Weekly Character Wednesdays - Ricky

 

Written by Madeline "Maddie" Fretz.

RICKY RABBIT

PERFORMED BY:

Kevin Yamada

APPEARED IN:

The Sprout Sharing Show

BEST-KNOWN ROLE:

Colorful rabbit showman, piano player

WHO IS RICKY? With his sparkly suit, Ricky Rabbit was the youngest of the Sprout House Band and played the piano. Ricky can sometimes be a comic relief, such as when he says goodbye many times during the Goodbye Song.

Ricky's father Reginald made occasional appearances to encourage viewer participation, and the two hosted a live Father's Day special in 2008.

MEMORABLE RICKY MOMENTS: Ricky sang the Sharing Show song "I Love Bread," which got its own recipe on SproutOnline.com. In 2008, he had this moment on The Sunny Side Up Show:

In another Ricky moment, he and his dad showed viewers how to send in their videos to Sprout:

Image from the Wayback Machine

"Ricky and Reginald want to show you how fun and easy sharing your video can be. Watch their demo, review a few helpful tips, and then Send Your Videos to Sprout!"

WHY DOES THE SPROUT SHARING SHOW NEED RICKY? Ricky is one of the fun-loving trio known as the Sprout House Band. Without a third member, they wouldn’t be a trio! He can sometimes be a show-off and a comic relief, but his friends love him all the same. He sang about his favorite food, showed Sproutlets' artwork, and appeared during split-screen credits. Ricky may be small, but he has a big heart.

Click here to have a bread sandwich on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Weekly Character Wednesdays - Patty

Image from the Wayback Machine

Written by Madeline "Maddie" Fretz

PATTY

PERFORMED BY:

Kelly Vrooman

APPEARED IN:

The Sprout Sharing Show

BEST-KNOWN ROLE:

Main host of The Sharing Show, singer in her own right

RELATIVES:

Sharon (mom)

DEFINING QUOTE:

"Now it's your turn to share!" (Sprout Viewer Circle promo)

WHO IS PATTY? Patty is the positive pig emcee of The Sprout Sharing Show and one of the Sprout House Band. A smart and hard-working porcine teenager, Patty sings, shows off her talents, showcases Sproutlets' videos and artwork, introduces shows, and appears during split-screen credits. Her mother Sharon has appeared several times to encourage parent participation.

WHY DOES THE SPROUT SHARING SHOW NEED PATTY? I think The Sprout Sharing Show needs Patty for a few reasons - 1. Because they need a female character (Sprout always has female characters). 2. They need her to be proud and hard-working rather than "fairy tale"-ish. 3. They need a main host. 4. Kids love pigs. Patty is the main host of The Sprout Sharing Show, introducing shows and talking to Sproutlet viewers during split-screen credits. She appears in continuity links, singing songs, showing talent like doing a handstand, and, of course, showing Sproutlets' submissions.

So why is Patty needed? She's not the fairy and princess-type girly-girl, she's a smart-type girl who knows just about everything.

Image from either Facebook or Instagram. Maybe Twitter even.

Click here to encourage parent participation on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Weekly Character Wednesdays: Stage Mice

THE STAGE MICE

FIRST APPEARANCE:

The Sprout Sharing Show (2008)

BEST-KNOWN ROLE:

Glove stagehands

WHO ARE THE STAGE MICE? The Stage Mice are from The Sprout Sharing Show, basically mice on a glove, often appear in segments. They can also play the drums in the occasional group number.

WHY DOES THE SPROUT SHARING SHOW NEED THE STAGE MICE? The Stage Mice are entertaining characters who appear usually during split-screen credits. You see, Patty would often talk to the Sproutlet viewers watching during split-screen credits during The Sharing Show, and would be accompanied by other characters, such as Curtis or a singing telegram (no, seriously). The Stage Mice appear during split-screen credits, also say SproutOnline.com and hold it up on cardboard whenever Patty mentions it. "If you have something you want to share with us, go to … SproutOnline.com!" The Stage Mice are quite silly, yet perfect for the aforementioned jobs.

Click here to go to SproutOnline.com on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Weekly Character Wednesdays: Leo

 

(Video from my very good friend Rare NOGGIN Stuff. Kudos to him!)

LEO

PLAYED BY:

Noel MacNeal

APPEARED IN:

The Good Night Show, 2006

BEST-KNOWN ROLE:

Gardener, "transition" Goodnight Guide

WHO IS LEO? Leo was the transition host of The Good Night Show in 2006 and their sole male host. During his tenure, Leo played games, sang songs, and planted things like peach trees. Most importantly, Lucy the Firefly, whom Leo pulled out of his pocket, was introduced when he was.

