Category: Kids

“The Piratizer allows Pirates of the Caribbean fans all over the world to interact with our brand in a unique and personal way, allowing them to take ownership of the franchise and share it with their family and friends,” said Buena Vista Pictures Marketing president Jim Gallagher.

Turner International India VP advertising sales and networks, India and South Asia Monica Tata said, “Cartoon Network, as the leader in kids‘ television, looks to providing its audiences with the best programming and entertainment across its various initiatives. We are happy to partner with Karthik, the leading playback singer, for the Tamil and Telugu adaptation of the popular series, Pokemon. Coupled with the popularity Karthik commands and the viewership that Cartoon Network generates, we are sure the title track created specially for kids in South India will appeal to them, making their favourite block, Toonami, even more appealing.”

Speaking about his first foray in the kids‘ television category Karthik said, “Children form a big part of my fan following and singing the title track of one their most popular shows – Pokemon on Cartoon Network, the number one kids‘ channel of the country, is my way of thanking them! I enjoyed working with Cartoon Network and singing the title tracks Pokemon in Tamil and Telugu. I am happy that kids in South India can enjoy their favourite show in their language and I am a part of this! I am excited about the track and hope kids like it too.”

Originally in Japanese, the Pokemon series has been translated in over eleven languages including English, French, Mexican, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese, Dutch, Arabic, Hindi, and now in Tamil and Telugu.

In Viva Pi?ata, viewers are introduced to a cast of pi?ata “friends” who embark on wild adventures with mysteries to solve and parties to be had on Pi?ata Island.

Viva Pi?ata already airs on Saturday mornings in the United States on 4Kids TV on Fox. The global broadcast lineup includes YTV (Canada), France 3 Television (France), RTL2 (Germany), Canal J Pay Satellite TV (France), Nickelodeon (UK, Netherlands, Spain, Australia and New Zealand – pay TV in all markets except Netherlands), NRK (Norway), SIC (Portugal) MediaCorp TV12‘s Kid Central (Singapore) and Children‘s Channel (Israel) among others, informs an official release.

4Kids selected Bardel Entertainment, the Vancouver-based animation company, to execute the 3D CGI animation in hi-def format. 4Kids has exclusive rights to represent Viva Pi?ata worldwide across broadcast, home video, music and merchandise licensing.

“Atomic Betty has had tremendous global success in both worldwide ratings and industry recognition and we are truly thrilled to have received this prestigious animation award,” said Gillis. “This honor is a direct reflection of the talents and dedication of everyone on the production team for Atomic Betty.”

Toronto-based Breakthrough Animation was formed in 2003 when Breakthrough Films and Television‘s co-founders Ira Levy and Peter Williamson joined forces with Kevin Gillis, Breakthrough Animation‘s managing partner and executive producer. The company‘s first collaboration, Atomic Betty, has been sold in over 130 territories to date including Cartoon Network USA, M6 (France), CiTV (UK), ABC Australia, and Teletoon France in association with partner broadcaster Teletoon Canada. Breakthrough Animation is also producing Captain Flamingo for Jetix and YTV, and Miss BG for TVO, France 5, Nickelodeon Australia and Cartoon Network UK.Says an official press release.

Kevin Gillis has created, executive produced and produced a number of award winning series and films.

Founder and chief executive bear Maxine Clark says, “The Build A Bear Workshop innovative store concept takes children‘s interactive entertainment retailing to a new level, combining the process of making your own stuffed animal with an exciting atmosphere. We‘ve created a unique retail experience by putting the heart back into retailing and putting our guests at the center of every aspect of our business.”

The price points for the animals range from Rs. 595 Rs. 1295 and upward depending on the accessories that separately purchased for the customized toy.

The Build A Bear Workshop set up its flagship store in United States in 1997 and now has 305 stores globally clocking a global revenue of $ 450 Million.

They will launch innovative new products in the apparel and accessories, social expressions, school supplies and home furnishing categories targeting teens and tweens based on the Archie characters, states the report.

Star India executive VP Ajay Vidyasagar is quoted in UNI saying, “We are very happy to associate with a property that has such positive family values and the kind of cross-over appeal that can connect easily with Indian kids and parents. Star and its L&M partners see immense opportunity and share Steve‘s vision of making India the star of the Archie business map.”

