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, will rule the kids television roost on
Friday night, September 26 from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. ET when it
celebrates Chica the Chicken's birthday live from the Sunshine
Barn. Adding to the egg-citement with several live
performances throughout the evening will be The Dream Jam Band, a
popular group from the Northeast who write and play original music
for children of all ages.
Still flying high from her recent 2008 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award
nomination for Best Weather Anchor, Chica will be showcasing
birthday cards sent in from preschoolers all over the country,
playing party games and singing songs with her Sunny Side Up Show
co-hosts Kevin, Kelly and Sean. A live onscreen crawl will
feature birthday wishes sent in from preschoolers via
SproutOnline.com , and special surprise greetings from other Sprout
stars will also be featured throughout the celebration.
"You would think that the recent Emmy nomination and private ice
skating lessons with a former Olympic champion would have turned
Chica into a bit of a diva, but she is still the same sweet and
humble chicken we fell in love with when she debuted on-air a year
ago," said Andrew Beecham, senior vice president of programming for
Sprout. "She can't stop talking about her upcoming party and
is just tickled pink that The Dream Jam Band will be stopping by
the barn to sing some special songs just for her."
"Squeeeeeeaaaak! Squeeeeeeaaaaak! Cluck, cluck,
cluck!," Chica added, expressing her anticipation for the upcoming
celebration.
"We are totally egg-cited to play for Chica and all the
Sproutlets who will be home watching with their families," said The
Dream Jam Band.
Preschoolers and their parents can wish Chica a happy birthday
by mailing in a homemade birthday card or uploading artwork, video
or email wishes at SproutOnline.com beginning now through September
26. Chica will also be taking calls from viewers the morning
of September 26, so preschoolers can wish their favorite feathered
friend a happy birthday live on the air. Since The
Sunny Side Up Show with Chica, Kevin, Kelly and Sean debuted a year
ago, over 300,000 submissions have been received from viewers
across the country (including emails, phone calls, birthday cards,
jokes, weather reports, etc.).
During Chica's Big Birthday Surprise beginning that evening at
6:00 p.m. ET, The Dream Jam Band will play "Nicky Nicky Knock
Knock," "Cow" and "Look Around" from their debut album, which was
named by National Public Radio to its list of Top Ten Children and
Family Albums of the Year. Comprised of five multi-talented
musicians who all write, sing and play more than 20 instruments,
the Dream Jam Band has been touring all year and recently played
Kidzapalooza in Chicago, Strings in the Mountains Festival in
Steamboat Springs, Colorado and Taste of Chicago, the biggest
outdoor event of the year in that city. For more information
on the Dream Jam Band go to www.dreamjamband.com
Additionally, visitors to SproutOnline.com will be able to download
music from the band.
For additional information on Sprout programs or schedules,
visit SproutOnline.com. To find out where Sprout is available
in your area, call 1.866.9.SPROUT.
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 450
million orders. 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 42 million unique households.
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™,
Caillou®, The Berenstain Bears™, Jay Jay the Jet Plane®,
Teletubbies™, Dragon Tales™, Pingu™, Make Way For Noddy™, The
Hoobs™, Fifi and the Flowertots™ and more.
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Press Contact:
Jenni Glenn
PBS KIDS Sprout
215-286-2703
jenni_glenn@sproutonline.com