WHY DOES THE GOOD NIGHT SHOW NEED LEO? I’ve discussed this, along with other things, many times on this blog, but, as I always say, in case you don’t know it, read ahead! You see, in July 2006, after the second season of The Good Night Show premiered, it was discovered that Melanie, the original Goodnight Guide, was in two online PSAs on the website technicalvirgin.com - one about teenage pregnancy, the other about something I don’t want to mention. Once Sprout executives found out about this, they unfairly axed her, and The Good Night Show went on hiatus while they launched a worldwide search to find a new Goodnight Guide. Introduced during Sprout's first anniversary in September, Leo was used as the special guest host to fill time. Permanent host Nina was introduced on December 18th.

Click here to plant a peach tree on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Weekly Character Wednesdays: M'Goats

 

M'Goats

APPEARED IN:

Sprout Control Room

BEST-KNOWN ROLE:

Works in the Sprout Control Room, Meeka's partner

WHO IS M'GOATS? M'Goats is Meeka's partner in the Sprout Control Room who usually speaks through bleats (obviously). 

WHY DOES SPROUT NEED M'GOATS? Sprout doesn't need M'Goats as much as Meeka needs M'Goats. Meeka needs someone to help her and boss her around. M'Goats was an original puppet I believe was specifically built for the Sprout Control Room shorts, while Meeka's puppet was recycled from Banjo's from The Let's Go Show. But regardless, M'Goats is perfect for his job!

Wanna know a coincidence? This week's My Week is about Sprout happenings in 2014, and the Sprout Control Room shorts premiered in 2014, and this week's WCW is about M'Goats! Wanna know another? Last WCW was about Meeka, and this one is about M'Goats! Coincidences? I think not! HAHA!

Click here to be perfect for your job at the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

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!

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!

Weekly Character Wednesdays: Curtis E. Owl

 

CURTIS E. OWL

PERFORMERD BY:

Brendan Gawel

APPEARED IN:

The Sprout Sharing Show

BEST-KNOWN ROLE:

Bass-playing beatnik owl

WHO IS CURTIS E. OWL?  Curtis E. Owl is a member of the Sprout House Band, and probably the oldest of the trio (which also includes Patty and Ricky). Curtis plays the bass, and sings songs such as "Can't Share Blues."

WHY DOES THE SPROUT SHARING SHOW NEED CURTIS E. OWL? Curtis was such a fun character. His accent was good, and so were his songs and talents. He wore sunglasses, and probably never took them off. Without Curtis, the Sprout House Band would be a DUO, so I think that's why they need him.

Click here to wear sunglasses on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Weekly Character Wednesdays: Otis

 

OTIS OWL

PLAYED BY:

Forrest Harding

APPEARED IN:

The Sprout Sharing Show

BEST-KNOWN ROLE:

Curtis E. Owl's younger brother

WHO IS OTIS? Otis Owl is Curtis E. Owl's younger brother who made occasional appearances on the Sprout Sharing Show. Otis also appeared for Chica's Pirate Party on The Sunny Side Up Show in 2012.

WHY DOES THE SPROUT SHARING SHOW NEED OTIS? Along with Sharon Pig and Reginald Rabbit (also Harding), The Sprout Sharing Show needs Otis to encourage family bonding and participation.

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

Weekly Character Wednesdays: JB

 

JB Juicebox

APPEARED IN:

Sprout's Wiggly Waffle

BEST-KNOWN ROLE:

Host of various Wiggly Waffle segments

WHO IS JB? JB Juicebox is the co-host of Sprout's Wiggly Waffle. She hosted various segments on the block such as Juicebox Picks (a music video segment) and Fifth Wiggle.

WHY DOES WIGGLY WAFFLE NEED JB? Wiggly Waffle needs JB so they can have a co-host to the Wiggles, much like Star was to Nina or Chica was to her on-air Sunny Side Up Show companions, even though she rarely appeared with the band outside of promos and promo pictures. They also need her to host viewer-submitted segments.

Click here to host viewer-submitted segments on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Weekly Character Wednesdays: Brussel

 

BRUSSEL

VOICED BY:

Earl Fisher

FIRST APPEARANCE:

Sprout Diner (2006)

MOST RECENT APPEARANCE:

Preschool Musical on a Stick (2008)

BEST-KNOWN ROLE:

Head chef of the Sprout Diner, Bean’s father and Alfalfa’s grandfather

WHO IS BRUSSEL? Brussel Sprout is the owner and head chef of the Sprout Diner. After his daughter Bean calls a Sprout friend who requests a meal, Brussel comes up with the idea for and cooks the recipe, which he hands to his granddaughter Alfalfa in a To-Go bag. Brussel and Bean also appeared at the beginning of the "Time to Create" segments from the first season.

