Press Releases & News Briefs

PBS KIDS SPROUT℠ MAKES A SPECIAL DELIVERY ON VALENTINE’S DAY WITH NEW EPISODES OF MR. MAILMAN

The second season of The Many Adventures of Mr. Mailman launches during “Sprout’s Special Valentine Delivery” celebration

Philadelphia, PA - January 24, 2007 - PBS KIDS Sprout, the first and only 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, is launching the second season of The Many Adventures of Mr. Mailman this Valentine's Day, Wednesday, February 14, 2007.  Mr. Mailman will embark on his new season of adventures and special deliveries during the "Sprout's Special Valentine Delivery" celebration, airing from 6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. EST. 

Mr. Mailman will don his cupid wings and heart-embossed mailbag during the "Sprout's Special Valentine Delivery" celebration to deliver special on-air wishes from Sprout characters like Barney™, Sesame Street®'s Elmo, Calliou™, The Hoobs™, Bob the Builder™ and the Teletubbies™.  Additionally, children and their parents or caregivers are encouraged to send in their own wishes through a virtual Valentine Card on www.sproutonline.com

New this season, Mr. Mailman will be delivering messages, packages and important letters internationally.  Some of the interesting places he will be sharing with viewers this season include: the Outback of Australia, home of comical kangaroos and cute koalas; the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil, home of the Amazon River and brightly colored toucans; Canada; Egypt; China; England; and many more destinations near and far.   

"Our goal is to create a conceptual link for children between their home and the world beyond," said Andrew Beecham, senior vice president of programming for PBS KIDS Sprout.  "We are introducing preschoolers to the concept of travel, new places and geography in an entertaining way that is also developmentally appropriate." 

Kids can also visit Sprout's website at www.sproutonline.com to join in the fun by downloading their own personalized "passport" and cut-out of Mr. Mailman.  Parents are encouraged to send in photos of their children with Mr. Mailman in various locales which may be shown on television or posted on the website.   Interactive games, such as dressing Mr. Mailman for the appropriate weather for his next destination is also featured.  
  
High-resolution photos of Mr. Mailman and his Sprout friends are available in the media gallery athttp://www.fishwithfeet.com/index-4.html      

About Sprout
PBS KIDS SproutSM (www.sproutonline.com) the first and only 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, the country's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services; HIT Entertainment, a leading provider of quality entertainment for young children; PBS (Public Broadcasting Service), the most trusted distributor of award-winning children's programming; and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street.

The 24-hour network, which launched in September 2005, is available on digital cable and satellite to 20 million homes.  With over 100 million orders in 2006, Sprout is the #1 Kids On Demand service.  The network's program lineup of gold-standard, curriculum-based children's shows includes:  Sesame Street®, Bob the Builder™, Barney & Friends™, Thomas & Friends™, Angelina Ballerina™, Sagwa: The Chinese Siamese Cat™,  Caillou™, The Berenstain Bears™, Jay Jay the Jet Plane™, Teletubbies™, Dragon Tales™, Pingu™, Make Way For Noddy™, Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks™, and more.

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CONTACT:
Jenni Glenn     
PBS KIDS Sprout    
215-667-2703     
jenni_glenn@sproutonline.com