ago, Bean visited The Sunny Side Up Show. You see, Sunny would often have guest appearances from Sprout characters in the Philadelphia era, especially on special holidays such as Valentine's Day. They also had Prairie Dawn of Sesame Street in 2008, Barney the Dinosaur in both 2009 and 2011, and Sweet Pea Sue of Pajanimals in 2013. You can see a video of Bean's appearance above, as well as a Valentine's Day promo from around the time and a nifty little behind-the-scenes video.

Now, you may be asking "Maddie, have you ever watched this show when it was on?" Well, here's the scoop, I barely remember it. Can you even believe it?! The only things I remember about The Super Sproutlet Show are the "Super Gear Adventure" app (which I'm pretty sure was the same as this) and the "SportsCandy" thing on SproutOnline.com. You see, Sprout's programming blocks are known for featuring content submitted by Sproutlets online or on apps, and The Super Sproutlet Show was no exception. Here, Sproutlets were encouraged to send in "Super Move" videos or pictures of "SportsCandy" (food creations). Before the block launched, Sprout held a SportsCandy contest.

What are your thoughts on The Super Sproutlet Show, ten years later? Mission accomplished, over and Sprout!

Click here to get super active on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

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.

Weekly Character Wednesdays: Bean

 BEAN

PLAYED BY:

Catherine Missal

FIRST APPEARANCE:

The Sunny Side Up Show (February 14th, 2012)

MOST RECENT APPEARANCE:

The Super Sproutlet Show, 2015

BEST KNOWN ROLE:

Host of The Super Sproutlet Show

WHO IS BEAN? At twelve years old, Bean is the host of The Super Sproutlet Show. She drives around in her "Bean-pod" (a closet/house with a bike attached to it) searching for "Super Sproutlets" (kids) who are being either active or good to the earth, and helps them make healthy recipes in the "Sports Candy Kitchen" segments. Bean also checks in with Sportacus and Mayor Meanswell from LazyTown.

WHY DOES THE SUPER SPROUTLET SHOW NEED BEAN? The Super Sproutlet Show needs Bean because they need an original character to host, kind of like JB the Juicebox from Sprout's Wiggly Waffle. Bean is adventurous, brave, optimistic, and smart. She's always up for a challenge or adventure whenever there is one. I think that's why they need her.

My Week with 2009: The Mighty Jungle

 

For Earth Day 2009, a new puppet show called The Mighty Jungle came to Sprout. The program started a meerkat named Babu, a rhinoceros named Rhonda, and a gorilla named Bruce, whose stories real kids would tell. The show premiered for "Mighty Earth Week," and a giveaway was held.

After that, the show aired daily during Sprout's Wiggly Waffle, The Sprout Sharing Show, and The Super Sproutlet Show. It left the channel in 2015, along with Justin Time.

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.

The Super Sproutlet Show

Madeline Fretz - The Super Sproutlet Show was a programing block on Sprout, launched on Valentine's Day 2012 and airing from 12pm to 3pm, but took Wiggly Waffle's timeslot a year later. The block dissolved in 2015.

The block was themed around LazyTown (even the logo), albeit with a new character, Bean (not to be confused with the one from Sprout Diner) who went around in her Bean Pod visiting Sproutlets who have been healthy and good to the earth. She appeared on the Sunny Side Up Show on her block's launch.

Image from YouTube

Throughout the block, Sportacus and Mayor Meanswell from LazyTown would often make appearances.