Carly and Chica.
Ciarrocchi with Michele Lepe.
Carly in 2014.
Carly and Chica in 2015.
Carly and Chica with her aunt Pat.
Carly E. Ciarrocchi (born August 8, 1986) is an actress who hosted The Sunny Side Up Show from June 18th, 2012 to August 11th, 2017, replacing Liz Filios. After that, she went on to host Sprout House (later Snug's House), The Big Fun Crafty Show, and Get Up and Move on Universal Kids and Weird But True on Disney+. Ciarrocchi has also hosted the "Kiddie Pool" podcast, "Tube Town," based on a Sunny segment, "Learn with Sesame Street" for Begin, and "Hey Story Go" on Pinna with Sunny alum Kaitlin Becker, and served as a cast member of the Sonnet Repertory Theatre.[1]
Getting to Know Carly
"After she hosted her first episode of The Sunny Side Up Show, we met up with Carly Ciarrocchi in the Sunshine Barn to celebrate her arrival and learn more about her.
How was your first show?
It was extremely fun. I had extra butterflies today, but was more excited than nervous.
What was most stressful?
Getting in everything I needed to say before we went to cut.
What's it like to be on live TV?
Live TV is fun. It keeps you alert and on your toes. It forces you to be present and in the moment.
It's interesting, because I'm so used to having an audience. So to say something funny with Chica and not hear anyone laugh is a little weird. I have to imagine the joy and laughter in my mind.
When you first auditioned for this show, what were you most excited about?
I was in Chicago at that time, and I was doing a lot of stuff with kids. I was performing for kids, I was singing for kids, I was teaching kids, and I thought, "This sounds like it could be a really good fit for me."
How did you audition?
I had to do a 3-minute bit, essentially the opening of the Sunny Side Up show. I said, "Hey, I'm Carly and this is what the weather is like." Then I sang the birthday song, read a birthday card and made up a theme of the day. I sang the Birthday Song on the guitar -- and now I get to play the ukulele on the show!
How did you react when you got the job?
I absolutely flipped out. I had to walk around the block, and then I came back in and ate a bunch of candy, and then took another walk… Then I cried.
Did you have to take special language classes to understand Chica?
Ha! Ha! I spent a lot of time with Chica… just chatting about life and chatting about the world. Through that I was able to understand her better and better. If you listen, Chica has a lot to say, and she says it pretty clearly.
What do you have to do before going on live TV?
For me the biggest preparation is my hair. I have to get here very early and do stuff to my curly hair. Then I think about all the things we want to do on the show. I think about all the episodes that are airing. I try to get myself into a space of being ready to have a lot of fun. I imagine Sproutlets just hanging out at home, and I get ready to share the morning with them.
Did you get to choose your wardrobe?
They asked me about my style and the colors that I wear. I wear a lot of primary colors, I wear skinny jeans and I wear glasses. So we brought those in.
My personal glasses are very similar to these in size, but are tortoise shell. We got these fun blue ones for the show.
What is your favorite part of The Sunny Side Up Show?
Playing with Chica is just so much fun. I love it when we can bounce back and forth and make jokes and have a good time. And I love singing the birthday song and doing the Barnyard Boogie -- anything that involves music and dancing.
Chica is such a great mirror. She is fun and silly. She is a jokester and trickster in a way that a lot of kids are. I think it's fun for kids to see themselves in Chica and see a friend in Chica.
On the show this week, the theme is summer. What do you like to do in the summer?
I love to go the Jersey shore and hang out with family. I also love riding my bike around town and hearing live music." (link)
When I Was a Sproutlet
"Get to know Carly when she was a Sproutlet!
My first pets were two albino guinea pigs named Hoya and Nova (after my mom and dad’s alma maters!)
I loved to eat carrots.
My nickname was Doe-Yay (it’s how my little sisters said my name!)
I couldn’t wait to get bigger so I could sit in the front seat of the car!
My favorite thing to wear was a patterned “fancy dress”. The pattern was, in fact, different colored dresses. A dress of dresses. Very meta.
My grandparents used to take me to the pond to feed the ducks!
I refused to go anywhere without Mr. Bear - a small pillow with the head of a bear!
I wanted to be a teacher.
My favorite Sesame character was Big Bird (and I especially loved Big Bird Goes to China, the movie!)
My favorite kind of birthday cake was the special non-dairy cake my mom would make for me.
My most memorable birthday was my Hawaiian themed fourth birthday! It was the perfect summer birthday theme. My dad even wore a Hawaiian print shirt and I remembering thinking that was REALLY cool.
When I got older, I got great grades in science and math!
At the candy store, I always chose red licorice laces.
My favorite color was YELLOW!" (link)
Carly Ciarrocchi's outfits
- Blue vest with buttons over pink checkered short-sleeved T-shirt, yellow pants, and red sneakers
- Yellow jacket over black striped top
- Blue overalls over yellow shirt
- Yellow jacket over checkered shirt
- Blue jacket over yellow shirt
- Red vest over checkered shirt
Songs
Notes
- Ciarrocchi stated in an interview with Black Hollywood Live that she is allergic to dairy.[2] She also admitted it on the show in a segment where she and Chica make berry smoothies.
- The most popular Sprout video on the Peacock Jr. YouTube channel was one of Carly and Chica singing about the days of the week.
- Carly's Sunny Side Up Show opening was of her juggling balls.
- Carly's outfit and glasses were features in My Little Sproutlet.
- Carly is the niece of CBS 3 (KYW Philadelphia) anchor Pat Ciarrocchi,[3] who visited the set once.
- As with the other hosts, Ciarrocchi written content for Sunny Side Up.
- Carly's family often came to visit.
- The reason why Carly wasn't present for the first broadcast day in the City apartment was because she had to attend a sister's wedding.
- Prior to Sprout, Ciarrocchi taught at Bubbles Academy.[4]