Hungama TV head of programming and production Aparna Bhosle said, “Every summer, there is a considerable increase in eyeballs on kids‘ channels. Hungama TV‘s summer programming ups the ante on comedy and local programming to keep our young fans entertained at home.

In line with all its plans the broadcaster is also launching an anthem for the channel. “We are very excited about launching our Hungama theme song that captures the spirit of our audiences. We are hopeful that kids will sing along and dance to this theme through this season,” she added. The lyrics for the song have been penned by Abbas Tyrewalla and the music has been done by Vishal – Shekhar.

Tensai Bakabon is the story of a gifted child, hence his nickname “Tensai” (genius), but as he gets older, he deteriorated to his father‘s level – quite a drop. His younger brother Hajime however turns out to be the brightest bulb on this family tree.

In Kiteretsu the main character is a scientific genius boy named Kiteretsu, who has built a companion robot named Korosuke. He frequently travels in time with his friends and Korosuke in the time machine built by him.

Being Ian narrates the story of Ian Kelley is a 12-year-old with the kind of imagination that goes “cut” in the night. In other words, he thinks life is a stage and he‘s the director causing him to get himself into strange predicaments. But somehow he manages to walk away from each “set” with a sense of accomplishment, or a detention!

The story of Shuriken School revolves around a school where kids get to learn how to be an astronaut, sorcerer, rock star or a ninja. During their training they learn to fly over rooftops, melt into walls and disappear into a cloud of smoke.

Digital Media for MTVN Kids and Family Group executive VP Steve Youngwood said, “Nickelodeon shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, Avatar, and the Kids‘ Choice Awards that feature large adult audiences, along with The N‘s teen hits, fit well with Amp‘d‘s core demographic. These launches demonstrate our continued commitment to being a premier multi-platform media company.”

The SpongeBob SquarePants Amp‘d TV channel will feature full length episodes. While Nickelodeon Mobile on Amp‘d Live will include several short form clips, from 30 seconds to two minutes in length, from the networks animated shows. These will include SpongeBob SquarePants, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Fairly OddParents, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Catscratch, as well as tween live action hits Just Jordan and Drake and Josh. Nicktoons and the live action hits will refresh on a weekly basis. The N Mobile content will feature short form clips, behind-the-scenes content, sneak peaks and webisodes from teen shows including Degrassi: The Next Generation, Instant Star, South of Nowhere, and Beyond the Break.

The findings suggest that children in the 8 -12 year old age bracket commonly referred to as ‘tweens‘ see the most food advertisements on TV – an average of 21 a day, or 7,600 a year. Following not too far behind are teenagers that see 17 a day, or about 6,000 a year, while 2-7 year olds kids see the fewest – 12 a day or 4,400 a year.

The Kaiser Family Foundation vice president and director of the program for the study of entertainment media and health Vicky Rideout said, “Since tweens are at an age where they‘re just becoming independent consumers, understanding what type of advertising they are exposed to is especially important.”

For each age group studied, food was the top product seen advertised. Thirty-two percent of all ads seen by 2-7 year olds were for food, while 25 per cent of ads seen by 8-12 year olds and 22 pr cent of ads seen by 13-17 year olds were for food. Of all genres on TV, shows specifically designed for children under 12 have the highest proportion of food advertising (50 per cent of all ad time).

Iit was also found candy and snacks occupied a majority share with an alarming 34 per cent, cereal consisted of 28 per cent, 10 per cent for beverages, 10 per cent for fast food, 4 per cent for dairy products, 4 per cent for prepared food.

“TV Land wants to be the brand that understands and appreciates the entertainment and pro-social needs of Baby Boomers,” explains Jones. “By expanding on our reach, where Boomers comprise roughly 75 percent of our target audience, TV Land is uniquely positioned to deliver entertainment and effective pro-social messaging that speaks to the life stage and values Boomers are currently experiencing. The days of targeting younger audiences, and hoping mature consumers will follow their lead, is now officially over.”

MTV Networks Entertainment Group executive vice president National Ad Sales Jeff Lucas said, “Following in the MTV Networks tradition of super serving each of its individual audiences — whether it‘s men, kids or young adults — TV Land is locked and loaded to help our marketing partners reach the largest and most affluent generation in U.S. history.”