''The Good Night Show'' is a defunct television
programming block
Block programming is the arrangement of programs on radio or television so that those of a particular genre, theme, or target audience are united.
Overview
Block programming involves scheduling a series of related shows which are likely to attra ...
for preschoolers, which aired on the
Sprout channel (previously known as PBS Kids Sprout). It was designed to help preschoolers get ready for bedtime. The block featured recurring themes based on preschoolers' nightly routines, such as dreams, brushing teeth, and cleaning up before bed.
One of Sprout's designers, Ward Jenkins, stated that "Sprout is PBS Kids' answer to
Noggin
Noggin may refer to:
General
* Noggin or gill (volume), a unit of volume
* Noggin (cup), a small cup
* Noggin, slang for head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, an ...
." Prior to New Year's Eve 2007, Noggin did not offer preschool shows in the nighttime hours.
So at the time, ''The Good Night Show'' allowed Sprout to capitalize on nighttime programming for preschoolers, setting itself apart from its competitor Noggin. The block aired daily from 6:00 pm to 3:00 am ET. It appeared on Sprout from September 26, 2005, until March 31, 2017.
Unlike the channel's other blocks, ''The Good Night Show'' was repeated twice over the course of each night. Throughout the block, viewers (referred to as "Sproutlets") were encouraged to participate in host-led games, songs, crafts, and lessons in
yoga
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...
and
sign language
Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...
. Activities generally revolved around a theme, and took place between animated episodes that related to this theme. These themes included issues of interest to preschool-aged children and their parents, such as
imaginary friend
Imaginary friends (also known as pretend friends, invisible friends or made-up friends) are a psychological and social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than physical reality.
...
s,
teddy bear
A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy b ...
s,
shadow
A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, ...
s,
opposites, or
babysitter
Babysitting is temporarily caring for a child. Babysitting can be a paid job for all ages; however, it is best known as a temporary activity for early teenagers who are not yet eligible for employment in the general economy. It provides auton ...
s.
Format
Segments
''The Good Night Show'' featured a variety of segments. The block usually opened with Nina introducing herself and Star, as well as the theme of the night.
* "Sprout-o-Scope" - This segment involved
constellations. Nina and Star looked at the night sky with their telescope, called the "Sprout-o-Scope." Occasionally, this segment included viewer-submitted birthdays left over from ''
The Sunny Side Up Show''.
* "Lucy, Light the Way" - This segment featured an animated game. Lucy, a firefly puppet who introduced the shows that came between the block, lit up different areas as viewers guessed where she was.
* "Crafts" - This segment involved a different craft or art project based on the day's theme. The crafts were removed in 2012 and replaced by a new segment called "Sprout a Sandy Story," where Nina would tell a story and draw pictures in sand.
* "Moonbeam Wheel" - This segment involved Nina and Star spinning their Moonbeam Wheel and translating a word in Spanish.
* "Clean Up" - This segment involved cleaning up before bed. Nina and Star sang a musical number called "Clean Up" while cleaning.
* "Ready for Bed" (Brusha Brusha) - This segment involved brushing teeth and washing faces. During this segment, Star would go to sleep. Before the segment, a commercial for
Aquafresh toothpaste would be shown. The commercial would continue to play until 6:00 am.
* "Hush, Hush, Little Fish" - The final segment involved Nina encouraging viewers to give their wishes to Hush, a goldfish. After this segment, one of two clips was played: Sprout characters sleeping to the ''
Pajanimals
''Jim Henson's Pajanimals'' (a portmanteau of the words ''pajamas'' and ''animals'') is an American- British children's TV series created by Jeff Muncy and Alex Rockwell. The Pajanimals are characters that were made by Jim Henson's Creature Shop ...
'' song "La-La-Lullaby," or a repeated Aquafresh commercial. The ''Pajanimals'' song was removed in 2016, and the Aquafresh commercial was removed in November 2013. In the newer version (2014-2017) before the Hush the fish segment, Star is unwilling to go to bed and says, "I'm not ready to go to sleep yet." Nina convinces him to "dream about the wonderful adventures that one can have tomorrow." In the end, Star (obedient about "getting some rest") is able to say goodnight and goes to sleep. The "Hush the fish" segment plays after Nina folds Star into bed, and Nina sings the Good Night Song before falling asleep.
