Category: Kids

This year the race was open to kids between 8-15 yrs, with two categories – Masters (age 8 – 12 yrs) to run 2 kms and Blasters (age 13 – 15 yrs) to run 3 kms. Hungama TV joined hands with the Delhi Athletic Association for Hungamathon 2007 to ensure appropriate adjudication for the entire event. Total Sports Asia was responsible for the planning, promotion and execution of the event, informs an official release.Delhi Athletic Association secretary M. L. Dogra said, “One of the aims of Delhi Athletic Association is to promote sports in the state. Through this marathon, we want more children to take up sport and promote the spirit of running. The Delhi Athletic Association is extending its full support and we look forward to a successful event this Sunday.”
Total Sports & Entertainment India Pvt Ltd. managing director Navneet Sharma said, “This is a truly unique event where kids get to showcase their talent and their skills. Kids are the future and by touching their lives through this run we are trying to make them enjoy every aspect of their childhood. The Hungamathon provides the ideal platform for kids to maintain the competitive spirit and also to have fun. We are very happy to partner with Hungama TV on this fantastic event.”

The show runs for half an hour and the stories screened are taken from their exclusive kids product BookBox which is Internationally Acclaimed and which has Won Awards from World Bank‘s Global Innovation, Stanford University, Tech Museum of Innovations, The Institute for Social Inventions, London (U.K.) and The Manthan AIF Award. BookBox is available on stands for Rs. 99. In Mumbai the screening takes place on Sunday 25 February 2007.

The Film Show will be followed with a Claymation or Colouring Contest. This event has been conducted at the Juhu and Mulund Crossword Book Store where the response was encouraging the firms says.

Shemaroo Entertainment VP Hiren Gada says, “This edutaining film screening will definitely help in reaching out to parents across India. BookBox being a breakthrough kids product needs to catch the attention of parents all over. And this National Campaign will ensure awareness among parents, schools and teachers about this award winning, internationally acclaimed kids product.”

Children as young as three years old are using the computer, said VTech Holdings Ltd. vice president of marketing Julia Fitzgerald. “We have become a download nation,” she added, noting that children are constantly downloading music to their digital music players.

VTech showcased the Whiz Kid Learning System, a learning pad that comes with an USB drive to connect to the computer, enabling books and activities to come to life. The system also has an icon button on the computer screen which children can click onto, connecting them to an online site for more games and activities.

The company launched the V.Smile learning system in 2004 and followed with a portable handheld version to capitalize on video games, so it was time to come out with a learning system that would connect to the computer, Fitzgerald said.

Toy companies are looking online to make even traditional stuffed animals look modern. For example, MGA Entertainment Inc., the maker of Bratz dolls, unveiled Web-Pups under its Rescue Pets brand. The plush dogs come with registration codes that children input onto the site Web-pubs.com to access games and activities, adds the release.

Neil Friedman president of Mattel‘s Mattel brands division, said new security technology is helping to fuel interest in these toys. Mattel‘s Fisher-Price brand is showcasing Easy-Link Internet Launchpad, where parents can plug a character figure like Elmo and be taken directly to the game section of the character‘s Web site like sesamestreet.com.

The show is to be held at the Siri Fort Auditorium on 17 and 18 February, and Bedi was forthcoming: “I need the media‘s help to make this programme a success.”

Bedi told this correspondent that as a marketing person, she feels there is a huge business in this sector of live edutainment, where entertainment is not just educative but has parental approval as well. “We shall talk money if this programme is successful. Let‘s see,” she said.

Part of this business outlook was evident with sponsors ranging from Lilliput, Sunfest Pasta Treat, HT I Love Delhi, Hotel Intercontinental, Eros, Whirlpool, LIC, Berger Kidz, Singapore Airlines and others.

Tickets range from Rs 1,500 down to Rs 300, “so that a wide range of children and their parents will be able to see the show,” Bedi says. But she added that 50 disadvantaged children – to be selected by the various NGOs her company works with – will be given free tickets.

This show is the outcome of an exclusive tie-up between JBC and MEIEA, which is the official licensee of Barney Big Funtime, along with Turner International‘s kids channel Pogo.

Monica Tata, Turner vice president, advertising sales and networks (India and South Asia) said that this is a big business but did not want to talk about any new business model.

Asked whether there seems to be a new business direction emerging at Turner‘s with two programmes with outside companies and NGOs coming in rapid succession (Turner is also promoting the Galli Galli Sim Sim kids programmes to be taken to slums through TV on push carts), she said: “There is no business model. Galli Galli is a different project with a different philosophy and aim… this programme is different.”

She explained that this is in keeping with Turner‘s policy of staying ahead in the business of kids entertainment. “We had introduced Barney and Friends to India in 2004, in our pre-school block, Tiny TV. Likewise, it was natural for us to pioneer this kind of stage shows for children and we are the media partners in the project.”

Bedi admitted that this is a hugely costly project. Apart from the cost of bringing in the team, there was research. She said her company is trying to bring in something radically new in children‘s education and entertainment.

Asked why she thought children here would relate to things so distinctly foreign, she said that she had followed the programme elsewhere as part of her research, and “whether they are Malaysians or Chinese, children have accepted this as their programme,” she averred.

But she would not disclose the cost, and though the programme has several sponsors at various levels, she did not want to discuss business issues.

MEI has been working in the field of edutainment for the past 20 years and have created some major live family entertainment programmes in Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Middle East.

Currently it is doing these live character shows using licensed characters from major entertainment property owners, such as Cartoon Network, HIT Entertainment, and others, and some of their programmes – whether originally created by them or licensed – have played in other languages like Mandarin, Cantonese and Arabic.

Barney, a character created in 1987 by Sheryl Leach, has already won the BEANIE License of the Year in 1993, from the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association, and played live at Bill Clinton‘s inauguration as US president.

According to an official statement issued by the network, the new original series include Santo which is working title for animated action series which is about an iconic wrestler, an animated comedy Chowder, a comedy-action series The Secret Saturdays, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack and live-action and animation combo Re-Animated.

Turner Entertainment Group president Mark Lazarus said, “We‘ve been on a strong run over the last few months on every platform with our content and our commitment to our core audience continues on all levels.”

“Last year we saw tremendous growth by extending our brand into new areas of programming,” said Cartoon Network senior vice president of development and creative direction Michael Ouweleen. “We had great success by always being ‘on it‘ for kids in whatever environment they wanted to enjoy the Cartoon Network experience and we are looking forward to growing even more with this new slate of programs and special events.”

In addition, it was announced that the hit series from André “3000” Benjamin and Tom Lynch, Class of 3000, has been greenlit for its second season and will kick things off with a high energy musical event, adds the release.

The network also announced special events outlined for the year like Cartoon Network Invaded, Props which recognizes kid talent in different spheres and Ben 10 which brings the animated series into a live-action movie.

Previously, the network announced CallToons, a mobile application technology that allowed characters to take over kids mobile phones.