SPROUT^® AND LAZYTOWN TEAM UP WITH FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA TO PROMOTE ACTIVE HEALTHY LIFESTYLES FOR PRESCHOOLERS

Stars of Sprout’s The Sunny Side Up Show and LazyTown Join First Lady Michelle Obama in New Let’s Move! Public Service Announcements

Philadelphia, PA, July 23, 2012 – 24-hour preschool television channel Sprout, First Lady Michelle Obama and LazyTown have teamed up to promote active, healthy lifestyles for preschoolers with a series of new Let’s Move! public service announcements, produced by Sprout and designed specifically for children ages 2-5 and their families.  The three PSAs, filmed in the East Room of The White House, feature First Lady Michelle Obama, Chica the Chicken, host of Sprout’s hit The Sunny Side Up Show, and larger-than-life action hero Sportacus from the popular LazyTown series, which can be seen every day on Sprout at 2:00 p.m. ET and every Saturday morning on the new NBC Kids block (check local listings for times).

“Kids need 60 minutes of physical activity each day to grow up healthy and strong,” said First Lady Michelle Obama.  “That’s why it’s so important that kids get an early start on being active.  Sportacus, Chica, and all their friends at Sprout are helping us inspire our kids to get moving at an early age and have fun doing it, which will help them build good habits to last a lifetime.”

Debuting on Sprout today during “Good Sport Week” and in celebration of the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympic Games, the Let’s Move! PSAs focus on promoting physical activity, healthy eating, the importance of play, and making simple lifestyle changes that can make a big difference.  The overall goal of the campaign is to create meaningful ways of empowering parents of preschoolers to partner with their kids in joining the Let’s Move! movement, launched by First Lady Michelle Obama to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation.  The PSAs will also begin airing on NBC on July 28 during NBC Kids, a new Saturday morning block programmed by Sprout and designed specifically to address the developmental needs of preschool-aged children.

“We are honored to collaborate with the First Lady on this campaign,” said Sandy Wax, president of Sprout.  “Our PSAs focus on the importance of play, which not only supports an active, healthy lifestyle, but also plays a critical role in early childhood development in the areas of social skills, problem solving, language and interpersonal skills. Something as simple as playing together can make a huge difference… and what better way to share this message with parents than through the Let’s Move! initiative and our friends at LazyTown with these spots that will reach millions of families across the country on Sprout and NBC.”

The three Let’s Move! PSAs are:

·         “Remember Play” – 60-second parent-directed spot that opens with a series of images showcasing adults having fun playing games that they loved as children, including riding a tricycle and hopscotch.  The scene cuts to First Lady Michelle Obama in the East Room of the White House playing a game of “Duck, Duck, Chicken” with Chica the Chicken, Sportacus, preschoolers and their parents.  The First Lady delivers a message about the fun and importance of families getting active for 60 minutes a day.

·         “Duck, Duck, Chicken” – 30-second kid-directed spot that opens with the game of “Duck, Duck, Chicken” with First Lady Michelle Obama, Chica the Chicken, Sportacus, preschoolers and their parents.  The First Lady reminds kids how important it is to play for at least an hour a day.

·         “Chicken Reporter” – 30-second and 60-second versions featuring Chica the Chicken interviewing First Lady Michelle Obama about her favorite way to be active while she hula hoops with preschoolers and Sportacus.

“It was a special honor to be part of the PSAs with the First Lady,” said Magnus Scheving, who founded LazyTown and appears as Sportacus in the spots.  “As someone who has been working for almost twenty years to motivate children to lead healthier lifestyles, I’m of the firm belief that good eating and exercising habits need to start as early as possible.  Mrs. Obama is very sincere in her mission to help kids and families become more active.”

Sprout’s prosocial initiative, ‘Kindness Counts’ – which launched last year in August 2011 – is providing the overall framework for this new initiative in conjunction with Let’s Move! and LazyTown.  In celebration, Sprout will focus the second year of “Kindness Counts” on being kind to your body with a special web destination on SproutOnline.com, including helpful content for parents, as well as inspirational and fun activities for families to do together.  The page will link to the Let’s Move! website.

About Sprout^®
Available in over 50 million homes, Sprout is the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for children ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers.  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 a preschooler from breakfast to bedtime with its distinctive, interactive programming and original hosted blocks.  Sprout’s VOD offering is the #1 on demand service for younger children with over one billion views.

Sprout is a partnership among NBCUniversal, PBS, Sesame Workshop and Apax Funds.  Its program lineup of gold-standard, curriculum-based preschool shows includes:  Sesame Street^®, Bob the Builder^™, Barney & Friends^™, The Wiggles^®, Caillou^®, Pajanimals^™, Thomas & Friends^™,  LazyTown^™, and more.

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About Let’s Move!

Let’s Move! is a comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady, dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams. Combining comprehensive strategies with common sense, Let’s Move! is about putting children on the path to a healthy future during their earliest months and years. Giving parents helpful information and fostering environments that support healthy choices. Providing healthier foods in our schools. Ensuring that every family has access to healthy, affordable food. And, helping kids become more physically active.

About LazyTown

LazyTown is a children’s entertainment brand dedicated to promoting health and wellbeing in a fun way. This is its unique selling point, and by remaining committed to this, LazyTown Entertainment has been able to develop the brand with integrity and authenticity.  Today, the high-definition television series consists of 53 LazyTown episodes, and 26 LazyTown Extra episodes produced with the BBC, and is currently broadcast in 128 countries. The TV series remains the company’s core asset, and it continues to be broadcast worldwide to a recurring market of pre-school children.  LazyTown is on a mission to move the world to be a healthier place. When we get kids moving, we get their families moving. And when families move, we are one step closer to moving the world. Move the body, move the mind, every day.  LazyTown Entertainment is a Turner Broadcasting company.