Sprout, the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV,
on demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and
caregivers, and DECODE Enterprises, the distribution subsidiary of
DHX Media, announce the exclusive U.S. launch of dirtgirlworld, the
first green living series for preschoolers. "Sprout's Dig
Into Earth Day with dirtgirlworld" marathon will air on Sprout from
noon - 3 p.m. ET on Earth Day, Thursday, April 22. The
three-hour block will feature select episodes of this contemporary,
vibrant, eco-friendly new series that was designed to introduce
preschoolers to the joys of outdoor play and sustainable, green
living. Games, crafts and environmentally-friends tips for
parents of preschoolers will be available on
SproutOnline.com. After its Earth Day debut, dirtgirlworld
will continue to air on Sprout in its new daily timeslot at 4:50
p.m. ET.
dirtgirlworld was created by writer/producer Cate McQuillen and
composer/writer Hewey Eustace, who developed the series from their
idyllic home near the "rainbow country" of northern New South Wales
in Australia. This music-centric series features a
distinctive blend of live action and animation with photomontage
and illustration that takes the audience to a world where the real
and unreal collide. dirtgirlworld shares an environmental
message, explores the natural world and invites the audience to "go
get grubby" with dirtgirl, a gumboot-wearing girl who grows awesome
tomatoes, knows clouds' names and drives a big orange
tractor.
Helping dirtgirl is a wildly original cast of characters - her
best friend scrapboy, who lives next door and is a whiz with junk;
grubby, with her grub's eye view; ken the weevil, a super stunt
star with an inferiority complex; roger the rooster and the chicks;
hayman the monosyllabic scarecrow; and the green thumbs - real kids
in real gardens having unreal fun.
"We are thrilled to be bringing this truly unique, exciting new
series to preschoolers here in the U.S.," said Andrew Beecham,
senior vice president of programming for Sprout. "With its
intriguing live-action/animation mix, instantly catchy rock songs
and engaging preschool curriculum, dirtgirlworld is sure to be a
hit with both preschoolers and their parents."
"Sprout is an ideal home for dirtgirlworld and we're confident
she'll prove very popular on this U.S. platform," said Josh
Scherba, senior vice president of distribution of DECODE
Enterprises. "This is a unique show with fun, vibrant visuals
and a cool, contemporary eco-heroine who fits the zeitgeist
perfectly."
"Bringing dirtgirlworld to the U.S. is just amazing for us,"
said McQuillen. "We know that Sprout cares about kids and we
wanted a home for dirtgirlworld that cared about kids. We
can't think of anywhere better for us to be."
She continued, "Sprout genuinely understands the qualities that
makes this series so special and they share our vision that
children's television can change the world and be entertaining at
the same time."
dirtgirlworld began life as a music album. It won the 2002
Dolphin Awards' Album of the Year and was nominated for an ARIA
(Australia Record Industry Award) in 2003. Cate and Hewey's
dream, however, was to adapt the concept for multiple
platforms. Television quickly became a reality after they won
pitching competitions locally, then at the Screen Producers
Association of Australia annual conference and at Kidscreen in New
York. dirtgirlworld also airs on CBeebies in the U.K., on CBC
Canada and ABC Australia.
The dirtgirlworld team is committed to pursuing the best
possible environmental business practices to reduce dirtgirlworld's
eco-footprint. A percentage of production costs have already
been reserved to establish the dirtgirlworld foundation, which will
be added to partners' carbon offsetting contributions to fund local
projects that support children to live more environmentally
sustainable lives.
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, generating over half
a billion views. 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 49 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™, Make Way For Noddy™, Fireman Sam™, Fifi and the Flowertots™
and more.
About DECODE Enterprises, a DHX Media Company
DECODE Enterprises is the distribution subsidiary of DHX Media
Ltd. It handles programme sales for third party producers and for
DHX subsidiaries DECODE Entertainment, Halifax Film and Studio B,
which are leading international producers of television programming
and interactive content with an emphasis on children, family and
youth markets. DHX Media Ltd. shares trade on the TSX
in Toronto.
About mememe productions pty ltd
mememe productions is a rurally based production company on the
beautiful North Coast of NSW in Australia. They are a small,
passionate team who endeavors to produce meaningful television,
community building digital media experiences and cool music with
positive messages for kids.
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Press Contacts:
Jenni Glenn
Sprout
215-286-2703
jenni_glenn@sproutonline.com
Anthony Jiwa
DECODE Enterprises
604-684-2363
anthony@decode-ent.com
Aimee Nortman
Blueprint PR
aimee@blueprintpr.co.uk
Tracey Mair
TM Publicity - Australia
traceym@tmpublicity.c