Good Night Show
Encyclopedia
The Good Night Show is a television programming block on PBS KIDS Sprout
which premiered on September 26, 2005. Programming starts at 6:00pm ET (5:00pm CT) each evening. Throughout the three-hour block, which is repeated three times over the course of the evening, viewers (referred to as "Sproutlets") are encouraged to participate in host-led games, songs, crafts, and lessons in yoga
and sign language
. Activities and games generally revolve around a theme, and take place between theme-appropriate cartoon episodes. These themes include issues of interest to preschool children and their parents, such as imaginary friend
s, teddy bear
s, shadow
s, opposite
s, dream
s, or babysitters, christian bibles.
The original host of the Good Night Show was "Melanie", played by Melanie Martinez
. "Melanie" introduced cartoon episodes with the aid of "Hush", a live-action goldfish
who served as the Good Night Show's mascot. In July 2006, Martinez was fired because of concerns over inappropriate dialogue in an independent short film in which she had starred several years earlier, before joining PBS Kids Sprout. Shortly before Martinez's departure, a new character was introduced to the Good Night Show: a large plush star-shaped puppet named "Star" (voiced by Stacia Newcomb), who provided the show with a naive, childlike character and sidekick.
On September 10, 2006, Noel MacNeal
debuted as special guest host "Leo". Both "Star" and "Hush" remained as recurring characters during his tenure, but the cast was also expanded to include "Lucy", a puppet firefly
. MacNeal had a long background in children's television, including his portrayal of "Bear" on Disney's "Bear in the Big Blue House
".
December 18, 2006, Michele Lepe
debuted as the permanent host of The Good Night Show as "Nina". Lepe's fourth season on The Good Night Show premiered on November 7, 2011.
PBS KIDS Sprout
PBS Kids Sprout is a U.S. digital cable television channel, video-on-demand service, and website providing PBS Kids shows and original programming for preschoolers and their families...
which premiered on September 26, 2005. Programming starts at 6:00pm ET (5:00pm CT) each evening. Throughout the three-hour block, which is repeated three times over the course of the evening, viewers (referred to as "Sproutlets") are encouraged to participate in host-led games, songs, crafts, and lessons in yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
and sign language
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
. Activities and games generally revolve around a theme, and take place between theme-appropriate cartoon episodes. These themes include issues of interest to preschool children and their parents, such as imaginary friend
Imaginary friend
Imaginary friends and imaginary companions are a psychological and social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than external physical reality. Imaginary friends are fictional characters created for improvisational role-playing. They...
s, teddy bear
Teddy bear
The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
s, shadow
Shadow
A shadow is an area where direct light from a light source cannot reach due to obstruction by an object. It occupies all of the space behind an opaque object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, or reverse projection of the object blocking the...
s, opposite
Antonym
In lexical semantics, opposites are words that lie in an inherently incompatible binary relationship as in the opposite pairs male : female, long : short, up : down, and precede : follow. The notion of incompatibility here refers to the fact that one word in an opposite pair entails that it is not...
s, dream
Dream
Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
s, or babysitters, christian bibles.
The original host of the Good Night Show was "Melanie", played by Melanie Martinez
Melanie Martinez
Melanie Martinez is a television and stage actress. She is most famous for playing Melanie, host of the Good Night Show, on PBS KIDS Sprout from 2005 to 2006.In 1994, she graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts....
. "Melanie" introduced cartoon episodes with the aid of "Hush", a live-action goldfish
Goldfish
The goldfish is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish....
who served as the Good Night Show's mascot. In July 2006, Martinez was fired because of concerns over inappropriate dialogue in an independent short film in which she had starred several years earlier, before joining PBS Kids Sprout. Shortly before Martinez's departure, a new character was introduced to the Good Night Show: a large plush star-shaped puppet named "Star" (voiced by Stacia Newcomb), who provided the show with a naive, childlike character and sidekick.
On September 10, 2006, Noel MacNeal
Noel MacNeal
Noel MacNeal is a puppeteer, writer, and director of children's television, best known as the voice and puppeteer of Bear in Bear in the Big Blue House and Breakfast with Bear...
debuted as special guest host "Leo". Both "Star" and "Hush" remained as recurring characters during his tenure, but the cast was also expanded to include "Lucy", a puppet firefly
Firefly
Lampyridae is a family of insects in the beetle order Coleoptera. They are winged beetles, and commonly called fireflies or lightning bugs for their conspicuous crepuscular use of bioluminescence to attract mates or prey. Fireflies produce a "cold light", with no infrared or ultraviolet frequencies...
. MacNeal had a long background in children's television, including his portrayal of "Bear" on Disney's "Bear in the Big Blue House
Bear in the Big Blue House
Bear in the Big Blue House is a television program for young children produced for the Playhouse Disney channel by Mitchell Kriegman and The Jim Henson Company. It first aired in 1997, and re-runs of the show continue to air on Playhouse Disney . It is produced by The Jim Henson Company and Shadow...
