Preschool Musical

Preschool Musical
Starring	Various programming block characters and hosts
Blocks aired on	The Sunny Side Up Show The Sprout Sharing Show
Run on Sprout	2008 - 2009

Preschool Musical on Two Sticks.

Preschool Musical is a duology of Christmas specials both produced by Sprout. The specials were both parodies of the hit Disney Channel original movie, High School Musical, which was very popular with children at the time of the release.

On a Stick

The first special, which premiered in December 2008, was called Preschool Musical...On a Stick, and it featured characters from The Sunny Side Up Show, Musical Mornings, The Sprout Sharing Show, The Let's Go Show, and The Good Night Show as characters on popsicle sticks. The plot of the special was that the characters were celebrating Christmas and singing about the holidays, friendship, family, togetherness, etc. To promote the special's release, A programming block dedicated to the special aired from 12PM to 3PM ET and, additionally, "Puppets and Plays" was the weekly theme on The Sunny Side Up Show. The special also had a dedicated section on SproutOnline.com featuring downloadable songs, printables of the puppets, and promotional videos, including a trailer, sing-along, and one of Nina and Star giving craft instructions. A Sprout for Parents article goes behind-the-scenes of this "new holiday classic," detailing who was behind it and how it was made.

Description

"Introducing Sprout's holiday musical event - Preschool Musical on a Stick! Tune in from noon-3pm ET for a special programming block featuring this event from now until 12/23 and on 12/25. And watch the half hour event on 12/24, 12/26, and 12/31 from 5:30-6:00pm ET. Make your own stick puppets of your favorite Sprout characters. And click below to download the music and lyrics to sing along at home." (link)

From the Sprout Press Room:

"Sprout, the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, is debuting Sprout Preschool Musical... On a Stick, its first original musical featuring all of Sprout’s exclusive hosts and characters, on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24 at 5:30 p.m. ET. Set inside a pop-up book read by Sprout’s popular The Good Night Show® hosts Nina and Star, this 30-minute musical follows all of Sprout’s original characters... on sticks, of course... as they make their way through a holiday snowstorm to the The Sprout Sharing Show Theater in time for the “Very Very Extraordinary, Merry Musical Sproutacular.”   Stick puppet characters including Kevin, Kelly, Sean and Chica from The Sunny Side Up Show; Miles and Banjo from The Let’s Go Show; Patty, Ricky and Curtis E. Owl from The Sprout Sharing Show; Brussel, Bean and Alfalfa from Sprout Diner; Mr. Mailman and more; share their holiday spirit through catchy, fun, original songs such as “We Love the Holidays,” “There’s Nothing Better Than Being All Together,” “Part of the Family” and “If My Friend Was Here.” Parents and their preschoolers can get in on the fun now by going to the Sprout Preschool Musical... On a Stick theme page at SproutOnline.com where they can watch a craft demo video explaining how to make your own stick puppets at home, coloring pages of all the original Sprout characters, and music tracks and lyrics from the musical special so that they are ready to sing along at home and participate in the show on Christmas Eve. Following Sprout Preschool Musical...On a Stick at 6:00 p.m. ET on December 24 will be Sprout's Snooze-a-Thon, an 11-hour, uninterrupted block showcasing Nina and Star from snoozing comfortably on the set, along with clips of beloved characters from preschool favorites like Sesame Street®, Dragon Tales™, The Hoobs™, Pingu™ and Berenstain Bears™ catching some zzz’s.  So, no matter what time of night the kids are up checking for the sound of reindeer hooves on the roof, parents can tune into Sprout to show them that even their favorite television friends are fast asleep waiting for Santa to arrive. For additional information and programming schedules visit SproutOnline.com or to find out where Sprout is available in your area, call 1.866.9.SPROUT." (link)

On Two Sticks

In December 2009, a follow-up with the same plot was made and aired called Preschool Musical On Two Sticks. Two Sticks was essentially the same as the first film, albeit with the puppets on, you guessed it, two sticks, and the inclusion of The Wiggles, who had joined Sprout that year. A Sprout for Parents article was put up to promote this new special's release, as well as a video of bloopers. The special was referred to as "Preschool Musical 2" in TV listings and on the TV Guide website.

