Many holiday specials are the same year after year: Santa rides his sleigh, Frosty frolics in the snow, Sprout stick puppets dance and sing…wait! That last part is true but with a twist: the folks at Sprout Programming weren’t content to air the show exactly like last year because there are so many new friends at Sprout who aren’t in the cast. (Can you say The Wiggles?) But the show is too good not to replay—so they updated it! How do you update a finished TV show, you ask? So did I. I talked with Meredith Halpern-Ranzer, Senior Creative Director at Sprout, and found out. Plus, I have some great behind the scene footage to share, too. Watch the video to see how much fun everyone had making this terrific show!--Diana
Meredith, what made you decide to change the musical?
We loved Preschool Musical so much last year and got such a great response from it that we wanted to share it again. We knew people would like the show, but we didn’t realize how successful it would be on podcasts and vod (video on demand). But there’s so much that’s new this year at Sprout, including our new morning block and The Wiggles, and we wanted the musical to represent all of our Sprout family. We thought it would be funny to revise the show and call it Sprout’s Preschool Musical On 2 Sticks. It’s even stickier than last year!
What will be different?
The Wiggles have a new scene in the special and they are part of the finale. Oh, and they are on 2 sticks!
I thought the special was so good last year, and so complete. How do you add something to a show that’s already finished?
We worked with what’s already there, and we tried adding the new elements in a way that makes sense. We created a scene where The Wiggles sing a song about the big holiday feast they are making for the “Very, Very Extraordinary Merry Musical Sproutacular!” (Meredith giggles as she says this title, much like a Sproutlet might when singing the song to her parents!) That’s the big show all the Sprout characters are making their way through the snowstorm to get to.
Did The Wiggles actually puppeteer the stick puppets themselves?
Yes! I went to Australia to film a second batch of content for Sprout’s Wiggly Waffle. While I was there, we filmed The Wiggles holding their own sticks over green screens. It was hysterical, and they loved it. They were joking around with each other, kidding each other with the sticks just like kids. They thought it was so funny to see themselves as puppets.
I remember you said the hosts felt the same way last year when they saw themselves as stick puppets. Some things must be universal!
Exactly. And we think kids feel the same if they turn pictures of themselves into stick puppets. That’s really what’s so special about this show, and all of Sprout, —the way we want children to get involved.
Will you change the show every year?
Good question. The answer is, we never know what we’re going to do until we start doing it. We’re not sure what will come next year. So you’ll have to keep watching!
What is the same this year, and what I think makes the show so exciting, is that this is meant to be an interactive experience. You can go online to make your own puppets and play along. You can listen to the music, you can sing with us—it’s all about getting preschoolers involved.
Have you watched Sprout’s Preschool Musical on Two Sticks? How do you and your children interact with the show? You can create puppets, download the music and get the schedule on SproutOnline.com! Do you have any questions for Sprout's creative team? Let me know here and I'll see if I can find answers for you!