R.I.P Leo Eaton, co-creator of Zoboomafoo

 

Madeline Fretz - We are saddened to learn that Leo Eaton, the man responsible for bringing the Kratt Brothers to TV, has passed away. Preschool Show Fan Page (Preschool Series News and Galore on Facebook), an Instagram page that posts pictures, videos, and news of preschool shows, said so. 

What do Eaton and the Kratt Brothers have to do with Sprout? Chris and Martin's second show, Zoboomafoo, aired on the channel from 2005 to 2012 - the PBS era. The brothers' first show, Kratt's Creatures, which premiered in the 90s, aired on Sprout when it launched in 2005, but was probably exclusive to Sprout on Demand. Eaton was the co-creator of both shows.

Leo Eaton was the sweetest man, and without him, there would've been no Kratt's Creatures, Zoboomafoo, or Wild Kratts. We are incredibly grateful that he brought these series, which taught animals and "creatures," to life and introduced them to us.

UPDATE (3/24/2022): According to Preschool Show Fan Page, Eaton was 76 when he died. He was vaccinated and boosted.

Click here to help us remember Leo Eaton on the Parents and Kids Share Together forum!

Zoboomafoo

 

Madeline Fretz - Zoboomafoo was a live-action PBS show starring the Kratt brothers, Chris and Martin (also of Kratts' Creatures and Wild Kratts) and a lemur named Zoboomafoo (AKA Zoboo) (played by real-live lemur Jovian and Canadian puppeteer Gord Robertson). The show taught about animals and what they do.

Since PBS was one of Sprout's founders, preschool shows from its archive library aired on the channel when it launched, including reruns of Zoboomafoo. The show was on Sprout on Demand when it launched on Comcast in April 2005, and made it to the 24-hour channel, which launched on September 26th.

Sprout described the show as:

"This television series introduces youngsters to the wonderful world of animals. With Zoboo and the Kratt Brothers, children explore common and exotic animals and their habitats. The show encourages children to be confident, inquisitive, caring, and helpful to people and animals."

Like most Sprout shows at the time, the show got its own Sprout Diner snack, Zoboomafoo Banana Pops, and a Birthday Show activity, Zoboomafoo Bingo.

The show aired at 12:30 ET when Sprout launched, and later aired at 4PM ET when The Sprout Sharing Show launched.

However, the show stopped airing on Sprout on July 7th, 2011, though its page was still up on SproutOnline.com

UPDATE (3/24/2022): According to Sprout Dylan (hi, Sprout Dylan!), the show stopped airing on February 13th, 2012, a day before the premiere of The Super Sproutlet Show.