2017 logo.
- "Because small acts matter big!"
- ―Tagline
Kindness Counts was a Sprout promotion about kindness that launched in 2011 and remains best known for PSAs featuring characters from Sesame Street, Barney & Friends, The Good Night Show, and The Sunny Side Up Show that usually had one or more Sproutlets doing something kind to a certain character (i.e.: playing on the swings, giving someone bread) which would add to the "Kindness Counter." The promotion also had its own website separate from SproutOnline.com. The campaign was created after bullying became a critical issue in the public mind.
In 2017, the Kindness Counts campaign found more of a place on Sprout with a new anthem, Sproutlets telling their Kindness Stories on Sunny Side Up, and spots with Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Julie Andrews, and Sterling K. Brown promoting Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, Despicable Me 3, and Kody Kapow respectively. Alyssa Milano became the face of the campaign after Sprout rebranded in 2015.
Description
Official summary of the promotion from the Sprout press room
"This August, 24-hour preschool television channel Sprout will launch a new multiplatform prosocial initiative, “Kindness Counts,” designed to support the development of empathy in preschoolers by promoting small acts of kindness that matter big. The long-term campaign will include a series of PSAs, digital and social media components, programming tie-ins and local extensions – all targeting parents and caregivers of preschoolers – with the ultimate goal of logging one million acts of kindness reported to Sprout from families all across the country.
“As bullying among school-aged children continues to be a growing concern for communities and parents across the nation, it is now more critical than ever – and never too soon – to start building empathy in young, preschool-aged children,” said Sandy Wax, president of Sprout. “Empathy and kindness are a consistent theme with Sprout’s gold-standard programming and trusted characters, so Sprout is uniquely positioned to deliver our ‘Kindness Counts’ message to families of preschoolers all across the country.”
According to a Harris survey of over 1,000 parents nationwide, 67% of parents with children 3-7 years old worry that their children will be bullied (NY Times, October 2010); and 83% of Sprout parents surveyed are concerned about their preschoolers potentially being bullied or bullying others. Building empathy with young children can help encourage them to consider other people’s feelings and offer help or expressions of understanding – something as simple as a hug, getting a towel to help clean up a spill, or sharing a box of crayons with a friend.
Earlier this year, First Lady Michelle Obama said during the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention, “As parents, we know we need to make a real effort to be engaged in our children’s lives…but parents aren’t the only ones who have a responsibility. We all need to play a role.” Experts believe that it’s never too soon to start teaching children about respect and kindness for others and Sprout’s “Kindness Counts” campaign will deliver meaningful, fun and simple ideas for being kind that families with preschoolers can share together.
“The early years of life appear to be critical for the development of children’s sympathy and caring behavior,” said Dr. Nancy Eisenberg, Regents’ Professor of Psychology and Editor, Child Development Perspectives. “Children who attend to and respond to others’ distress and need in the late preschool years are more likely to be caring and helpful people in adolescence and early adulthood. Thus, it is critical that parents and teachers be aware of ways that they can foster their children’s positive behaviors early in life.”
Launching in August, Sprout’s “Kindness Counts” PSAs will feature preschoolers, Sprout characters and even celebrities demonstrating real acts of kindness. Families will be encouraged to visit the “Kindness Counts” microsite at SproutOnline.com to add their child’s act of kindness to the Kindness Counter. Various acts of kindness sent in from Sprout families nationwide will be highlighted on the air during Sprout’s live morning show, The Sunny Side Up Show. Parents will also be able to find articles and expert advice on the value and importance of developing empathy in young children, printable materials that daycare providers or families can use at home or in school to track their own small acts of kindness, and links to games and activities at SproutOnline.com that celebrate the spirit of kindness.
Kindness materials will also be available through the website to local communities, daycare providers and affiliate partners so that children and families can learn more about kindness and track their individual acts. Additionally, Sprout will host several local grassroots events that will take place throughout the year in yet-to-be determined markets featuring Sprout talent."
Commercials
- Big Bird - Ann Curry witnesses Adriana Camposano and Tyson[1] inviting Big Bird from Sesame Street over to play with them. Brian Williams calls this "touching." The storyboard refers to the two children's names as being Adam and Ellen.[2]
- Barney - Barney is at a family's house for dinner, but has trouble reaching the bread. Luckily, Kaylee (Kiyara Simone) hands it to him. The father in this commercial is played by Russell Jordan.
- The Good Night Show - Nina and Star feed Hush.
- The Sunny Side Up Show - Chica's friends (including Paul Monte Jr.) include her in a game of football.
Personalized thank you videos featuring the same characters were available on SproutOnline.com.
Notes
- The Big Bird PSA premiered in August, airing during The Today Show, while the Barney and Good Night Show PSAs premiered the following month.
- The website, along with The Sprout Sharing Show, was removed from SproutOnline.com in early 2015, but the former returned later that year with the website facelift, and even became a segment on Sunny Side Up, replacing the Good Egg Awards, which were also about kind acts. Alyssa Milano became the face of "Kindness Counts" here.[3]
- In 2013 and 2014, Sprout held a contest called the Kindest Kid Contest where Sprout chose four or five finalists who have done something kind, and let one of them become its "Chief Kindness Officer" for a day. The winners ended up being Emma Lock and Sierra Preveza.
- After the Kindest Kid Contest was announced, Sprout rolled out guest blogs at SproutOnline.com by members of the Kindness Crew, including James Zahn of The Rock Father.[4] Kindness Crew Bloggers would contribute posts based around the five pillars of Kindness Counts: Be Kind to All, Be Kind to Yourself, Be Kind to Animals, Be Kind to Others, and Be Kind to The Earth.
- The Great Sprout Tuck-In, a pre-existing initiative, extended to Kindness Counts.
- In 2011, Sprout launched a hotline where kids could call Barney to tell them about the kind things they did.
- Sprout often partnered with The Little Gym and KIND to promote this promotion.
- In 2012, Sprout reached 100,000 kind acts.[5] it reached one million two years later in 2014.[6]
- A mirrored version of the Kindness Counts website currently still exists on the website MultiVu, which has had many releases about Sprout and its programming over the years.