Category: Kids

For the best game jockey category, there was a tie for the AGGC trophy finally and an opportunity to pursue their passion for gaming as a career. The game jockeys representing the South and North zone were promoted to carry out the responsibility of a Regional Game Jockey with Sify Gamedromes. The semi-finalist clans XGI and ECO represented the gaming culture in their cities of Jaipur and Cuttack respectively, putting to rest the myth that gaming is popular only within the metro cities, says the channel.Conducted by Sify Gamedromes across 240 outlets and 66 cities, it was the first event of its kind to be rolled out on such a scale and dovetailing into such a grand finale.

Host Siddharth Kannan presents awards to winners

Present at the event were members of the band Aasmaa – Jimmy, Sangeet and Vasudha and the celebrity host Siddharth Kannan to cheer the gamers and present the trophies.“Overall, the entire AGGC evoked a stupendous response with hordes of registrations, premier gaming clans and proficient gamers. It has clearly reinforced the position of Animax as a youth channel that‘s a lifestyle destination for our wired generation,” adds Bambawale.

Kaleidoscope focuses on promoting new talents and will soon launch a nationwide talent search for various talented artists, music directors, singers, lyric writers and others, in an attempt to stand true to its motto – “stirring souls by music”.

Additionally, Kaleidoscope has partnered with Ocean Records for the distribution of the audio products Nationwide. Ocean Records has a nationwide presence with distributors in major cities and towns.

The partnership involves having Diego, a preschool show at the Zoo’s Amazon and Beyond exhibit, when it opens in late 2008. While the 27-acre tropical exhibit is under continued construction, until then, beginning spring 2007, Diego will make a temporary home at the Commercebank Children’s Zoo inside Miami Metrozoo, with special Nick Jr. programming and appearances.

Nickelodeon executive VP marketing and worldwide partnerships Pam Kaufman says, “This is a truly unique and extremely fitting partnership of which we are thrilled to be a part. Diego is the perfect match for the Amazon and Beyond exhibit since his home on television is in the rainforest. This exhibit brings to life Diego’s sense of adventure and love of animals and science, and provides a tangible experience which kids can learn from, which is wonderful.”

This exhibit of tropical American flora and fauna will be the largest of any zoo in the US. It will include more than 1,000 animals including harpy eagles, giant river otters (only the third Zoo in the US to house them), anacondas, and Orinoco crocodiles in different settings representing the flooded forest, Amazon forest, and clouded forest, among others.

ZSF president and CEO Glenn Ekey says, “This high-profile partnership with Nickelodeon and one of the top preschool properties brings us closer to our goal of creating the best Zoo in the country. Children will be elated to see Diego everyday at the Zoo and we are making Amazon and Beyond one of the world’s most varied and comprehensive tropical exhibits .

“Amazon and Beyond is a demonstration of the fundraising efforts of the ZSF as we partner with Miami Dade County to stretch the public’s commitment to the Zoo.”

The Go, Diego, Go! presence within the Amazon and Beyond exhibit will include a regularly scheduled stage show, featuring Diego, a host, and various animals with handlers; Diego branded stamping stations at the animal exhibits; field journals that will be distributed to kids to customize as they learn about the animals; and integration of Diego into Zoo marketing collateral and educational materials that are distributed to schools. In addition, some of the animals within the Amazon & Beyond exhibit will be those that are featured in Go, Diego, Go!.

Amazon and Beyond’s promise to be impressive is backed by the Zoo’s design firm Jones and Jones Architecture of Seattle who has designed many of the sections of the San Diego Zoo. The exhibit is funded by a combination of public and private donors, including the Building Better Communities general obligation bond and The Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond.

Other key findings of the survey include the following:

• 66 per cent of parents believe original children’s programming provides families with shared cultural experiences

• 70 per cent believe that original UK children’s programmes contribute to the UK’s cultural identity

• 73 per cent agree that original UK produced children’s programmes encourage children to read and play imaginatively

• 73 per cent agreed that original UK children’s programming is even more important in the age of multi-channel television

• Just 21 per cent agree that programmes from countries like Japan and the US are just as high quality and family friendly as children’s programmes produced in the UK.

These findings come at a critical time for the UK children’s programming industry. Over recent years there has been a steady decline in the level of new UK children’s programming shown on commercially funded public service broadcasters (ITV, Channel 4 and Five).

ITV stopped commissioning new UK children’s programmes 12 months ago. It has continued with this policy despite Ofcom’s ruling that it is not allowed to cut the amount of children’s hours it broadcasts each week. Furthermore, it has also recently cut the total number of children’s hours to just two per week, despite Ofcom’s ruling.

Pact also understands that Five’s commissioning of new UK programmes for older kids (outside the so-called pre-school genre) is under severe pressure.

Historically the UK’s broadcasters have been renowned the world over for funding and broadcasting imaginative, high-quality and family-friendly programming.

Successful contemporary shows made by the commercial broadcasters include:

* My Life As A Popat: nominated for a Commission for Racial Equality award (ITV)
* My Parents Are Aliens: deals with contemporary family values (ITV)
* Fifi And The Flowertots: promotes the environment and health (Channel Five)
* Peppa Pig: celebrates the warmth and humour of family life (Nick Jr)
* A Different Life: teaches about children with unusual lives – from having rare disabilities to living in the South African bush (Five)
* Art Attack: encourages kids to experiment (ITV)
* Michaela’s Wild Challenge: explores nature and the environment (Five)
* Brainiac: promotes science as fun (Sky1)

The company signed a letter of intent with Meyer Werft shipyard, based in Papenburg, Germany, to negotiate a contract to build the 122,000-ton new cruise liners, which will be two decks taller than the existing 83,000-ton ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder. Each ship will have 1,250 staterooms. Specific design plans and itineraries for the yet-unnamed ships are still in development and will be unveiled at a later date.

