Sprout releases iPhone apps for the wee

Cable channel PBS Sprout, a joint venture of PBS, Sesame Workshop, Hit Entertainment and Comcast begun in 2005, has released two iPhone apps for preschoolers, available for free at Apple's App Store. Sprout Player streams 3- to 4-minute Sprout shows and offers parents a peek at Sprout's programming schedule. Dress Chica is an extension of a Sprout website game where kids can drag items of clothing onto the chicken mascot. Kids can also make Chica dance by shaking their parents'--or their own?--phone. The apps were created with the New Wave Entertainment studio.