Today Robinson’s launched a search for the star of their next television ad.

Over the Easter Holidays Robinson’s will go in search of a new member for their “Juice Crew” to star in the next Robinson’s, Fruit Shoot TV advertisement.

To be in with a chance of landing a role in the new advertisement, children are asked to showcase their skills. From football to singing, beat boxing to juggling, the search is on for skills of all varieties.

The auditions will visit Dublin, Cork and Belfast where kids can showcase their own skills and even learn new ones with the help from the “Juice Crew” who will be on hand to encourage and on the look out for all types of skills!

Speaking at the launch, Robinson’s Brand Manager, Christine Keohane, said; “We will be on the look out for kids with everyday skills delivered in a fun way. We know how adventurous and imaginative kids can be and that every child has a skill no matter how quirky or fun it may be.  We are really looking forward to finding the next Robinson’s Juice Crew member.”

For those who can’t make it along to the auditions but would like to be in with a chance of showcasing their skills they can be uploaded via video onto www.fruitshoot.com.

Auditions will be accepted until 30^th April 2010. Once the finalists are selected their auditions will be available on  www.fruitshoot.com and the public will decide on the winner who will then star in the Fruit Shoot ad.

Auditions throughout the island of Ireland include:

Dublin

Saturday 27th March - Jervis Shopping Centre

Sunday 28th March - Dundrum Shopping Centre

Wednesday 31st March - Blanchardstown Shopping Centre

Thursday 1st April - Pavilions Shopping Centre, Swords

Cork

Monday 29^th March – Mahon Point Shopping Centre, Cork

Tuesday 30^th March – Mahon Point Shopping Centre, Cork

Belfast

Saturday 3^rd April – Odyssey Arena, Belfast

Sunday 4^th April – Odyssey Arena, Belfast

Monday 5^th April – Castlecourt Shopping Centre, Belfast

Tuesday 6^th April – Castlecourt Shopping Centre, Belfast

Archie joins friends Hilda & Potto in Sesame Tree 

A bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Muppet will be moving to Sesame Tree, Northern Ireland’s very own version of Sesame Street, when the second series debuts later this year.

Archie, a three and a half year old squirrel with a love of learning, will join friends Hilda and Potto on their adventures as they encourage children to explore the world around them, promoting respect and understanding through educational messages.  The trio will answer questions on many topics posed by children and introduce local mini documentaries that showcase the diversity of life in Northern Ireland. Archie is played by local puppeteer, Mike Smith.

Currently being filmed in Northern Ireland, the new Sesame Tree TV series will be accompanied by educational outreach materials and a website – bbc.co.uk/sesametree which is produced by BBC NI Learning.

The new character has been developed by the local Sesame Tree production company Sixteen South Television, and Sesame Workshop, the not-for-profit organisation behind Sesame Street. The series is due to air across the UK on CBeebies later this year.

Archie (short for Archimedes) is a squirrel with a big bushy tail, bright eyes and cool glasses.  With a signature phrase of “Sweetily deet!”, he loves to learn new things, especially when it comes to counting and measuring. He is truly delighted to be friends with Potto and Hilda and loves the fact that every day in the Sesame Tree is filled with laughter, singing, learning and lots of silliness.  Archie is like an adorable much loved little brother to Potto and Hilda. They encourage him to find ways to be less afraid if he’s frightened of something – or help him to prepare for a new challenge. The three friends are always looking out for each other.

Colin Williams, Executive Producer for Sesame Tree comments, “It’s great to be back filming Sesame Tree for its second series, even more so as we have our new character, Archie, to introduce to the sights and sounds of everyday life in Northern Ireland.  Sesame Tree has been developed to support the new NI curriculum so Archie and his friends have an important role to play in educating young children.  He is a very welcome addition to the Tree. It is really exciting to see Archie and Hilda out and about on location as part of the documentary filming with local children and families for our new series.”

