Jim - Since you asked...
Sesame Street Comes to Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color as NewKidCo Releases Three New Elmo Games
Elmo's Letter Adventure(tm), Elmo's Number Journey(tm), and Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland(tm) Backed by Major Holiday Marketing Campaign
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 1999-- NewKidCo International Inc. (TSE: NKC)(OTC BB: NKCIF), one of the leading children's video game developers, has announced the shipment of three new games - Elmo's Number Journey and Elmo's Letter Adventure for Nintendo 64, the first Sesame Street games available for the platform, and The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland for Game Boy Color. Inspired by Sesame Street, the Children Television Workshop (CTW) program that has been enchanting children for more than 30 years, the games offer preschoolers, ages 3-6, the opportunity to interact and learn from Elmo and all of their beloved Sesame Street friends. All three games are available now wherever video games are sold.
"We're excited to bring the first Sesame Street games to the Nintendo 64, and continue our successful line of Game Boy Color Sesame Street products." said Hank Kaplan, President of NewKidCo LLC. "It's important that parents who are looking for quality entertaining products, can look to video game consoles for brands they can trust. We anticipate that these three new Nintendo games, as well as our previously released Sesame Street titles, will be popular choices for the upcoming holiday season."
NewKidCo's holiday marketing program, which includes television, radio, print and online advertising and promotions, is expected to generate more than 150 million impressions for its console products. Elements of the marketing campaign include:
-- NewKidCo's Sesame Street line up for N64, PlayStation and Game Boy Color will be supported by a national television campaign targeting women ages 25-34. From mid-November through mid-December, 15 and 30 second spots will air during high profile network and cable programming including Good Morning America, Rosie O'Donnell, The View, The Today Show and The Tonight Show; leading primetime programs Access Hollywood and Extra; various programs on Nick at Night; and syndicated broadcasts of Mad About You and The Nanny.
-- Full-page print advertisements in two magazines targeting parents: Sesame Street Parent and Parent and Child Magazine. Each magazine boasts a circulation of more than one million targeted readers.
-- Top 20 radio stations and cable television networks nationwide will be running promotional giveaways, as well as on and web sites targeting women for all of NewKidCo's new, and previously released, Sesame Street games across all platforms.
-- NewKidCo has teamed up with Sony Wonder and Mattel/Tyco to cross-promote the Sesame Street console game titles. A money-saving coupon will be packaged with Sony Wonder's "Elmo In Grouchland" movie soundtrack and "Elmo In Grouchland" Sing Along home video and in Sesame Street brand Tyco preschool toys. The coupon enables consumers to save $3.00 on the purchase of any of NewKidCo Sesame Street title or $10.00 off any two games through a mail-in rebate offer. The special rebate runs through October 2000.
-- The Nintendo 64 Sesame Street games will be featured in Nintendo's interactive kiosks at retailers nationwide.
"With the number of U.S. households that own a video game console or handheld gaming unit increasing so rapidly, it was a logical next step for us to continue to bring our most popular brands to these hardware platforms," said Rob Madell, Vice President of Interactive Technologies at CTW. "Our partnership with NewKidCo has allowed us to combine the fun and excitement of video games with the respect, trust and educational value that Sesame Street represents."
Game Overviews
Featuring beautifully designed 3-D worlds and brilliantly colorful graphics, Elmo's Letter Adventure and Elmo's Number Journey for Nintendo 64, offer preschoolers an exciting new way to build number and letter recognition skills. Both titles play like traditional video games, yet utilize simple controls for children who are still developing eye-hand coordination. The titles feature fully navigable, 3-D environments enhanced by rich sound and music, and include the voice talent of the Sesame Street Muppets. Children play each game as Elmo, learning with the help of their favorite Sesame Street characters in exciting environments such as The Count's Castle, Chocolate River, Sugar Mountain and Ernie's Underwater World. Each game features three levels of difficulty and a bonus round, providing hours of interactive entertainment and long-term replayability.
Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland for Game Boy Color, inspired by the hit movie of the same title, features eight enchanting worlds where children help Elmo run, jump, drive and avoid all sorts of fun obstacles in the quest to reclaim his most prized possession, his blanket. Elmo's adventure takes kids into captivating, colorful places like Main Street Grouchland, The Mine Shaft and Huxley's Castle to help Elmo successfully rescue his cherished blanket. Compatible with Game Boy and Game Boy Color systems, the game features two skill levels easily adjustable by parent or child. |
