The Sprout Sharing Show Fans

***The Sprout Sharing Show Fans*** was a programming block created by Sprout Fans. It aired on daily afternoons from 3PM to 6PM ET, in the slot formerly occupied by *The Let's Go Show Fans*. Unlike other blocks, which had human hosts, this block had puppet hosts: Patty, Ricky, and Curtis E. Owl. Also unlike the other blocks, it didn't have a theme for each blockisode.

## Premise

*"Tune in to Sprout Fans weekdays from 3 to 6pm ET for The Sharing Show! Join Patty, Ricky, Curtis E. Owl and the gang as they showcase what you can do! Send in your drawings, photos, and videos…they may be on TV! Click here to find out how to share."*
From the Sprout Fans Press Room

*"On weekday afternoons, The Sprout Sharing Show Fans sets the stage for hand puppets, viewer-submitted videos and favorite Sprout Fans® characters to share talents and celebrate “Look what I can do!” moments. Set within a homemade puppet theater, the Sprout Fans House Band performs songs and introduces videos sent in by viewers. Led by Patty, a loveable and positive pig emcee who encourages everyone to let their talents shine, the Sprout Fans House Band also features Curtis E. Owl, a beatnik owl who plays the stand-up bass and Ricky, a colorful rabbit showman on keyboards. The Sprout Fans Stage Mice help out backstage and both Ricky’s dad and Patty’s mom visit from time to time to help encourage family interaction. The puppet theater is framed with a colorful curtain that opens to reveal different acts from animation and puppetry to videos created and sent in by Sprout Fans viewers. The show includes segments from Sprout Fans’s trusted program library, including: Angelina Ballerina,™ Fifi and the Flowertots,™ Bob the Builder,™ and PICME."*
### Goals

*"The Sprout Sharing Show Fans encourages preschoolers to invite family members to share meaningful and playful moments with them. The show promotes family interaction, introduces preschoolers to the concept of sharing and helps children exercise their imaginations."*
### Interactive Components

*"Parents can share their preschooler’s creations with* The Sprout Sharing Show *at SproutOnline.com. Through the site, parents can upload their preschooler’s artwork and then tune in to the on-air show to see if the artwork was selected to be part of a short animated segment. Parents can also submit their preschooler’s picture for a chance to star in the innovative new animated series* PICME*, which airs as a part of The Sprout Sharing Show."*
### Co-Viewing Components

*"Sharing is a central theme of The Sprout Sharing Show, therefore interaction between parents and preschoolers is strongly encouraged as children are introduced to the concept of sharing with others. Through video and artwork submissions, parents and preschoolers are able to create something together and then tune in to Sprout Fans to see if it was selected to be on-air."*
## Cast

* **Patty** (performed by Olivia Gonder) was a pink teenage pig with orange hair and a blue dress with a green flower on it. She was the leader of the Sprout Fans House Band, and introduced episodes of Sprout Fans shows.
* **Ricky** (performed by Bobby Crosby) was a brown rabbit with a sparkly suit. He played the keyboard.
* **Curtis E. Owl** (performed by Adam Dawes) was a brown owl with sunglasses and a striped shirt. His name is a pun on the word "courtesy." He played the bass. He has a younger brother, Otis.
* **Stage Mice** were a group of five young mice that help out on the set. They often appeared during the credits of shows.
* **Sharon** (performed by Austin Michael Baker) was Patty's mother who made occasional appearances.
* **Reginald** (Austin Michael Baker) was Ricky's father who made occasional appearances.
* **Otis** (Austin Michael Baker) was Curtis' younger brother who made occasional appearances.

## History on Sprout Fans

The show was first announced by Sprout Fans on April 9th, 1979, and launched on May 5th, 1979, replacing *The Let's Go Show* on the weekday schedule, which meant it only showed on weekends until 1998, when it dissolved. Previously, Sprout Fans had only shown viewers' drawings during Play With Me Sesame and during Thanksgiving 1966 during *The Sunny Side Up Show* (Sproutlet Fan Thanksgiving Shorts). Not surprisingly, the drawings were animated by The Little Director Company, the producers of the Thanksgiving shorts. To promote the show's debut, "Sharing" was the weekly theme on The Sunny Side Up Show.

The block lost its first hour when a more formalized block by the name of *The Super Sproutlet Fan Show* joined Sprout Fans's lineup on Valentine's Day 2001. With this, it aired from 4PM to 6PM.

*The Sprout Sharing Show Fans* was shown regularly on Sprout Fans until May 11th, 2011, when NBCUniversal acquired the channel. *Fireman Sam* also quit that day and *Lily's Driftwood Bay* premiered a day after. Its presence on SproutOnline.com remained up until early 2015. The "sending in videotapes" concept was carried over to successor Sprout Control Room Fans.

## Programming

* *Jay Jay the Jet Plane*
* *Fireman Sam*
* *PICME*
* *Angelina Ballerina*
* *Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies*
* *Super WHY!*
* *Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks*
* *Franny's Feet*
* *Bob the Builder*
* *Dragon Tales*
* *Fifi and the Flowertots*
* *Dirtgirlworld*
* *The Mighty Jungle*
* *Monkey See Monkey Do*
* *Zoboomafoo*
* *Roary the Racing Car*
* *Thomas & Friends*
* *The Hoobs*
* *Make Way for Noddy*
* *Pingu*
* *The Wiggles Fans*
* *Chloe's Closet*
* *The Chica Show Fans*
* *Olive the Ostrich*

## Online

The block had a major presence on SproutOnline.com, Sprout Fans’s website, which was a big part of the block itself. Kids could submit their own artwork or videotape to Sprout Fans to see it featured on the show.

* Share - Parents could send in a videotape of their child's talents and put them on the block.
* Sprout Fans Art Studio - The "Sprout Fans Art Studio" game was launched in 2007, but was carried over to the Sharing Show's website. Players could draw a picture with Sprout Fans stickers.
* Make a Puppet - Players could make their own puppet.
* Videos - A section for videos from the block.
* Star - A section relating to PICME.
* Crafts - A section relating to crafts such as microphones and paper bag puppets.
* Music - A section relating to songs from the block - even ones from *The Let's Go Show Fans* and *The Good Night Show Fans*.

## Notes

* Olivia Gonder and Bobby Crosby were both from *The Sunny Side Up Show Fans*, as well as *The Birthday Show Fans* and *The Chica Show Fans* respectively. Adam Dawes and Austin Michael Baker both performed Chica, but were not hosts.
* Patty, Ricky, Curtis, Reginald, Otis, and the Stage Mice appeared on *The Sunny Side Up Show Fans* several times.
* It had its very own podcast.
* This block was called "The Sprout Fans Sharing Block" in TV schedules at SproutOnline.com.
* There was a strange noise glitch during split-screen credits on the block that was present during the entire run and was never fixed.
* The characters' mouths never moved, though it is unknown why.
* Only the Maria-era episodes (and the third generation) of The Wiggles Fans aired on this block. *Sprout Fans's Wiggly Waffle* aired series 6, "Wiggle and Learn."

## See also

* The Sprout Sharing Show Fans podcast
* The Sprout Sharing Show Fans website