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 Driver Dan's Story Train exclusively in
the U.S. on Monday, November 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET with the voice of
Pat Monahan, lead singer for the multiplatinum band Train, as lead
character Driver Dan.
Presenting an eclectic group of animated preschool characters
who love to share stories with the audience at home, Driver Dan's
Story Train focuses on the values of sharing, tolerance and
teamwork and teaches preschoolers that "Talking matters.
Listening matters. Stories matter." Each episode is a pop-up
book come to life that invites preschoolers at home to be a part of
each story time adventure. Real children are integrated into the
story by replaying actions such as jumping like a frog or emotions
like being happy or sad. The footage is then composited into
the storybook artwork itself - so the children are seen to actually
play amongst the story they have just been told.
Driver Dan drives the Story Train into exciting adventures while
each story comes alive through imagination and interactivity.
Driver Dan is a reassuring adult character who loves having fun
with his friends, driving the Story Train and reading the
stories. He is always available to help with anything; he
leads the discussions with the characters and the children at home
and answers their many questions. Throughout each episode,
Driver Dan engages the audience in guessing games, problem solving
and observation play.
"I'm very excited to be driving a different kind of Train as the
voice of Driver Dan," said Monahan. "In my house, my daughter
wakes up with Sprout every morning and now when she goes to bed
with Sprout, she can do it with me as Driver Dan… it will be a lot
of fun."
"Pat, a dad himself, was thrilled with this opportunity to do
something completely different for an entirely new audience," said
Andrew Beecham, senior vice president, programming at Sprout. "He
was delighted to come onboard with Sprout and work with us on
Driver Dan's Story Train; it is the perfect vehicle for children
and families to engage and share story time together as they wind
down for the night."
As lead singer and front man for the Grammy® Award-winning
pop/rock band Train, Monahan's distinctive vocal talents has
brought the band's latest album Save Me San Francisco to the
forefront of American pop consciousness. The band's fifth
full-length studio album features a pair of smash radio hits: "Hey,
Soul Sister," the most successful single in Train history, and its
rapidly rising successor, "If It's Love," which has reached #1 on
the Adult Top 40 chart and is in the Top 25 pop chart and
climbing. Driven in part by the one-two punch of these
singles, Save Me San Francisco has sold more than 500,000 copies
since its release.
Train is currently on the road on their headline "Save Me San
Francisco Tour," which winds up later this month with shows at the
Los Angeles and San Francisco Greek Theaters before the band heads
to Europe.
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 over 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™, Fireman Sam™,
Fifi and the Flowertots™, dirtgirlworld and more.
Press Contact:
Jenni Glenn
Sprout
215-286-2703
jenni_glenn@sproutonline.com