Sprout Launches New Original Live-Action Series "TERRIFIC TRUCKS" On July 9 At 9am ET

NEW YORK, July 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sprout, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment's 24-hour preschool network, announced today the newest addition to their lineup of exclusive original programming: TERRIFIC TRUCKS, a half-hour series featuring five real trucks in a real world setting, set to premiere on Saturday, July 9 at 9am ET. The series also features cameo voices from celebrity parents Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard.

TERRIFIC TRUCKS stars construction site crew Tork (the dump truck), Dug (the digger), Sparky (the front end loader), Stotz (the semi) and Blinker (the scooper) – each with their own unique personality. The series follows the five live-action trucks as they take on big jobs each day in a fun, exciting and immersive environment that showcases the trucks in a close up style. Whether they are crushing cars, digging a foundation, or tearing down a barn, important lessons will be shared as the trucks overcome obstacles on projects to get the job done – proving nothing is too tough for a terrific truck when they work together as a team. New episodes of TERRIFIC TRUCKS will air every Saturday at 9am ET on Sprout.    

Celebrity parents and actors Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard lend their voices to guest-starring roles on TERRIFIC TRUCKS throughout the season. Shepard appears in the premiere episode, "The Big Little Dig Tutor," on July 9 as Digby, a mini-excavator known for being friendly, sweet and helpful with any obstacle. The duo then join forces in "The Mini Truck Dream," set to air on July 30, with Bell as the enthusiastic, energetic and risk-taking mini-loader, Zippy, the twin sister of TERRIFIC TRUCKS series regular Blinker. Bell and Shepard will appear in additional episodes set to air in 2017. In addition to reprising his role as Digby, Shepard will voice Trench, a jovial expert at digging long trenches. 

"As your kids start to watch TV, you really want them to be watching something educational and entertaining—which is why we gravitated towards this show," said Shepard. "Kids have a fascination with trucks because they're larger than life—and 'Terrific Trucks' is all about that larger than life sensibility," added Bell. "We think it's going to be so much fun for kids—and parents—to watch."

"Kids' love of trucks is undeniable," said Amy Friedman, SVP, Programming & Development at Sprout. "Terrific Trucks' celebrates real trucks doing real jobs and the teamwork it takes to get it all done. We believe kids will love experiencing the construction action up close."

A free sneak peek episode of TERRIFIC TRUCKS is available now on the newly refreshed Sprout Playground app. This preview marks the first time Sprout has made a full episode available on the app prior to the linear premiere. Sprout and ustwo New York teamed up to redesign Sprout Playground and create Terrific Trucks Get Truckin'—a new, free interactive TERRIFIC TRUCKS game available exclusively within the app. Aligning with the network's tagline, "Free to Grow," Terrific Trucks Get Truckin' encourages children to explore, overcome obstacles, be curious and discover new ways of interacting with the trucks and their environment. Younger children will be able to enjoy exploring the truck-themed world, while older children can enjoy more sophisticated interactions such as discovering hidden objects in addition to using different attributes for each truck in creative ways. Terrific Trucks Get Truckin' will launch on Sprout Playground in conjunction with the show's premiere on July 9. Additionally, there will be a host of HTML5 games on SproutOnline timed to premiere.

Using an innovative, cinematic approach, Sprout enlisted two fleets of real trucks for TERRIFIC TRUCKS and filmed at a quarry outside of Toronto, Canada. Ira Levy and Joan Lambur serve as Executive Producers, Michael Kessler as Co-Producer, and Ethan Banville as show runner and head writer. Sprout and Breakthrough Entertainment produced the series with animation for the Terrific Trucks' eyes designed by Zink Animation, Keyframe, and Tangent. Animation for the Terrific Trucks' Billboard designed by Eggplant Pictures.

For more details on TERRIFIC TRUCKS and Sprout, please visit www.sproutonline.com.

About Sprout
Sprout is the 24-hour preschool TV network that reflects real kids and the real worlds they are growing up in. Sprout's original programming inspires families to experience the possibilities in every single day, and includes animated series Nina's World; Ruff-Ruff, Tweet & Dave; and Floogals. Sprout's "Sunny Side Up" is the only morning show for preschoolers and broadcasts live from NBCU Studios in Rockefeller Plaza. Launched in 2005 and now in over 58 million US homes, Sprout is a network of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. Please visit sproutonline.com for additional information.

About Breakthrough Entertainment
Headquartered in Toronto, Breakthrough Entertainment Inc. (BEI) is a world class studio, being a leading global producer and distributor of acclaimed primetime comedy and drama series, as well as factual entertainment, documentaries, television movies, feature films, family entertainment and children's animation. As one of Canada's largest television production and distribution companies, BEI has licensed programs to major broadcasters worldwide. A vertically-integrated entertainment studio, Breakthrough is involved in worldwide distribution as well as pre-sales, co-productions and third-party acquisitions. In addition, Breakthrough's digital media division ranks among one of the industry's most respected producers of high quality digital entertainment including ebooks, webisodes and online and mobile games. www.breakthroughentertainment.com. Follow us on Twitter @breakthru_ent.

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