''Sponk!'' is a children's television game show produced by Sesame Workshop and Insight Productions for the

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 ...

channel. It was Sesame Workshop's first original production for Noggin, which began as a joint venture between Sesame Workshop and

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

. It premiered on Noggin on September 10, 2001 and ended on March 4, 2002. The series reran on Nickelodeon on Sunday mornings, starting September 16. The premise of ''Sponk!'' was improvisational comedy, similar to the show ''

Whose Line Is It Anyway? ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' is a short-form improvisational comedy show originating as a British radio programme, before moving to British television in 1988. Following the conclusion of the British run in 1999, ABC began airing an American ...

'' Two teams of performers depicted suggestions in a variety of games. Viewers suggested their ideas by submitting them to the Noggin website. "SID" (Suggestion & Idea Distributor) was the name of the computer on the show that picked the ideas submitted by Noggin.com members. From 2002 to 2004, Noggin aired reruns of ''Sponk!'' as part of its nighttime programming block,

The N The N (standing for Noggin) was a nighttime programming block on the Noggin television channel, aimed at preteens and teenagers. It was launched on April 1, 2002, by Viacom and Sesame Workshop. Before the block's introduction, Noggin's daytim ...

Cast

The cast included host Johnathan McClain, and announcer (as the voice of SID) Karen Fowler. The performers were all young actors. Among them were Julia Kay, Tim Dorsch, Scott Irby-Rainnar, Lori Wells, Miles Thompson (who later went on to star in the feature film ''

Me and You and Everyone We Know ''Me and You and Everyone We Know'' is a 2005 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Miranda July. She also acts in the starring role, opposite John Hawkes. The film was the first major studio production for July, who had b ...

'' and cameoed in '' Return To Sleepaway Camp''), Allie Berdebes,

Vanessa Lengies Vanessa Lengies (born July 21, 1985) is a Canadian actress, dancer and singer. She is known for starring in the drama ''American Dreams'' as Roxanne Bojarski. She appeared as Charge Nurse Kelly Epson on the TNT medical drama '' HawthoRNe'', and ...

, and Louie Torrellas.

Gameplay

It resembled a classic Nickelodeon game show, featuring young actors and a young studio audience. The performers were four boys and four girls but with two sitting out and six competing in a red team and blue team. The ideas for the improvisational and sketch contests were submitted by the home audience through Noggin.com. SID would then pick a submission and provide credit for the home audience (as their screen name). Later, She announced the winner of a small electronic device. The studio audience participated as judges for the sketches. They disqualified a contestant by yelling out, "Sponk!". When time ran out, the audience voted the winner by raising the side of their "Spaddle" to vote for the red team or blue team. The "prize" that the performers competed for was the Sponk Trophy, a golden rubber chicken. Occasionally an audience member would be the sketch participant while the original performers acted as a celebrity panel, and won a small prize for Participating.

References

External links

*
''Sponk!'' on SesameWorkshop.org
{{Noggin shows Noggin (brand) original programming The N original programming 2000s American children's comedy television series 2000s American children's game shows 2000s American comedy game shows 2001 American television series debuts 2002 American television series endings American children's education television series English-language television shows Improvisational television series Television series by Insight Productions Television series by Sesame Workshop