Train's Pat Monahan Jumps Onboard as Lead Voice in Driver Dan's Story Train Debuting Exclusively in the U.S. on Sprout®

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Sprout, the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, will premiere Driver Dan's Story Train (produced by twofour54) exclusively in the U.S. on Monday, November 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET with the voice of Pat Monahan, lead singer for the multiplatinum band Train, as lead character Driver Dan.

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Presenting an eclectic group of animated preschool characters who love to share stories with the audience at home, Driver Dan's Story Train focuses on the values of sharing, tolerance and teamwork and teaches preschoolers that "Talking matters.  Listening matters.  Stories matter." Each episode is a pop-up book come to life that invites preschoolers at home to be a part of each story time adventure. Real children are integrated into the story by replaying actions such as jumping like a frog or emotions like being happy or sad.  The footage is then composited into the storybook artwork itself – so the children are seen to actually play amongst the story they have just been told.

Driver Dan drives the Story Train into exciting adventures while each story comes alive through imagination and interactivity. Driver Dan is a reassuring adult character who loves having fun with his friends, driving the Story Train and reading the stories.  He is always available to help with anything; he leads the discussions with the characters and the children at home and answers their many questions.  Throughout each episode, Driver Dan engages the audience in guessing games, problem solving and observation play. 

"I'm very excited to be driving a different kind of Train as the voice of Driver Dan," said Monahan.  "In my house, my daughter wakes up with Sprout every morning and now when she goes to bed with Sprout, she can do it with me as Driver Dan… it will be a lot of fun."

"Pat, a dad himself, was thrilled with this opportunity to do something completely different for an entirely new audience," said Andrew Beecham, senior vice president, programming at Sprout. "He was delighted to come onboard with Sprout and work with us on Driver Dan's Story Train; it is the perfect vehicle for children and families to engage and share story time together as they wind down for the night."

As lead singer and front man for the GRAMMY® Award-winning pop/rock band Train, Monahan's distinctive vocal talents has brought the band's latest album Save Me San Francisco to the forefront of American pop consciousness.  The band's fifth full-length studio album features a pair of smash radio hits: "Hey, Soul Sister," the most successful single in Train history, and its rapidly rising successor, "If It's Love," which has reached #1 on the Adult Top 40 chart and is in the Top 25 pop chart and climbing.  Driven in part by the one-two punch of these singles, Save Me San Francisco has sold more than 500,000 copies since its release.

Train is currently on the road on their headline "Save Me San Francisco Tour," which winds up later this month with shows at the Los Angeles and San Francisco Greek Theaters before the band heads to Europe.

For additional information on Sprout programs or schedules, or to play games, download free coloring pages or find great activities for kids, visit SproutOnline.com.  To find out where Sprout is available in your area, call 1.8.SPROUT.411 or go to SproutPlease.com. 

About Sprout®

PBS KIDS Sprout, the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, was created as a partnership among Comcast Corporation, HIT Entertainment, PBS and Sesame Workshop.  Since debuting its video on demand (VOD) service in April 2005, Sprout has become the #1 On Demand service for younger children, and is on track to reach one billion orders in 2010.  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 child from breakfast to bedtime with its distinctive programming.  Currently, Sprout is available in over 50 million unique households.

The network's program lineup of gold-standard, curriculum-based children's shows includes:  Sesame Street®, Bob the Builder™, Barney & Friends™, The Wiggles®, Thomas & Friends™, Angelina Ballerina™, Caillou®, The Berenstain Bears™, Fireman Sam™, Fifi and the Flowertots™, dirtgirlworld and more.

SOURCE PBS KIDS Sprout

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