From 2009 to 2014, an annual event called "Sprout's Snooze-a-Thon" (formerly the "Good Night of Sweet Dreams") was aired from 6:00 pm on Christmas Eve to 6:00 am on Christmas morning. Following an introduction from Nina, the event showed many characters from Sprout's shows and blocks falling asleep. The event was likened to the
Yule log
The Yule log, Yule clog, or Christmas block is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a winter tradition in regions of Europe, and subsequently North America. The origin of the folk custom is unclear. Like other traditions associated wit ...
and was intended to help preschoolers fall asleep on Christmas Eve.
Settings
* The You and Me Tree was the block's setting from 2011 to 2017. It was a treehouse made from recycled objects and craft materials.
* The Goodnight Garden was the block's previous setting from 2005 to 2011. It was a garden of trees with star-shaped leaves, and it had patterned blankets on the ground.
Characters
Final hosts
For most of the block's run, it was hosted by Nina (Michele Lepe) alongside Star, Lucy, and Hush. Nina's uncle, Tio Javier, was introduced in the final season as a recurring co-host.
*Nina (played by Michele Lepe)
was the longest-running host of the block. She was known as "The Goodnight Guide" and owned the You and Me Tree. She was of Hispanic heritage and often taught Spanish phrases to Star and the viewers. She liked to tell stories and fables, which were sometimes shown on-screen through animations and sand artwork. Nina guest-hosted one of Sprout's other blocks, ''
The Sunny Side Up Show'', in 2011 and 2014. She appears as an animated character in the spin-off ''
Nina's World
''Nina's World'' is an animated children's television series. It is a prequel to Sprout network's preceding and very first ever programming block, The Good Night Show, focusing on host Nina, as a 6-year-old Latina who lives with her family in C ...
''.
*Star (voiced by Stacia Newcomb)
was a yellow star-shaped puppet who served as the co-host and the child character. He often asked questions about the evening's theme, commented to Nina about the segments (such as the Good Night Game), and encouraged viewers to follow him as he acted out bedtime routines such as brushing his teeth or reading a bedtime story. On some occasions, Star did not want to go to sleep at bedtime and needed some coaxing from Nina.
*Lucy was a blue-and-purple
firefly. In Leo and Nina's episodes, Lucy introduced the shows that came between the block. She was also featured in games, such as "Lucy Light the Way"; in the game, viewers were shown parts of a picture (as though they were illuminated by a firefly's light) and then guessed what the picture represented. She was originally depicted as a glowing finger puppet, but she later became a CGI character.
*Hush was Melanie's pet, a live-action goldfish who lived in a bowl decorated with star-shaped ornaments. In Melanie's episodes, he was a main character and blew bubbles to announce the shows that came between the block. In Leo and Nina's episodes, Hush's role was reduced, and he only appeared at the end of each show.
*Tio Javier (played by
Esai Morales
Esai Manuel Morales Jr. (born October 1, 1962) is an American actor. He has had notable roles in the films '' Bad Boys'' with Sean Penn and '' La Bamba'' with Lou Diamond Phillips (1987). His television roles include the PBS 2002 drama series '' ...
)
was Nina's uncle. He was a musician who liked to play the guitar and write his own songs. He debuted as a recurring character in 2015 and co-hosted multiple episodes of the final season.
He returned in ''Nina's World'' as an animated character, voiced by Edwin Perez.
Past hosts
*Melanie (played by Melanie Martinez) was an energetic and artistic
babysitter
Babysitting is temporarily caring for a child. Babysitting can be a paid job for all ages; however, it is best known as a temporary activity for early teenagers who are not yet eligible for employment in the general economy. It provides auton ...
who lived with her pet goldfish, Hush. She liked to talk with Hush and draw pictures of him. She was very outgoing and often sang upbeat dance songs, such as "The Craft Song." She hosted the first two seasons from 2005 to 2006. She also appeared in a winter-themed block called ''The Let's Snow Show'' in December 2005.
*Leo (played by
Noel MacNeal
Noel MacNeal (born September 15, 1961), sometimes credited as Noel McNeal or Edward Noel MacNeal, is an American puppeteer, actor, director and writer of children's television who has performed since the early 1980s. He was the voice and puppetee ...
