Jason Alexander Leads Voice Cast of Animated Sprout Series KODY KAPOW

Sprout, the preschool destination within NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment's Universal Kids network, continues to grow its portfolio of original series with two new animated shows, both set to debut in 2019, as well as with the upcoming premiere of its newest original, Kody Kapow, with Jason Alexander leading THE VOICE cast.

Kody Kapow is an animated series about a Chinese-American boy who discovers that he is destined to become a martial arts superhero. Set in China, Kody goes on adventures to save his village using martial arts tenets like mindfulness, patience and perseverance - with the help of his cousin Mei and their Tiger friend, Goji, played by Jason Alexander. Somewhat of a scaredy cat, Goji has been entrusted by Kody's family to accompany Kody and Mei on their missions. Kody Kapow was created by Alexander Bar and developed for television by Robin J. Stein and Daniel Bryan Franklin. Zodiak Kids Studios produces with Eryk Casemiro as executive producer. The animation is produced by Jam Filled, with Sam Chou as animation director.

Powerbirds, created by two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author Steve Breen, is about two pet parakeets who live secret superhero lives, saving their neighborhood (and the world) one kind deed at a time. Slated to debut on Sprout in early 2019, Powerbirds has been picked up for 52x11 minute episodes.

In Norm, Norman is Mother Nature's Son and the handyman of the forest. He fixes the problems of its highly eccentric animal characters with a touch of magic and a can-do attitude in a stop-motion animated comedy. The 52x11 episodes will roll out in late 2019. Both Powerbirds and Norm build upon the network's emphasis on delivering high quality original content to families.

"As Sprout grows into Universal Kids, our mission is to reflect all that is universal about being a kid. For our youngest viewers, that means helping them grow into good people," said Amy Friedman, Senior Vice President, Programming and Development, Universal Kids. "Our commitment to creating original, high quality preschool content for families to watch together is very important to us. Kody Kapow - as well as Powerbirds and Norm - are characters who share kindness, resilience, and humor, and allow us to deliver on that promise."

Sprout will live as a trusted preschool destination on the Universal Kids channel and will continue to add high quality original programming to its slate. The July 15 launch of Kody Kapow joins top rated series Floogals, Dot., Nina's World, and Noddy Toyland Detective from DreamWorks Animation Television. Beginning September 9, 2017, Sprout will air fifteen hours of preschool programming daily from 3am-6pm, with Universal Kids programmed from 6pm for older kids and families.

To learn more about Sprout's programming, please visit www.sproutonline.com.