Philadelphia, PA - October 24, 2011 - 24-hour preschool
television channel Sprout will debut the new, animated preschool
series Poppy Cat on Monday, November 7 at 7:00 p.m. ET, during the
season premiere of Sprout's signature, original bedtime block, The
Good Night Show. Airing exclusively on Sprout in the U.S.,
Poppy Cat is produced by Coolabi Productions.
Based on the award-winning books by British illustrator and
author Lara Jones, Poppy Cat is an adorable and curious feline who
loves to explore with her colorful mix of animal friends - and
makes their adventures extraordinary! First published in 2003
in the UK (with over 2.5 million copies sold worldwide since then),
Poppy Cat was specifically written, and now animated, for a
preschool audience. Each adventure is told from the
point-of-view of Lara, a young girl with a vivid imagination and
exceptional storytelling ability who talks to her faithful cat
Poppy. They travel to destinations full of fantasy and magic
for fun-filled adventures in pirate ships, hot air balloons and
rocket rides.
"The Poppy Cat series has been a huge hit in the UK in both
books and on television," said Andrew Beecham, senior vice
president of programming for Sprout. "She is a character that
I think kids will fall in love with. Poppy Cat has a great
sense of adventure, fun, fairness and compassion, and we are
thrilled to be bringing this new show to U.S. audiences."
Each evening, Poppy Cat will air within Sprout's popular The
Good Night Show, a three-hour programming block that was created as
a tool for parents to help wind down their preschoolers for bedtime
after a busy day. In addition to all the songs, stories,
games and bedtime activities shared by hosts Nina and Star that
Sprout viewers have made a part of their nightly bedtime routine,
three brand new Good Night Show activity links will be introduced
this season:
• Star Talks to Kids - Star has a one-on-one with a
preschooler who shares everything from the name of his or her
favorite made-up superhero to what they like most about rainy
days.
• Sprout a Sandy Story - Nina and Star create a story
pertaining to the night's theme. As the story unfolds, Nina
illustrates it with the use of a sand art table illuminated by a
light box.
• Clean Up - Nina and Star model the importance of cleaning
up after a long day of play, and sing a new "Clean Up" song as they
straighten up and prepare for going to sleep.
Nina will also be sporting four new pair of pajamas.
"Sprout viewers let us know that they wanted to see Nina in some
new PJs," said Beecham. "So, we had a poll allowing viewers
to vote on new designs and received an overwhelming 700,000
votes!"
All of these new links are taking place on the new Good Night Show
set, aptly named the "You and Me Tree," a whimsical and handcrafted
tree house where Nina and Star cozy up each night to play with
their Sprout friends.
The Good Night Show airs nightly from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. ET (and
repeats from 9:00 p.m. to midnight ET for families in different
time zones).
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®
Available in over 50 million homes, Sprout is the first 24-hour
preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for
children ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers. 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 a preschooler from breakfast to bedtime with its
distinctive, interactive programming and original hosted
blocks. Sprout's VOD offering is the #1 on demand service for
younger children with over one billion views.
Sprout is a partnership among NBCUniversal, HIT Entertainment,
PBS and Sesame Workshop. Its program lineup of gold-standard,
curriculum-based preschool shows includes: Sesame Street®,
Bob the Builder™, Barney & Friends™, The Wiggles®, Thomas &
Friends™, Caillou®, The Berenstain Bears™, Roary the Racing
Car™, dirtgirlworld and more.
www.SproutOnline.com
www.facebook.com/Sprout
www.twitter.com/SproutTV
About Coolabi Productions
Coolabi specialises in the ownership, development and creative
management of high quality chilren's and family brands and
intellectual property. The current portfolio includes Purple
Ronnie, Poppy Cat, Scarlett & Crimson, The Large Family and
Dead Gorgeous. In addition, Coolabi also licenses rights to
selected brands, including Bagpuss, Clangers and Ivor the
Engine. For more information and a background on the company,
visit www.coolabi.com.
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Press Contacts:
Jenni Glenn
Sprout
215-286-2703
jenni_glenn@sproutonline.com
Janet Balmforth
Blueprint PR (for Coolabi)
+44 (0) 20-8868-0511
janet@blueprintpr.co.ukJenni
Glenn