) was a calm and level-headed
gardener
A gardener is someone who practices gardening, either professionally or as a hobby.
Description
A gardener is any person involved in gardening, arguably the oldest occupation, from the hobbyist in a residential garden, the home-owner supplem ...
who looked after the Goodnight Garden. He often taught the viewers about different flowers and how to plant seeds or fruit pits. He also took care of a firefly named Lucy, who liked to sleep in a pocket on Leo's vest. When Lucy started to glow, Leo took her out of his pocket and let her fly around the garden. Leo hosted 24 episodes in 2006
and continued to appear as a recurring character in the third season alongside Nina. Leo's actor, Noel MacNeal, was selected for his puppeteering roles on ''
Bear in the Big Blue House
''Bear in the Big Blue House'' is an American children's television series created by Mitchell Kriegman and produced by Jim Henson Television for Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney preschool television block. Debuting on October 20, 1997, it aire ...
'' as the titular character of the same name and as Kako on ''
Oobi''.
*The Helping Hand was a silent human hand who appeared during the "Goodnight Tale" segments, holding up finger puppets and paper cut-outs.
History
The block received criticism from the
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
Fairplay, previously known as Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), is a United States "national coalition of health care professionals, educators, advocacy groups, parents, and individuals who care about children nd isthe only nationa ...
, which likened the block to "a TV version of a sleeping pill for toddlers."
It criticized Sprout for "implying that its programming will ease children into sleep when research suggests that screen time before bed undermines healthy sleep habits."
Susan Linn
Susan Linn is an American writer, psychologist, and ventriloquist. She is the founder of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and author of the book ''Consuming Kids''. She is a research associate at Boston Children's Hospital and a lecturer at ...
, a Harvard University psychologist, urged Sprout to cancel ''The Good Night Show'' for keeping children awake rather than helping them go to sleep. The president of Sprout, Sandy Wax, denied that the block was misleading, stating that "''The Good Night Show'' is not a sleep aid for children ... it's a tool for parents to help them establish a bedtime routine for their preschooler."
According to ''
Kidscreen
Brunico Communications is a Canadian magazine publishing company."Desktop tabloid publishing firm sports 2 publications and a profit". ''The Globe and Mail'', October 9, 1989. The company specializes primarily in online trade magazines serving medi ...
'', Sprout aimed "to follow a day in the life of a child and thus created a
lock
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
called ''The Good Night Show'' in 2005."
The block was scripted and filmed in Philadelphia. The first season premiered on September 26, 2005. The second season was filmed from April to May 2006
and premiered in July 2006. While the second season was airing, Melanie Martinez alerted Sprout that she had appeared in two parody commercials from the ''Technical Virgin'' website six years earlier; she was fired and replaced by Noel MacNeal from September 11 to December 2006.
Noel MacNeal hosted a season of 24 episodes,
which were packaged with the title ''A Very Special Good Night Show''.
In December 2006, the third season premiered, with Michele Lepe as the permanent host.
Episodes
* Reversed
* Time & Clocks
* Exercise
* Food
* Holidays
* Dreams
* Life Underwater
* Sunrise & Sunset
* The Dark
* Moon & Stars
* Bath & Bubble Time
* Imaginary Friends
* Pets
* Fairies
* Night Noises
* School
* Nocturnal Animals
* Babysitters
* Farm
* Riddles & Rhymes
* Penguins
* Construction
* Halloween
* Dance
* Dinosaurs
* Bedtime Routines
* Snuggly Favorites
* Rainy Days
* Grandparents
* Bodies
* Where We live
* Seasons
* Lullabies
* Bugs & Insects
* Where We Sleep
* Dress Up
* Trains
* Cats & Dogs
* Sharing
* Sports & Games
* Homes
* Spanish
* Love
* Siblings
* Healthy Sproutlets
* Let's Get Silly
* Red, White & Blue
* Gardens
* Birthdays
* Shadows
* Gift Giving
* Wonder
* Our Earth
* Thankfulness
* Letters
* Jobs
* Growing
* Moon
* First Steps
* Family
* Parents
* Babies
* Friendship
* Colors
* Reading & Storytelling
* Shapes
* Numbers
* Hats
* Safety
* Imagination & Make-Believe
* Travel
* Around the World
* Animals
* Feelings
* Art
* Nature
* Creativity
* Camping
* Heroes
* Sports
* Five Senses
* Fish
* Beach
* Circus
* Desert
* Transportation
* Trees
* Space
* Weather
* Poems
* Helping Out
* People Who Work at Night
* Theatre
* Putting on a Show
* Reptiles
* Pirates
* Musical
* Birds
* Safari
* Mother's Day
* Emotion
* Parks
* Magic
* Zoo
* Herithage
* English
* Caregivers
* Jungle and Zoo
Programming
*''
The Berenstain Bears
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
''
*''
Dragon Tales
''Dragon Tales'' is an animated educational television, educational fantasy children's television series created by Jim Coane and Ron Rodecker and developed by Coane, Wesley Eure, Jeffrey Scott, Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser and produced by Sony Pi ...
