The Good Night Show

The Good Night Show is a defunct television programming block for preschoolers that aired on the Sprout channel (previously known as PBS Kids Sprout). It was designed to help preschoolers get ready for bedtime. The block featured recurring themes based on preschoolers' nightly routines, such as dreams, brushing teeth, and cleaning up before bed.

One of Sprout's designers, Ward Jenkins, stated that "Sprout is PBS Kids' answer to Noggin." Prior to New Year's Eve 2007, Noggin did not offer preschool shows in the nighttime hours. So at the time, The Good Night Show allowed Sprout to capitalize on nighttime programming for preschoolers, setting itself apart from its competitor Noggin. The block aired daily from 6:00 pm to 3:00 am ET. It appeared on Sprout from the channel's launch on September 26, 2005, until March 31, 2017.

Unlike the channel's other blocks, The Good Night Show was repeated twice over the course of each night. Throughout the block, viewers (referred to as "Sproutlets") were encouraged to participate in host-led games, songs, crafts, and lessons in yoga and sign language. Activities generally revolved around a theme, and took place between animated episodes that related to this theme. These themes included issues of interest to preschool-aged children and their parents, such

Format

Segments

The Good Night Show featured a variety of segments. The block usually opened with Nina introducing herself and Star, as well as the theme of the night.

"Sprout-o-Scope" - This segment involved constellations. Nina and Star looked at the night sky with their telescope, called the "Sprout-o-Scope." Occasionally, this segment included viewer-submitted birthdays left over from The Sunny Side Up Show.
"Lucy, Light the Way" - This segment featured an animated game. Lucy, a firefly puppet who introduced the shows that came between the block, lit up different areas as viewers guessed where she was.
"Crafts" - This segment involved a different craft or art project based on the day's theme. The crafts were removed in 2012 and replaced by a new segment called "Sprout a Sandy Story," where Nina would tell a story and draw pictures in sand.
"Moonbeam Wheel" - This segment involved Nina and Star spinning their Moonbeam Wheel and translating a word in Spanish.
"Clean Up" - This segment involved cleaning up before bed. Nina and Star sang a musical number called "Clean Up" while cleaning.
"Ready for Bed" (Brusha Brusha) - This segment involved brushing teeth and washing faces. During this segment, Star would go to sleep. Before the segment, a commercial for Aquafresh toothpaste would be shown. The commercial would continue to play until 6:00 am.
"Hush, Hush, Little Fish" - The final segment involved Nina encouraging viewers to give their wishes to Hush, a goldfish. After this segment, one of two clips was played: Sprout characters sleeping to the Pajanimals song "La-La-Lullaby," or a repeated Aquafresh commercial. The Pajanimals song was removed in 2016, and the Aquafresh commercial was removed in November 2013. In the newer version (2014-2017) before the Hush the fish segment, Star is unwilling to go to bed and says, "I'm not ready to go to sleep yet." Nina convinces him to "dream about the wonderful adventures that one can have tomorrow." In the end, Star (obedient about "getting some rest") is able to say goodnight and goes to sleep. The "Hush the Fish" segment plays after Nina folds Star into bed, and Nina sings the Good Night Song before falling asleep.

From 2007 to 2015, an annual event called "Sprout's Snooze-A-Thon" (formerly the "Good Night of Sweet Dreams") was aired from 6:00 pm on Christmas Eve to 6:00 am on Christmas morning. Following an introduction from Nina, the event showed many characters from Sprout's shows and blocks falling asleep. The event was likened to the Yule log and was intended to help preschoolers fall asleep on Christmas Eve.

Settings

The You and Me Tree was the block's setting from 2011 to 2017. It was a treehouse made from recycled objects and craft materials.
The Goodnight Garden was the block's previous setting from 2005 to 2011. It was a garden of trees with star-shaped leaves, and it had patterned blankets on the ground.