Sprout tries on Chica Show

US cable channel Sprout is developing a preschool show based on a character from another series that mixes live-action, animation and dressing-up.

The Chica Show (20×11′) features a girl and her friends who explore and try out all manner of costumes in a shop. When the store closes, the children become animated characters and set off on magical adventures.

Distributor JBMW Media is handling international sales and the show’s US launch will take place in November. Sprout’s senior VP of programming Andrew Beecham and senior VP of original programming and development Lisa O’Brien are executive producing the show.

The series stars Chica the Chicken, who was popularised in another Sprout show, The Sunny Side Up Show (TSSUS). “Chica has become such a superstar on TSSUS that it made sense to give her the starring role in her own show,” said Beecham.

The news comes after US net NBC last month tapped Sprout to programme its Saturday morning kids’ content block, replacing Qubo. NBC’s parent Comcast Communications is understood to still be chasing the 30% stake of the channel the former Hit Entertainment parent Apax owns.