'' (2005–2010)
*''
Thomas & Friends
''Thomas & Friends'' (originally known as ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' and later ''Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!'') is a British children's television series that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021. Based on ''The ...
''
(2005–2015)
*''
Zou''
*''
Poppy Cat
Poppy Cat is a series of books created by British illustrator and writer Lara Jones. The books are published by Campbell Books (a division of Macmillan Publishers), and include ''Poppy Cat's Play House'', ''Poppy Cat's Christmas'', ''Poppy Cat L ...
''
(2011–2016)
*''
Rubbadubbers
''Rubbadubbers'' is a 2003 British stop-motion children's television series produced by HIT Entertainment and Hot Animation. The series aired from 15 January 2003 to 3 November 2005 on BBC2 in the UK. Created by Peter Curtis, it features seven ...
'' (2009–2011)
*''
Kipper
A kipper is a whole herring, a small, oily fish, that has been split in a butterfly fashion from tail to head along the dorsal ridge, gutted, salted or pickled, and cold-smoked over smouldering wood chips (typically oak).
In the United Ki ...
'' (2005–2015)
*''
Angelina Ballerina
''Angelina Ballerina'' is a children's book series by author Katharine Holabird and illustrator Helen Craig about a fictional mouse (full name Angelina Jeanette Mouseling) who is training to become a ballerina. The first book in the series was ...
''
(2005–2015)
*''
Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat
''Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat'', or simply ''Sagwa'', is a children's animated television series based on the children's book of the same name by Amy Tan which aired on PBS Kids, co-produced by Canada-based animation studio CinéGroupe and ' ...
'' (2005–2009)
*''
Caillou
''Caillou'' () is a Canadian educational children's television series which aired on Teletoon (both English and French versions), with its first episode airing on the former channel on September 15, 1997; it later moved to Treehouse TV, with i ...
''
*''
Big Sister, Little Brother
''Big Sister, Little Brother'' () is an animated series that first aired on SVT in Sweden in 1997. It is based on a series of children's books by Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson.
Plot summary
This show is about a young girl and her little bro ...
'' (2005–2009)
*''
James the Cat
''James the Cat'' is a 1984 British children's series created by Kate Canning and produced by Jan Clayton with Grampian Television. It chronicles the many events which take place at the Cornerhouse (number 104) between James and his new animal f ...
''
*''
Pingu
''Pingu'' is a stop-motion children's television series co-created by Otmar Gutmann and Erika Brueggemann. It was originally produced from 1990 to 2000 by Swiss company The Pygos Group (originally called Trickfilmstudio) for SF DRS in Switzerl ...
'' (2005–2010)
*''
Nina's Little Fables'' (2010–2013)
*''
Driver Dan's Story Train
''Driver Dan's Story Train'' (Arabic: كابتن كريم وقطار الحكايات, ''Captain Karim Qitar Al Hekayat'' (''Captain Karim and the Story Train'')) is a children's series created and designed by Rebecca Elgar and is a co-producti ...
'' (2010–2013)
*''
Jim Henson's Pajanimals
''Jim Henson's Pajanimals'' (a portmanteau of the words ''pajamas'' and ''animals'') is an American-British children's TV series created by Jeff Muncy and Alex Rockwell. The Pajanimals are characters that were made by Jim Henson's Creature Sho ...
