Charlie Garner 

Opinion Editor

avg6206@psu.edu

Credit: Noggin

When I was a kid, the main channels I watched on TV were Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network (Disney Junior and Nick Junior when I was little). And I am sure that was the same for most people my age as well. However, the channels Sprout and Noggin, respectively, should absolutely not be overlooked for having some iconic and memorable shows- some being wholesome content we like reminisce on every now and then, and others being complete fever dream shows.

Sprout was a part of PBS Kids and was more for younger, preschool-aged kids and was separate from PBS Kids. The channel launched in 2005 and was rebranded as UniversalKids in 2017, which ended airing original programming in 2019. Even though Sprout was mainly meant for preschool kids, I still watched the channel on occasion into elementary school. It just always brought me comfort (kid shows still give me comfort to this day shut up). Although popular shows for kids were on the channel (such as: “Bob the Builder,” “Barney and Friends,” “Thomas and Friends,” “The Wiggles,” and “Sesame Street”), I wanted to write about some of the more niche shows. And the TV show on Sprout that I loved the most was “Dragon Tales.” I will not go into much detail about the show because I want to write an entire article about it, but it was a really cute show that followed a brother and sister going to a fantasy land of dragons that they become friends with. I think that show is the sole reason why I am still into dragons today. And the theme song slapped and I am still getting it stuck in my head sometimes. Caillou, however, was so annoying and I do not think that is an unpopular opinion. I remember watching it a lot, actually, but I did not like it so I have no idea why I watched it. But Caillou is cursed and how can he be annoying and ugly? Pick a struggle. Also I do not really remember the plot of this show, but “The Sunny Side Up Show” (later had a spin-off, “The Chica Show”) is super memorable to anyone who watched Sprout. Chica the chicken was basically the face of the channel. I know this probably is not true, but maybe Scott Cawthon got inspiration for FNAF Chica from Chica from Sprout. Scott Cawthon is a Sprout viewer confirmed. “The Goodnight Show” was probably the little kid equivalent to watching ASMR. It was just so relaxing to watch Nina and Star doing activities together to help kids go to sleep during bedtime. The Sprout channel always made me feel extra comforted.  

Even if you did not watch Noggin, I bet you remember the cartoon orange moose and blue owl mascots (named Moose and Zee) that were the hosts of the channel. Noggin was a channel that ran from 1999-2009 and is now a streaming service. It sought to encourage the balance between imagination and education. The first show I absolutely have to mention is “Dora the Explorer.” That show was my jam, much to the annoyance of my parents. It was pretty much all I wanted to watch when I was little and I still have so much nostalgia for it as an adult. Kind of the same thing with “Go, Diego, Go,” but I was certainly more into Dora. She was my girl. And, of course, “Blue’s Clues” was also a favorite of mine growing up. What is with our obsession with blue dogs? I do not know, but I enjoy it. “Blue’s Room” was lesser known, but I remember loving it. It was basically “Blue’s Clues” but like live action and the characters were plush-puppet like. A few years ago, “Max & Ruby” became popular on TikTok because people were criticizing the character of Ruby. It was very funny and it gave me a lot of nostalgia for the show. One show people might not remember is “Wonder Pets.” That show follows a simple format, but it was such a cute and wholesome show that provided me so much comfort. I did not mention some shows that people remember well and love and I am giving those shows I left out a shoutout. 

Even though I grew up and the channels are not really around today, I still love looking back at these programs and getting nostalgia and feeling like a little kid again.