WHY DOES SPROUT DINER NEED BRUSSEL? Sprout Diner needs Brussel because they need someone to cook the recipe and come up with the ideas. That way, someone will have something to eat! They also need him to show a family chain - the father of a mother (Bean) of her daughter (Alfalfa). 

Click here to have something to eat on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Weekly Character Wednesdays: Alfalfa

 

Alfalfa

FIRST APPEARANCE:

Sprout Diner, 2006

MOST RECENT APPEARANCE:

Preschool Musical on Two Sticks, 2009

BEST KNOWN ROLE:

Bicycle rider, Bean's daughter and Brussel's granddaughter, host of the "Time to Create" segments

WHO IS ALFALFA? Alfalfa is Brussel's granddaughter and Bean's daughter who helps out at the Sprout Diner. Once Brussel cooks a character's requested meal, he places it in a "To Go" bag, Alfalfa grabs it and delivers it to the character on her bike. She also hosts the "Tine to Create" segments where she visits a real-life family’s house and watches them cook a Diner recipe.

WHY DOES SPROUT DINER NEED ALFALFA? Sprout Diner needs Alfalfa to show a family chain - the daughter of a daughter. They also need her because someone should deliver the food to the characters who phone in.

Click here to deliver the food to the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Weekly Character Wednesdays: Miles

 

MILES

PERFORMED BY:

Milton Barnes

APPEARED IN:

The Let's Go Show

BEST KNOWN ROLE:

Adventurer, Banjo’s teacher

WHO IS MILES? Miles is the host of The Let's Go Show. He drives Carla the Car, sings songs, and uses his Sprout Spotter on his and Banjo’s daily musical journeys. He also appeared on The Sunny Side Up Show for New Year's 2008 and sang "If My Friend Were Here" in Sprout's Preschool Musical on a Stick. Some of the other songs he sings include "Do the You" and "Bottom of the Sea."

WHY DOES THE LET'S GO SHOW NEED MILES? Miles is the Nina equivalent for weekend mornings and formerly afternoons. Nina was the main host of The Good Night Show and served as Star's teacher, while Miles was the same to Banjo. Also, he was black, and Sprout only had five black hosts (him, Leo (Noel MacNeal), TJ (Donnell Smith), Dennisha Pratt, and Darryl Williams). He is a great role model for black kids, and stands out in a crowd of live-action children's shows whose hosts are either white or puppets.

Click here to appear on The Sunny Side Up Show on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Weekly Character Wednesdays: Nina

 

NINA

PERFORMED BY:

Michele Lepe

FIRST APPEARANCE:

The Good Night Show, 2006

MOST RECENT APPEARANCE:

Nina's World

BEST KNOWN ROLE:

Goodnight Guide, mother figure to Star

WHO IS NINA? Nina is the Goodnight Guide and the host of The Good Night Show as of December 18th, 2006. She lives in the Goodnight Garden and later the You and Me Tree with Star, whom she acts maternal to. She also hosts the Sprout Stretches and sign language segments, amongst others. Every night, Nina leads Star and their Sproutlet friends in activities related to tonight's adventure. In order to replicate real life, Star asks Nina for more time to stay up, and the two engage in banter in whether or not Star should get into his hammock. It replicates a fight, but Nina eventually wins, and sacks out on the crescent moon couch in the final link.

Nina also hosted the on-demand bilingual series ¡Hola Sproutitos!, narrated the series Nina's Little Fables, which was basically a US dub version of an international animated children's show, and she and Star starred in both Sprout's Snooze-a-Thon and Preschool Musical on a Stick. In 2015, Sprout premiered Nina's World, an animated show about Nina's childhood. She also sang songs such as "The Welcome Song," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Let's Make Something New," "Clean Up," and "The Goodnight Song."

Image from YouTube

Nina guest hosted The Sunny Side Up Show several times, both in her usual outfit and regular clothes, and appeared in a concert-themed broadcast of The Let's Go Show. In 2011, Sprout allowed viewers to select four pairs of pajamas for Nina through a poll to promote the new season of The Good Night Show. From what I have heard, in 2009, the Good Night Show section of Sproutonline.com had a video that would play when you pressed a sleeping clock on the main menu. The video was basically just Nina sleeping on the crescent moon couch (source). Starting with the eighth season, Nina would tell Star childhood stories from her "Best Day Ever" book.

Huge comparisons between these two "Goodnight Guides."

WHY DOES THE GOOD NIGHT SHOW NEED NINA? The Good Night Show needs Nina because she represents the parents trying to get kids who want to stay up all night to go to bed (see above), a real-life scenario she re-enacts with Star. Michele Lepe, who previously appeared on Los Teens on Telemundo, auditioned for and won the role in late 2006, when auditions were held for a new host to replace previous Good Night Show host Melanie Martinez, who was axed that year due to a few PSAs she appeared in prior to Sprout. While auditions were still being held, puppetry veteran Noel MacNeal appeared as human guest host Leo.