".
December 18, 2006, Michele Lepe
Michele Lepe
Michele Lepe , is a Hispanic actress who spent her early childhood in England and grew up in San Antonio, Texas. She became the new permanent host of PBS KIDS Sprout's The Good Night Show playing the role of "Nina" the Goodnight Guide....
debuted as the permanent host of The Good Night Show as "Nina". Lepe's fourth season on The Good Night Show premiered on November 7, 2011.
Current Hosts
- Nina, portrayed by Michele LepeMichele LepeMichele Lepe , is a Hispanic actress who spent her early childhood in England and grew up in San Antonio, Texas. She became the new permanent host of PBS KIDS Sprout's The Good Night Show playing the role of "Nina" the Goodnight Guide....
, is the current host of The Good Night Show.
- Star, a star-shaped puppet, portrayed by Stacia Newcomb, is the co-host of The Good Night Show. Star serves as the child character of the show, asking questions about the evening's theme,commenting to Nina about the segment (such as the Good-Night Game), or encouraging viewers to follow him as he performs nighttime routines such as brushing his teeth or reading a bedtime story. His puppet was updated on November 7, 2011.
- Lucy is a firefly puppet used to introduce shows on The Good Night Show. She is also featured in games, such as "Lucy Light the Way"; in this game, viewers are shown parts of a picture (as though they were illuminated by a firefly's light) and viewers then guess what the picture represents. In mid-2009, her puppet was updated
- Hush is a real-life goldfish who was used to introduce episodes on The Good Night Show. He currently still appears at the end of every show, as Nina closes the show by "saying good night to Hush" and reciting a poem in which viewers are encouraged to "make a wish". Several goldfish have played Hush due to the short lifespan of goldfish.
Previous Hosts
- Melanie was the original host of The Good Night Show when it premiered in 2005. She was portrayed by Melanie MartinezMelanie MartinezMelanie Martinez is a television and stage actress. She is most famous for playing Melanie, host of the Good Night Show, on PBS KIDS Sprout from 2005 to 2006.In 1994, she graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts....
. She left the show abruptly in 2006, reportedly due to concerns over inappropriate content in a film she had appeared in while in college.
- Leo, played by Noel MacNealNoel MacNealNoel MacNeal is a puppeteer, writer, and director of children's television, best known as the voice and puppeteer of Bear in Bear in the Big Blue House and Breakfast with Bear...
, was the interim host of The Good Night Show after Melanie's dismissal. He filled in as guest host of The Good Night Show until Nina became the new host of The Good Night Show in late 2006.
Shows
- The Berenstain Bears (2005–present) 6:00pm 9;00pm 12:00am
- CaillouCaillouCaillou is a Canadian children's television show based on the books by author Christine L'Heureux and illustrator Hélène Desputeaux. Many of the stories in the animated version began with a grandmother introducing the story to her grandchildren, then reading the story about the book...
(2008–present) 7:39pm, 10:39pm, 1:39am - KipperKipper the DogKipper the Dog is a character in a series of books for preschool age children by a British writer, Mick Inkpen. The books consist of 34 titles which have sold over 8 million copies and have been translated into over 20 languages. The books have also won many awards.Kipper is also the name of a...
(2005–present) 7:00pm, 10:00pm, 1:00 am - Nina's Little FablesNina's Little FablesNina's Little Fables is a 10-minute TV show aired during The Good Night Show on PBS Kids Sprout, starring Michele Lepe as Nina. The show premiered on June 28, 2010 and features fables, notably from Aesop's Fables.-External links:*...
(2010-present) 7:15pm, 11:15pm; 1:15am - RubbadubbersRubbadubbersThe Rubbadubbers is a British stop motion animation children's show from Hot Animation which is owned by HIT Entertainment.-Plot:The television show features characters who are animated bath toys. They often excitedly announce that the children are about to take a bath.-Format:Each episode begins...
(2009-present) 8:16pm, 11:16pm, 2:16am - Thomas & Friends (2009-present) 6:27pm, 9:27pm, 12:27am
- Angelina BallerinaAngelina BallerinaAngelina Ballerina is a fictional mouse, created by author Katharine Holabird and illustrator Helen Craig, who is featured in a popular series of children's books...
(2011-present) 6:45pm, 9:45pm, 12:45am - Driver Dan's Story TrainDriver Dan's Story TrainDriver Dan's Story Train is a children's CGI animated story series. It is currently being shown by PBS Kids Sprout and ABC2 and CBeebies. It is produced by Twofour54 and Its first series was launched on CBeebies in January 2010....
(2010-present) 7:17pm, 10:17pm, 1:17am - The Pajanimals (2011-present) 8:01pm, 11:01pm, 2:01am