'' (2008–2017)
*''
Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps'' (2011–2015)
*''
Wibbly Pig
Wibbly Pig is the title character of a series of picture books for young children, written and illustrated by English author and illustrator Mick Inkpen. The series includes titles such as ''Wibbly Pig Likes Bananas'' () and ''Is It Bedtime Wibb ...
'' (2012–2015)
*''
64 Zoo Lane
64 or sixty-four or ''variation'', may refer to:
* 64 (number)
Dates
* one of the years 64 BC, AD 64, 1864, 1964, 2064, etc.
* June 4th (6/4)
** the date of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre
* April 6th (6/4)
* April 6 AD (6/4)
* ...
'' (2012–2013)
*''Olive the Ostrich''
*''
Sarah & Duck''
*''
Clangers
''Clangers'' (usually referred to as ''The Clangers'') is a British stop motion, stop-motion children's television series, consisting of short films about a family of mouse, mouse-like creatures who live on, and inside, a small moon-like planet ...
''
*''
Stella and Sam
''Stella and Sam'' is a Canadian children's television series based on the Canadian book series "Stella" and "Sam" by Marie-Louise Gay and published by Groundwood Books Inc. The series was developed for television by Radical Sheep Productions. Thi ...
''
*''
Lily's Driftwood Bay''
*''
Astroblast!
''Astroblast!'' is an American children's animated television series created by Bob Kolar for Sprout.
The show is co-produced by Scholastic Media, Soup2Nuts and debuted on Sprout on July 12, 2014. It began airing on NBC Kids, the Saturday m ...
''
*''
Ruff-Ruff, Tweet and Dave
''Ruff-Ruff, Tweet and Dave'' is an interactive animated children's television series which premiered in the United Kingdom on CBeebies in 2015. Hulu acquired the streaming rights in 2016. Production ceased on new episodes when Universal Kids sto ...
''
*''
Nina's World
''Nina's World'' is an animated children's television series. It is a prequel to Sprout network's preceding and very first ever programming block, The Good Night Show, focusing on host Nina, as a 6-year-old Latina who lives with her family in C ...
''
*''
Maya the Bee
''Maya the Bee'' () is the main character in ''The Adventures of Maya the Bee'', a German book written by Waldemar Bonsels and published in 1912. The book has been published in many other languages and adapted into different media. The first Ame ...
''
*''
Floogals
''Floogals'' is a British live-action/animated television series aimed at preschoolers, produced by Nevision Studios, Jellyfish Pictures and Zodiak Kids, with concepts from Absolutely Cuckoo. Sprout (now Universal Kids), a children's TV chann ...
''
*''
Make Way for Noddy''
*''
Noodle and Doodle
''Noodle and Doodle'' is an American live action children's television series, which premiered on May 24, 2010 and ended on March 9, 2013. The series was created by John McCoy, produced and directed by Kristopher Updike. The series was the first ...
''
*''
George Shrinks''
*''
Seven Little Monsters
''Seven Little Monsters'' is a children's picture book by American author and illustrator Maurice Sendak. Published by Harper & Row in 1977, it was originally created as an animated short for Sesame Street in 1971 and served as the basis for the C ...
''
*''
The Wiggles
The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. The group are currently composed of Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce and Tsehay Hawkins, as well as supporting members Evie Ferris, John Pearce, ...
''
*''
Barney & Friends
''Barney & Friends'' is an American children's television series targeted at young children aged 2–7, created by Sheryl Leach. The series premiered on PBS on April 6, 1992. The series features the title character Barney, a purple anthropomo ...
''
*''
Bob the Builder
''Bob the Builder'' is a British animated children's television series created by Keith Chapman for HIT Entertainment and Hot Animation. The series follows the adventures of Bob, a building contractor, specialising in masonry, along with ...
''
*''
Fifi and the Flowertots
''Fifi and the Flowertots'' is a British stop-motion children's television series created by Keith Chapman for Five (acquired rights only) and Nick Jr. (under the "Original Series" brand). It aired from 2 May 2005 to 16 July 2010.
The series ...
''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Good Night Show
Television programming blocks in the United States
Puppetry
Sleep