Calling All Kids: Pokemon Webmaster Wanted to Lead Adult Design Team
Source: Yahoo! News
AOL and Warner Home Video Hold Contest to Tap Kid Know-How in Building "Pokemon: The First Movie" Home Video Web Site
The adults at Warner Home Video (WHV) and America Online (AOL) are eagerly searching for a passionate, Pokemon-savvy youngster to spearhead the creation of an exclusive ``Pokemon: The First Movie'' home video site on AOL's Kids Only Channel.
The national search is being conducted via an exclusive contest in the Kids Only Channel (AOL Keyword: KO) in which kids between the ages of six and 13 can enter by submitting a 50-word essay explaining why they should be chosen as the Pokemon Webmaster. One lucky grand prize winner will fly to Hollywood with his or her family and spend a weekend helping the WB Online design team construct the ultimate Pokemon Web site. The winner also will get a VIP tour of the historic Warner Bros. Studios lot, a $100 gift certificate for use at the Warner Bros. Studio Store, and $500 cash.
Ten lucky first place winners will receive a copy of ``Pokemon: The First Movie'' upon its release (on March 21) and a Pokemon ``C-Watch'' from Trendmasters Toys. These interactive wristwatches feature LCD-animation of favorite Pokemon characters. The Pokemon tell kids the time, and announce time-specific alarms for mealtimes and wake-up calls, among other features.
The finished site, located at AOL Keyword: Pokemon, will showcase the winning essay, a digital diary of the winner's weekend in Hollywood and reveal all of the cool extras included in the upcoming March 21 video and DVD release of ``Pokemon: The First Movie'' such as the EXCLUSIVE all-new Mewtwo game card from Wizards of the Coast and never-before-seen bonus footage consisting of a sneak preview of the second Pokemon movie and ``The Story of Mewtwo's Origin.'' The newly created site will also feature a sweepstakes offering kids a chance to win Pokemon videos, toys, next generation trading cards or tickets to the premiere of the second Pokemon movie.
``Pokemon: The First Movie,'' based on the popular Nintendo franchise, is an $87 million box-office hit, which grossed $51 million over its five-day opening weekend, making it the second biggest five-day opening ever for an animated title and the sixth highest opening overall.
The Contest
To enter, kids between the ages of six and 13 should:
Access the AOL/Pokemon ``Be The Webmaster'' Contest by entering AOL Keyword: Pokemon anytime between now and 11:59 p.m. EST on Feb. 1, 2000
Follow the on-screen directions to provide a first name, e-mail address and parent's/legal guardian's e-mail address
Write an essay in 50 words or less answering the question: ``Why should I be chosen Pokemon Webmaster?''
Once this information has been submitted and verified, the child's parents/legal guardians will be sent a consent form via e-mail
Winner notification:
The winner's parents/legal guardians will be notified by e-mail and/or telephone on or about Feb. 15, 2000
The names of the winners also will be posted at AOL Keyword: Pokemon from Feb. 15 to March 3, 2000
Sweepstakes
AOL's Kids Only Channel and WHV also will conduct an exclusive sweepstakes in conjunction with the video/DVD release of ``Pokemon: The First Movie,'' which will be incorporated into the exclusive Pokemon home video Web site. Prizes will include:
Tickets to the premiere of the second Pokemon movie for an AOL kid and their family
Starter sets of the next generation of Pokemon trading cards from Wizards of the Coast
100 Pokemon videos
Pokemon toys from Tiger Electronics, Hasbro and Trendmasters
Founded in 1985, America Online Inc., based in Dulles, Va., is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies, and e-commerce services. America Online Inc. operates: two worldwide Internet services, America Online, with more than 20 million members, and CompuServe, with more than 2.5 million members; several leading Internet brands including ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger and Digital City Inc.; the Netscape Netcenter and AOL.COM portals; the Netscape Navigator and Communicator browsers; AOL MovieFone, the nation's #1 movie listing guide and ticketing service; and Spinner Networks and NullSoft Inc., leaders in Internet music. Through its strategic alliance with Sun Microsystems, the company develops and offers easy-to-deploy, end-to-end e-commerce and enterprise solutions for companies operating in the Net Economy.
Kids' WB! Presents a 4Kids Entertainment Production, the American adaptation of ``Pokemon: The First Movie'' is written by Norman J. Grossfeld, Michael Haigney and John Touhey, and features voice direction by Michael Haigney. Norman J. Grossfeld, president of 4Kids Productions, is the producer. The animated film is directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and produced by Choji Yoshikawa, Tomoyuki Igarashi and Takemoto Mori. The film written by Takeshi Shudo is based on characters created by Satoshi Tajiri. It is distributed by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment, A Time Warner Entertainment Company.
Nintendo originally launched Pokemon in Japan for the world's best-selling Game Boy hand-held video game system and watched the 150 creatures evolve into a cultural phenomenon. The franchise arrived in North America in September 1998 with the release of the Pokemon Blue and Red Game Boy games and has grown into a $7 billion industry worldwide. Nintendo and its licensing agency, Leisure Concepts Inc. (a division of 4Kids Entertainment) have licensed the franchise to more than 150 U.S.-based companies whose products entertain millions of fans all over North America.
With operations in 78 international territories -- more than the video division of any other studio -- Warner Home Video commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. WHV's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros., Turner Home Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Video.
Contact:
Warner Home Video
Jennifer Liu, 818/954-6897
or
Douglas - Cohn & Wolfe
Alan Fox, 310/967-2962
Katarina Hallstrom, 310/967-2965
Burger King To Run Recall Ads
Source: Yahoo! News
Burger King plans to run national ads next week publicizing a second recall of its Pokemon toy balls after a 4-month-old Indianapolis boy suffocated in his crib on one of the toys.
The Miami-based restaurant chain's announcement came Thursday, hours after the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued its second nationwide alert in a month about the dangers posed by ``Poke Balls.''
More than 25 million of the toys were handed out with Burger King children's meals late last year. The packaging contained no warnings and described them as ``safety tested and recommended for all ages.''
Zachary Jones was the second infant to suffocate when half of the hollow ball, about the size of a tennis ball, covered his mouth and nose. He died Tuesday.
Another plastic ball was blamed for the suffocation death of a 13-month-old California girl in December.
Burger King said it will start running 15-second television advertisements on Tuesday warning parents about the toys. The ads will run for one week on all major networks and more than 20 cable outlets, spokeswoman Kim Miller said.
The consumer alert says parents should ``immediately take the balls away from children under the age of 3. They should discard the ball or return both halves of the ball and the clip to a Burger King restaurant for a free order of fries.''
The Pokemon toys were safety tested only for choking, not for suffocation. Burger King spokesman Charles Nicolas said it's not an industry practice to test for suffocation.
When the recall was first announced Dec. 27, Burger King placed an ad in USA Today, posted signs in its restaurants and sent out notices to 56,000 pediatricians. It had also put the recall announcement on its tray liners and carryout bags.
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