Disney CEO Bob Iger says, “Since our maiden voyage in 1998, Disney Cruise Line has been a huge success for our guests and for our shareholders alike. It has brought our unparalleled family vacation experience to the high seas, and has also generated high margins and double digit returns on invested capital. We are excited to announce the expansion of our fleet, which is a logical next step in what is a real growth business for us.”

Disney Cruise Line established the family market within the cruise industry when the business launched in 1998. The first two ships were purpose built for families to reconnect and recharge while creating vacation memories that will last a lifetime. From a theater featuring live musical spectaculars to a luxurious spa for adults and nearly an entire deck dedicated to children‘s activities, the ships offer something for every member of the family. Disney Cruise Line continues to grow by attracting passengers who say they would not have cruised if it hadn‘t been for the Disney brand.

Disney Parks and Resorts chairman Jay Rasulo says, “Focussing on families has been smart business for us. More than 95 per cent of Disney Cruise Line guests rate their cruise experience as excellent or very good. Families know they can trust us to provide a quality, immersive Disney experience. As a result, Disney Cruise Line continually sets sail with the highest load factors in the industry of nearly 150 per cent.”

Similar to the original Disney Cruise Line ships, the new ships will be a modern interpretation of classic ocean liners of the 1930s. Disney Imagineers drew their inspiration from the original trans-Atlantic ships that featured a dramatic black hull with two funnels and porthole windows. The profile of the ships, with its gentle curves at the stern combined with sleek angles at the bow, are reminiscent of the art deco designs of the era.

To add whimsy to the classic design, the Disney ships have the same exterior colour palette as Mickey Mouse with black, white, red and yellow. The new ships will feature elegant, detailed Disney scrollwork at the bow and will evoke images of the glamour of the golden age of cruising.

The children’s series from Ragdoll was created to appeal to very young children. In The Night Garden is a modern interpretation of a nursery rhyme picture book that takes children on an imaginative journey to meet a dazzling host of characters living together in a happy and caring woodland community.BBC Worldwide’s Sales Manager, NZ Melanie Owen says, “In The Night Garden is just enchanting. It is funny, reassuring and inspiring entertainment for young children and their carers.” BBC Worldwide has also concluded deals with TVNZ for the first two series of The Catherine Tate Show and Fear Stress and Anger. Little Robots and What Not to Wear S6 will also have their New Zealand premieres on the network.

The range draws inspiration the series of Barbie movies including Princess Annika from “Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus”, Princess Anneliese & Erika from “Barbie as Princess and Pauper” and “Barbie as Rapunzel”.

To enhance the ‘play factor‘ a feature called ‘Quick Snap Fashions‘ has been added to the range, so along with the dolls, additional fashionable clothes and a new moulded look, which can be snapped on to the doll within minutes has been included. These will have over 20 different mix-n-match combinations.

These dolls have been priced at Rs. 499.

The range from the Barbie Mini Princesses stable also consists of three themed playsets for Complete Princesses‘ play enabling girls to create their own Barbie Mini Village!

The Princess Boutique – is a playset with a dressing room accompanied with accessories. It‘s where she chooses her gown for the day and girls can try out different looks for each of the Barbie mini Princesses.

The Royal Pet Shop playset – is where Barbie hangs-out and meets her friends and takes care of her pets. She has a fish, a puppy and a kitty.

The Royal Sweets Playset – is where Barbie cooks up desserts in her oven and lays them out for her best friends.

These playsets are priced at Rs. 899.

“The casual gaming market in Europe is projected to reach approximately $400 million by 2009(1), with usage extending beyond serious game enthusiasts to include more mainstream, casual gaming audiences,” said Walt Disney Internet Group, Europe vice president technology and operations Myles MacBean.

“Disney Game Downloads is a good example of our continued success in leveraging new technologies such as broadband to deliver unique interactive entertainment experiences for kids and families around the world. Through Macrovision and its game network, we are able to expand our European and Australian distribution and reach an even larger audience.”

Each Disney game can be previewed on a trial basis and then purchased via download through Macrovision‘s games network distribution partners. Once purchased, games can be shared as trials on an unlimited basis.

Macrovision CEO Fred Amoroso. “We are very pleased to have WDIG Europe distribute their casual games on our European and Australian games network and are committed to providing their customers with a proven, reliable games network through which they can view and purchase their favorite Disney games.”

Macrovision provides distribution, commerce and consumption solutions for software, entertainment and information content to the home video, PC games, music, cable/satellite, consumer software, enterprise software and information publishing industries.

“‘Johnny Test‘ represents the model of high-energy entertainment our network aims to offer our viewers,” said McGowen. “We‘re very pleased to present new episodes of this wonderful series to its growing legion of fans.”

“We‘re delighted by the overwhelming response from viewers to ‘Johnny Test.‘ The show‘s success is a testament to the creativity and extraordinary work of creator and executive producer Scott Fellows and executive producer Loris Lunsford,” said Taylor. “Kids‘ WB! is one of the leading broadcasters for children‘s television, and it is very gratifying to provide them with bright, original and distinctive programming.”

Johnny Test, marketed under Cookie Jar‘s action adventure brand Coliseum, chronicles the adventures of a fearless 11-year-old boy, his genetically engineered super dog, Dukey, and his 13-year-old super genius brainiac twin sisters, Susan and Mary, who use Johnny as their guinea pig for their out-of-this-world scientific experiments.