Click here to appear as a guest host on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

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.

Weekly Character Wednesdays: Lucy

 LUCY

FIRST APPEARANCE:

The Good Night Show, 2006

MOST RECENT APPEARANCE:

Nina's World

BEST KNOWN ROLE:

Firefly who lights the way to Sprout shows and interactive games.

WHO IS LUCY?:

Lucy the Firefly, whose name means "light" in Spanish, is Nina and Star's pet firefly. She lets the duo know which Sprout friend is coming to play through stars and later a full moon, and appears in the segment "Lucy Light the Way," introduced in the 2007 season. In the segment, Lucy lights up clues to where she is for Nina and Star to guess. Originally, Lucy was a puppet, but became CGI in 2011.

WHY DOES THE GOOD NIGHT SHOW NEED LUCY?:

The Good Night Show needs Lucy to introduce the shows it aired. Previously, Hush the Fish introduced the shows through bubbles. Her name also helps kids learn Spanish, as "luce" means "light."

Click here to light the way to the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Weekly Character Wednesdays: Chica

 CHICA

Hi, Sproutlets. Today I launched the Parents and Kids Share Together forum on Delphi, where you can talk about Sprout and other stuff. Anyways, welcome to Weekly Character Wednesdays.

PERFORMED BY:

• Forrest Harding (squeaks)
• Ed Pokropski
• Jenn Santee
• Brendan Gawell
• Jackie Payton
• Kimberly Diaz
• Scott McClennen

FIRST APPEARANCE:

The Sunny Side Up Show, 2007

MOST RECENT APPEARANCE:

Universal Kids spots, 2019

BEST KNOWN ROLE:

Four and a half year old co-host of The Sunny Side Up Show. Non-talkative squeaker.

WHO IS CHICA?

Chica the Chicken is the Sunny Side Up Show's on-air sidekick. She first appeared when the block launched in Fall 2007, and got her own show, none other than The Chica Show, in 2012. Chica squeaks like a squeaky toy instead of using actual dialog. Why? This is because her performer is an associate producer.

Chica has not only appeared on Sunny and her show, but she also had dolls and backpacks on Sprout and CafePress' Shop Sprout website. In 2008, a Sprout anniversary special focused on Chica celebrating her birthday.

With the Sunny Side Up refresh in 2015, Chica started to play a backseat to the hosts, and started having less screentime, being replaced by the hosts' Sproutlet friends, but she was still pretty popular. She strangely does not appear in the above picture. When Sunny Side Up got replaced by Sprout House/Snug's House in 2017, she still appeared in segments, and appeared in a few spots on Universal Kids once her show returned to the airwaves for a brief period.

Before The Sunny Side Up Show began, senior vice president Andrew Beecham wanted the puppet co-host to be an animal, and Sprout executives (including Betsy Oliphant) contemplated a chicken since the block's title was a reference to sunny side up eggs, even though Beecham didn't think the Sproutlets at home could connect well with chickens.

WHY DOES SPROUT NEED CHICA?

As the hosts' sidekick, Chica represents her preschool viewers. She knows what they see and what they know.

Click here to squeak about it on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Weekly Character Wednesdays: Banjo

 

BANJO

PERFORMED BY:

Ali Eisner

FIRST APPEARANCE:

The Let's Go Show (2007)

BEST KNOWN ROLE:

Banjo player, preschool doppelgänger

WHO IS BANJO? The co-host of The Let's Go Show, Banjo is a pink dog puppet played by Ali Eisner. She is very spunky and loves to play the banjo, hence her name. The puppet was recycled, albeit with altered features, as Meeka on Sprout Control Room in 2014.

WHY DOES THE LET'S GO SHOW NEED BANJO? Banjo represents the age and humor of the preschool viewers at home.

Weekly Character Wednesdays - Nicholas

 

NICHOLAS

APPEARED IN:

Sprout Weekends promo (2005/2006)

BEST-KNOWN ROLE:

Four year old boy, TV watcher

WHO IS NICHOLAS? This is Nicholas. He appeared in a Sprout Weekends promo from around 2005 and/or 2006. In the commercial, 4-year old Nicholas is in his pajamas and has a blanket and teddy bear. Nicholas talks about weekend mornings - he snuggles up with his mom on their big couch and he watches his favorite TV shows.

WHY DOES SPROUT NEED NICHOLAS? Sprout needs Nicholas to have an animated character in a promo. Nicholas is also the same age as the viewers.

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.