The Sprout Sharing Show

The Sprout Sharing Show
Launched	May 5, 2008
Closed	May 11, 2014
Cast	Kelly Vrooman, Kevin Yamada, Brendon Gawel, Forrest Harding
Airdate	3PM - 6PM EST 2PM - 5PM CT

The Sprout Sharing Show was a programming block created by Sprout. It aired on daily afternoons from 3PM to 6PM ET, in the slot formerly occupied by The Let's Go Show. Unlike other blocks, which had human hosts, this block had puppet hosts: Patty, Ricky, and Curtis E. Owl. Also unlike the other blocks, it didn't have a theme for each blockisode.

Premise

"Tune in to Sprout weekdays from 3 to 6pm ET for The Sharing Show! Join Patty, Ricky, Curtis E. Owl and the gang as they showcase what you can do! Send in your drawings, photos, and videos…they may be on TV! Click here to find out how to share." (link)

From the Sprout Press Room

"On weekday afternoons, The Sprout Sharing Show sets the stage for hand puppets, viewer-submitted videos and favorite Sprout® characters to share talents and celebrate “Look what I can do!” moments. Set within a homemade puppet theater, the Sprout House Band performs songs and introduces videos sent in by viewers. Led by Patty, a loveable and positive pig emcee who encourages everyone to let their talents shine, the Sprout House Band also features Curtis E. Owl, a beatnik owl who plays the stand-up bass and Ricky, a colorful rabbit showman on keyboards. The Sprout Stage Mice help out backstage and both Ricky’s dad and Patty’s mom visit from time to time to help encourage family interaction. The puppet theater is framed with a colorful curtain that opens to reveal different acts from animation and puppetry to videos created and sent in by Sprout viewers. The show includes segments from Sprout’s trusted program library, including: Angelina Ballerina,™ Fifi and the Flowertots,™ Bob the Builder,™ and PICME." (link)

Goals

"The Sprout Sharing Show encourages preschoolers to invite family members to share meaningful and playful moments with them. The show promotes family interaction, introduces preschoolers to the concept of sharing and helps children exercise their imaginations."

Interactive Components

"Parents can share their preschooler’s creations with The Sprout Sharing Show at SproutOnline.com. Through the site, parents can upload their preschooler’s artwork and then tune in to the on-air show to see if the artwork was selected to be part of a short animated segment. Parents can also submit their preschooler’s picture for a chance to star in the innovative new animated series PICME, which airs as a part of The Sprout Sharing Show."

Co-Viewing Components

"Sharing is a central theme of The Sprout Sharing Show, therefore interaction between parents and preschoolers is strongly encouraged as children are introduced to the concept of sharing with others. Through video and artwork submissions, parents and preschoolers are able to create something together and then tune in to Sprout to see if it was selected to be on-air."

Origins

The show was created after the success of The Sunny Side Up Show, as well as a deal with Time Warner Cable placing Sprout in Los Angeles homes.

History on Sprout

2000s

Premiere

The show was first announced by Sprout on April 9th, 2008 and launched on May 5th, replacing The Let's Go Show on the weekday schedule, which meant said block only aired on weekend mornings until dissolving in 2010. While it initially aired on weekdays only, it expanded to weekends in June 2008, a month after the block premiered. Previously, Sprout had only shown viewers' drawings on The Sunny Side Up Show in the middle of Play With Me Sesame (as part of the "Play With Me Art Show") and on a Sunny segment that aired in November 2007 known as Sproutlet Thanksgiving Shorts. Not surprisingly, the drawings were animated by The Little Director Company, the producers of the Thanksgiving shorts. To promote the show's debut, "Sharing" was the weekly theme on Sunny for the week of April 28th.

"Tune in to Sprout weekdays from 3 to 6pm ET for The Sharing Show, starting Monday, May 5th! Join Patty, Ricky, Curtis and the gang as they showcase what you can do! Send in your drawings, photos, and videos…they may be on TV!" (link)

2010s

The block lost its first hour when The Super Sproutlet Show joined Sprout's lineup on Valentine's Day 2012. With this, it aired from 4PM to 6PM.

Cancellation

The Sprout Sharing Show was shown regularly on Sprout until May 11th, 2014, when NBCUniversal acquired the channel and the day before Lily's Driftwood Bay premiered. Its presence on SproutOnline.com remained up until early 2015. The "sending in videotapes" concept was carried over to successor Sprout Control Room.

Cast

• Patty (performed by Kelly Vrooman) was a pink teenage pig with orange hair and a blue dress with a green flower on it. She was the leader of the Sprout House Band, and introduced episodes of Sprout shows.
• Ricky (performed by Kevin Yamada) was a brown rabbit with a sparkly suit. He played the keyboard.
• Curtis E. Owl (performed by Brendon Gawel) was a brown owl with sunglasses and a striped shirt. His name is a pun on the word "courtesy." He played the bass. He has a younger brother, Otis.
• Stage Mice (performed by Kelly Vrooman) were a group of five young mice that help out on the set. They often appeared during the credits of shows.
• Sharon (performed by Forrest Harding) was Patty's mother who made occasional appearances.
• Reginald (Forrest Harding) was Ricky's father who made occasional appearances.
• Otis (Forrest Harding) was Curtis' younger brother who made occasional appearances.

Programming

• Angelina Ballerina
• Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps
• Bob the Builder
• The Chica Show
• Chloe's Closet
• dirtgirlworld
• Dragon Tales
• Fifi and the Flowertots
• Fireman Sam
• Franny's Feet
• The Hoobs
• Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks
• Jay Jay the Jet Plane
• Make Way for Noddy
• Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies
• The Mighty Jungle
• Monkey See Monkey Do
• Olive the Ostrich
• PICME
• Pingu
• Roary the Racing Car
• Super WHY!
• Thomas & Friends
• The Wiggles (TV Series 2)
• Wiggle and Learn
• Zoboomafoo

Online

The block had a major presence on SproutOnline.com, Sprout’s website, which was a big part of the block itself. Kids could submit their own artwork or videotape to Sprout to see it featured on the show.

• Share - Parents could send in a videotape of their child's talents and put them on the block.
• Sprout Art Studio - The "Sprout Art Studio" game was launched in 2007, but was carried over to the Sharing Show's website. Players could draw a picture with Sprout stickers.
• Make a Puppet - Players could make their own puppet. (Link)
• Videos - A section for videos from the block.
• Star - A section relating to PICME.
• Crafts - A section relating to crafts such as microphones and paper bag puppets.
• Music - A section relating to songs from the block - even ones from The Let's Go Show and The Good Night Show.

Notes

• The show was originally going to be called "We Share Weekends."
• Kelly Vrooman and Kevin Yamada were both from The Sunny Side Up Show, as well as The Birthday Show and The Chica Show respectively. Brendon Gawel and Forrest Harding both performed Chica, but were not hosts.
• Patty, Ricky, Curtis, Sharon, Reginald, Otis, and the Stage Mice appeared on The Sunny Side Up Show several times.
• It had its very own podcast.
• This block was called "The Sprout Sharing Block" in TV schedules at SproutOnline.com.
  • Additionally, it is called "The Sproutlet Sharing Show" in the description for the YouTube video of "I've Been Working on the Railroad," which Curtis is present in.
• There was a strange noise glitch during split-screen credits on the block that was present during the entire run and was never fixed.
• The characters' mouths never moved, though it is unknown why.
• Only the Greg-era episodes (and the third generation) of The Wiggles aired on this block. Sprout's Wiggly Waffle aired series 6, Wiggle and Learn.

See also

• The Sprout Sharing Show podcast
• The Sprout Sharing Show website