Sprout® to Celebrate Fifth Birthday with the Premiere of Its First Long-Form Original Series, Noodle and Doodle, on 9/25

PHILADELPHIA, July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of the network's fifth birthday, Sprout, the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, will premiere its first-ever, long-form original series Noodle and Doodle on Saturday, September 25 at 9:00 a.m. ET.  Produced by Sprout, this new series (26 x 11' episodes), featuring arts, crafts and cooking for preschoolers and their families, will debut within the network's signature, live morning block, The Sunny Side Up Show, which is expanding to include weekends.  Noodle and Doodle will air every Saturday and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. and again at 11:30 a.m. ET.  

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Hosted by Sean, Sprout's co-host of The Sunny Side Up Show and master artist, Noodle and Doodle features arts, crafts and healthy recipes inspired by real preschoolers' experiences.  With his new friends Noodle, a loveable puppet who likes to help in the kitchen, and Doodle, a virtual, electronic friend who lives in a tablet style device, Sean leads real preschoolers and viewers at home to make all kinds of kid-friendly creations.  Sprout viewers will discover healthy recipes and clever crafts that families can create together using materials from around the home, as well as recycled elements from the items used in the actual recipes.  All of the cooking and crafting takes place inside a whimsical double-decker bus where Sean and his helpers demonstrate step-by-step "how to" creations in an engaging, simple way that families can recreate at home.  

Also along for the ride is Sean's dog Doggity, an adorable beagle with the special ability to take viewers into his imaginary, animated world where culinary canines use teamwork to solve problems and cook up treats in their own kitchen.  This segment on Noodle and Doodle is called Doggity's and was created in conjunction with series creator John McCoy working with the design and animation team of Ka-chew!, a division of Klasky Csupo, the production company behind smash hits like the Rugrats and Wild Thornberrys.

"Noodle and Doodle is the perfect addition to weekends on Sprout as we expand The Sunny Side Up Show – our top performing original program for viewer engagement – to seven days a week," said Andrew Beecham, senior vice president, programming at Sprout.  "Since the live block launched in September 2007, Sprout has collected over one million viewer submissions, and we anticipate even more viewer interaction now with the launch of Noodle and Doodle."  

He continued:  "We are so excited to be debuting this first-ever, long-form original series.  This is also the first time that Sprout is making an original program available for international licensing."

A companion website with sharing galleries, how-to videos, games and more will be available at SproutOnline.com after September 25.  For additional information on Sprout programs or schedules, or to play games, download free coloring pages or find great activities for kids, visit SproutOnline.com.  To find out where Sprout is available in your area, call 1.8.SPROUT.411 or go to SproutPlease.com. 

About Sprout®

PBS KIDS Sprout, the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, was created as a partnership among Comcast Corporation, HIT Entertainment, PBS and Sesame Workshop.  Since debuting its video on demand (VOD) service in April 2005, Sprout has become the #1 On Demand service for younger children, and is on track to reach one billion orders in 2010.  The 24-hour digital channel, which launched in September 2005 along with the website (SproutOnline.com), is the only channel that follows the day of child from breakfast to bedtime with its distinctive programming.  Currently, Sprout is available in 50 million unique households.

The network's program lineup of gold-standard, curriculum-based children's shows includes:  Sesame Street®, Bob the Builder™, Barney & Friends™, The Wiggles®, Thomas & Friends™, Angelina Ballerina™, Caillou®, The Berenstain Bears™, Dragon Tales™,  Fireman Sam™, Fifi and the Flowertots™, dirtgirlworld and more.

SOURCE PBS KIDS Sprout