Songs

1. We Love the Holidays - Nina and Star
2. No Day Like a Snow Day - Chica, Kelly, Sean, and Kevin
3. Part of the Family - Patty, Ricky, Curtis, and Banjo
4. Holiday Feast - Coo, Brussel, Bean, Alfalfa, Miles, Kelly, Sean, and Kevin
   • 2009 version - Coo, Bean, Alfalfa, Jeff Wiggle, Sam Wiggle, Anthony Wiggle, and Murray Wiggle
5. If My Friend Was Here - Miles and Banjo
6. Jingle All the Way - Kevin, Miles, Kelly, Sean, Chica, and Mr. Mailman
7. There's Nothing Better Than Being All Together - All

Availability

In 2008, the songs were originally released on a CD presented by Duracell as part of a very obscure and limited promotional giveaway on the Sprout Online website, released on iTunes for a limited time, were available for download on the Sprout Online website, and also aired as a musical on the network. Although this is still being speculated, the songs may have been downloadable as late as 2011, before one of the major overhauls on the website. The actual music videos were, for the most part, lost shortly after broadcast until 2017 when 4 of them were uploaded by former Sprout executive Meredith Halpern on Vimeo, who was involved in the production of the musical. On Jan 8th, 2020, Lost Media Wiki User ChocolateCircus445 found the CD on Amazon and uploaded a rip of the CD online. The lyrics of all the songs can also be found on Archive.

In 2022, JaysonCarney of the Sprout Discord server reported that he found the entire special.

On April 8th, 2022, YouTuber Blue'sClues&TheWigglesFTW found the last eleven minutes of Preschool Musical on Two Sticks.

In 2023, the iTunes version of the special was uploaded in its entirety to the Walter J. Brown Media Archives. On December 21st, 2024, Michele Lepe, who played Nina, uploaded the special in full to her YouTube channel. This version includes a montage of bloopers, followed by a short promo, accompanying the credits.

Cast and Characters

Characters

Nina, Star, Lucy, Chica, Molly Maaanners, Eggs with Leggs, Miles, Banjo, Carla the Car, Patty, Ricky, Curtis E. Owl, Sharon, Otis, Reginald, Brussel, Bean, Alfalfa, Coo, Sam Wiggle, Anthony Wiggle, Jeff Wiggle, Murray Wiggle, JB, Captain Feathersword

Performers and Voice Actors

Stacia Newcomb, Ali J. Eisner, Kelly Vrooman, Kevin Yamada, Brendon Gawel, Forrest Harding, Julianne Buescher, Earl Fisher, Amber Cotton

Sprout talent

Michele Lepe, Kelly Vrooman, Kevin Yamada, Sean Roach, Sam Moran, Jeff Fatt, Murray Cook, Anthony Field, Paul Paddick, Milton Barnes

Credits

• Creative director: Meredith Halpern
• Executive producers: Andrew Beecham, Lisa O'Brien, and Meredith Halpern
• Music: Tim Burns
• Producer: Marianne Fernsler
• Set and puppet designers: Mike and Evelyn Pantuso
• Written by: Bernice Vanderlaan

Notes

• The iTunes version of Preschool Musical on a Stick is different from the televised version in several ways.
  • Nina and Star, who were background singers in the original story, are not seen as stick puppets until the end.
    • They also do not enter the story. Instead, the former can be heard narrating at points, and Real Kids segments are added.
  • Instead of a puppet version of the Goodnight Garden set being shown after the title card and Nina and Star singing "We Love the Holidays" right away, the duo can be seen making crafts for their Sprout friends, including Kelly, and singing the song before the story begins.
  • At the end, as Nina finishes the story, Star admits he's sad that it's over. Just then, the book sparkles. Nina opens it up to the last page, hinting that the story may not be over. Star wishes to join his friends on the last page, so Nina says a version of the "Starlight, Star Bright" poem, and they enter the story as puppets.
• Songs from this special, specifically "Jingle All the Way," continued to be heard in a few Christmas/Winter-themed promos and brandings until 2015.
• The special had to be done in stick puppet due to filming pressures, and that all the hosts could be involved.
• Chloe's Closet had an episode of the same name, as well as a Sesame Street sketch parodying "High School Musical."
• The special was nominated a Kidscreen Award in 2009 for Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie.
• In a preview of Two Sticks from 2009, "Nothing Better" is noticeably the version from 2008.
• The Wiggles puppeteered their stick puppet selves in front of a green screen while the second batch of Wiggly Waffle segments were filmed in Australia.

Goofs

• A piece of filming equipment can be seen in the Goodnight Garden set at the end of the "We Love the Holidays" number.

External links

• SproutOnline.com