Philadelphia, PA - June 19, 2006 - 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, will
have a special delivery for preschool viewers on Monday, July 3,
when The Many Adventures of Mr. Mailman debuts.
Ten episodes of this new curriculum-based, short-form original
program have been commissioned and will air for the first time
throughout the month of July. Mr. Mailman, already a popular
character on the Sprout network who delivers birthday cards each
day to Host Kevin, will now travel the country to personally
hand-deliver mail to his family members and friends. Through
digital still photography, and the integration of simple props,
graphics and a live action element, Mr. Mailman travels to a
variety of locales where he encounters unique local terrain,
weather, animals and obstacles while delivering the
mail.
Dr. Renee Cherow-O'Leary, Professor at Teachers College,
Columbia University and President of Education for the 21st
Century, a consulting firm in New York City, served as curriculum
advisor on this project.
"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.sproutletsgrow.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 in the state to which he will be traveling, will also be
featured.
About Sprout
PBS KIDS SproutSM, the first and only 24-hour on-air, on
demand and online service devoted to preschoolers 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.
Since debuting its video on demand (VOD) service in April 2005,
PBS KIDS Sprout has become the #1 Kids On Demand service,
generating over 85 million orders since launch. The 24-hour
digital channel, which launched in September 2005 along with the
website (www.sproutletsgrow.com),
is available on digital cable and satellite to almost 20 million
committed subscribers. 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™
and more.
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CONTACT:
Jenni Glenn
PBS KIDS Sprout
215-667-2703
jenni_glenn@sproutletsgrow.com