The Sesame Tree project is funded by the International Fund for Ireland, which promotes integration and reconciliation throughout Northern Ireland and the southern border counties, and also by Northern Ireland Screen.  The second series of Sesame Tree will be broadcast on CBeebies in late 2010.

It has been announced today (6 January 2010) that Sesame Tree, Northern Ireland's very own version of Sesame Street is to return to TV screens across the UK this year with a second series.

Sesame Tree successfully aired on BBC Northern Ireland last March before being picked up by CBeebies and becoming a firm favourite of young children and their families across the UK.

Co-produced by SixteenSouth Television and Sesame Workshop, the producers behind Sesame Street, Sesame Tree aims to encourage children to explore and appreciate the world around them, promoting respect and understanding through engaging educational messages.

The new series, which is currently in development, has been acquired by CBeebies, and will once again be supported by educational outreach materials and an updated website. The project is being funded by the International Fund for Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen.

Making the announcement Gary E. Knell, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop said: "We are incredibly excited to be continuing with Sesame Tree, and to have this opportunity to further develop this project with our partners in Northern Ireland. Our initial series was just the first step for this project - we believe that Sesame Tree has a great deal more to offer in terms of bringing inspiring, relevant content to this generation of young children in Northern Ireland, and across the whole of the UK.

"Its success to date proves that its combination of engaging characters, humour and real life situations has struck a chord with local children and communities. It also shows that while the experiences of children in Northern Ireland shown in Sesame Tree may be unique, the underlying common themes which they relate to, such as: sharing, respecting difference, trying new experiences and learning about new people are relevant to all children."

Michael Carrington, Controller, CBeebies said : "CBeebies is delighted to be associated with the Sesame Tree project for Northern Ireland and we are looking forward to working with our partners to help bring a second series and enhanced website to children across the UK."

Welcoming the news, Sesame Tree's Executive Producer Colin Williams said: "We are thrilled that the next series of Sesame Tree will be broadcast on CBeebies - it's a great opportunity to showcase the children and stories of life in Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK.  Sesame Tree remains completely home-grown - written and produced in Northern Ireland by the very best of our local talent.  Viewers of all ages can expect more great stories featuring our Sesame Tree residents, Potto and Hilda, with lots of local humour and short documentaries reflecting life in Northern Ireland through the eyes of a child."

"The success of Sesame Tree across the UK and the international awards that the show has already won proves that appealing, high quality children's programming is now made right here in Northern Ireland."

The new phase of the project will be supported by a Belfast-based Project Manager, Fiona MacMillan, who will be responsible for developing Sesame Tree's outreach activities and community relations programme.

Welcoming the second series, Fiona said: "The outreach materials launched to support the first series of Sesame Tree are already being used to great effect by teachers and parents across Northern Ireland. However, with the development of this second series, we hope to be able to engage fully with a wider variety of community organisations and partners to extend the reach and impact of Sesame Tree."

Sesame Tree's educational content will continue to be aligned to the Northern Ireland Curriculum.

Funding for this phase of Sesame Tree is provided by the International Fund for Ireland, which promotes integration and reconciliation throughout Northern Ireland and the southern border counties, and Northern Ireland Screen.

Commenting on their support of this project, Denis Rooney CBE, Chairman of the International Fund for Ireland, said: "Through creative, fun and educational story-telling, Sesame Tree shows children, from an early age, the commonalities among young people from Northern Ireland. We are delighted to be supporting the second series, as it fits well with our strategy to fund projects that will have a positive and lasting impact in helping children understand how to learn, live and work together."

Richard Williams, CEO Northern Ireland Screen, states: "We are delighted to welcome Sesame Workshop back to Northern Ireland to produce the second series of Sesame Tree together with Sixteen South.  We look forward to the making of this extraordinary second series and are sure that it will be as successful as the first.  Northern Ireland Screen is very keen to fund children's programming as part of our commitment to developing a sustainable and dynamic screen industry in Northern Ireland."