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“Sprout’s Wiggly Waffle” Block Debuts August 24

[via press release]

THE WIGGLES DEBUT EXCLUSIVELY ON SPROUT® WITH NEW INTERACTIVE MORNING SHOW, SPROUT’S WIGGLY WAFFLE

New Three-Hour Block to Premiere on Monday, August 24, 2009, 6 – 9 a.m. ET

It’s Wigglemania All Morning with Sprout’s Wiggly Waffle Show, Followed by The Wiggles Live on The Sunny Side Up Show

Philadelphia, PA – July 29, 2009 — 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 debut Sprout’s Wiggly Waffle, hosted by the most beloved family entertainers in the world, The Wiggles, on Monday, August 24, 2009. This three-hour morning show block, filled with 10 brand new original Wiggles songs and interactive segments packed with wiggly fun, is designed to celebrate mornings and get preschoolers up and moving for the day ahead. Sprout’s Wiggly Waffle will air every weekday morning from 6:00 – 9:00 a.m. ET.

On August 24 only, to celebrate The Wiggles’ big debut on Sprout, the fab four of the preschool set will join hosts Kelly and Chica the Chicken as special guests on the live Sunny Side Up Show from 9:00 a.m. – noon ET, where they will sing songs, play games and take live phone calls from families all across the country.

Designed to weave music, movement and nutrition throughout Sprout’s morning schedule of upbeat programs such as Play With Me Sesame®, Bob the Builder™ and Barney & Friends™, Sprout’s Wiggly Waffle is an interactive block that takes place in and around an oversized, fruit-covered waffle set where nooks and crannies are windows that open to songs, dances, skits and more.

Original segments within Sprout’s Wiggly Waffle include:

  • Wake Up Jeff – This interactive skit invites parents and preschoolers at home to send in their ideas on how to wake up Jeff, the purple Wiggle who is known for his napping.
  • Juice Box Pick – Preschoolers and their parents will select their favorite music videos from Sprout shows on SproutOnline.com and upload them into JB, a juice box character that operates as a jukebox. A new preschooler pick will be featured on-air every day.
  • Dorothy’s Daily Digest – Dorothy the Dinosaur interviews one of The Wiggles who is dressed up as a healthy breakfast food. Lots of healthy, nutritious facts for preschoolers are packed into this daily segment.
  • Today’s Giggle – The Wiggles tell age-appropriate jokes and perform funny skits.
  • The 5th Wiggle Game – Parents will upload a photo of their preschooler at SproutOnline.com to be animated in a dance video with the other four Wiggles. Viewer submissions will be chosen at random and shown on the air during the “Today’s Wiggle” segment.
  • Captain Feathersword’s Pirate Word of the Day – Features a new pirate word every day from The Wiggles’ favorite pirate friend.
  • Today’s Topping – Viewers’ picks of real and wacky waffle toppings sent in via SproutOnline.com by parents and preschoolers are chosen at random to rain down on the Wiggly Waffle while The Wiggles try to catch them.

“The Wiggles are legendary in the preschool world, and we’re thrilled to be able to offer fans a chance to join their favorite entertainers every weekday morning by actually becoming a part of the show,” said Andrew Beecham, senior vice president of programming at Sprout. “The Wiggles will be fully integrated into all three of Sprout’s viewing platforms – on-air, online and on demand – and we can’t wait to get started on introducing them to new audiences and continuing to build upon their already amazing presence in the preschool market.”

“The Wiggles are known throughout the world as fantastic preschool entertainers, but behind that is an early childhood background,” said Paul Field, managing director, The Wiggles Pty Ltd. “We know that children learn through play, and there’s a really sound educational base to this fun, interactive new show. This is the first time that The Wiggles have done anything like this on television and we are all so excited to be joining Sprout exclusively in the U.S.”

The Wiggles are currently traveling the U.S. on their Wiggles Go Bananas Live! Tour. For a complete list of tour dates and other wiggly fun, go to www.thewiggles.com.

Wiggles games, videos, coloring pages and more are available now on SproutOnline.com. For additional information on Sprout programs or schedules, visit SproutOnline.com. To find out where Sprout is available in your area, call 1.8.SPROUT.411 or go to WigglesPlease.com.

High-resolution images of The Wiggles are available now in the photo gallery on SproutPR.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 47 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™, Dragon Tales™, Make Way For Noddy™, The Hoobs™, Fifi and the Flowertots™ and more.

About The Wiggles
The Wiggles, the world’s #1 preschool entertainers, performed over 300 shows to more than 1.5 million fans since 2005 in the United States alone. The Wiggles perform over 200 shows annually across four continents. The Wiggles are seen on TV in over 110 countries worldwide. Fans will be able to catch The Wiggles on television exclusively in the U.S. on 24-hour preschool network Sprout beginning August 24, 2009. The Wiggles have sold more than 22.5 million videos and 7 million CDs in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.