Closed yest (Wed) at .33/.39...this out this am:
     (COMTEX)     B: Universal Studios' "Maisy" Arrives On CD-ROM                    B: Universal Studios' "Maisy" Arrives On CD-ROM                                                                                                                      NEW YORK, Aug 5, 1999 (ENTERTAINMENT WIRE via COMTEX) --                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Based on the Hit Nickelodeon TV Show and Best-Selling                             Children's Books by Lucy Cousins, "Maisy's Playhouse"                                     will Enchant Children Everywhere                                                                                                                     Universal Pictures Visual Programming's newest star, "Maisy," of the              hit Nickelodeon TV series of the same name has now arrived on CD-ROM in           "Maisy's Playhouse," co-published by Sound Source Interactive                     (NASDAQ:SSII) and Simon & Schuster Interactive.                                                                                                                     Designed for the PC and Mac, "Maisy's Playhouse" contains creative and            interactive activities for children ages 3-6.                                                                                                                       "Maisy is a beloved children's character and part of Universal Studios'           family of quality children's brand franchises," said Nancy                        Cushing-Jones, president of publishing rights, Universal Studios                  Consumer Products Group. "We have had a long working relationship with            Sound Source and look forward to continuing to work with them on this             project."                                                                                                                                                           ABOUT THE CHARACTER Maisy is known to millions of children worldwide as           the friendly, whimsical mouse with an insatiable curiosity and a                  "can-do" approach to life. She and her friends Tallulah the Chick,                Charley the Crocodile and Cyril the Squirrel appear in one of the top             rated shows on Nick Jr.'s lineup which is seen by millions of children            weekly.                                                                                                                                                             In the CD-ROM "Maisy's Playhouse," children explore Maisy's delightful            house and play six exciting activities which encourage early learning             skills - reasoning, categorizing, following directions, recognizing               colors and numbers, and shape matching. Three skill levels are included           to suit children's growing abilities.                                                                                                                               Children will have hours of fun helping Maisy in many activities such             as deciding what clothes she should wear for different occasions,                 tidying up her messy room, piecing broken gingerbread cookies back                together and decorating them, or playing hide-and-seek outdoors. These            entertaining challenges gently encourage children to consider ideas               about independence, curiosity, and a confident approach to life.                                                                                                    "Maisy's arrival at retail marks an exciting time at Sound Source                 Interactive as we've shipped 50,000 copies, the largest initial                   shipment in our company's history," said Vincent Bitetti, CEO of Sound            Source Interactive. "Maisy is such a recognizable brand and with the              exposure Nickelodeon provides, this should be a successful title for us           and our co-publishing partner, Simon & Schuster Interactive."                                                                                                       PRICING AND AVAILABILITY "Maisy's Playhouse" is now available for the             PC and Mac on a hybrid CD-ROM at an estimated street price of $19.95.             More information can be found at the Sound Source Interactive web site:           www.soundsourceinteractive.com.                                                                                                                                     Maisy interactive rights are licensed by Universal Studios Consumer               Products Group. Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is a division           of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com), a diversified                    entertainment company and worldwide leader in motion pictures,                    television, home and location based entertainment. Universal Studios is           a unit of The Seagram Company Ltd., a global entertainment and beverage           company.                                                                                                                                                            Sound Source Interactive is a leading publisher of children's                     interactive CD-ROM software in the United States. The company is a                comprehensive software studio, producing an expanding list of                     award-winning software products that are based on licensed content                derived from popular children's literature, major motion pictures,                video franchises and long-standing television series. The company has             exclusive licenses from Universal Studios, Viacom (Paramount Pictures             Corp.), Warner Bros., MGM/UA, Harvey Entertainment Co., 20th Century              Fox, New Line Cinema, Sony Signatures, Polygram and others. Their                 products are available at major retailers including Sam's Club,                   Wal-Mart, Target, Costco, Best Buy, Zainy Brainy, Toys R Us and Comp              USA. Sound Source Interactive is headquartered in Calabasas, California           and trades on the NASDAQ under the symbol, SSII.                                                                                                                    Simon & Schuster Interactive (www.ssinteractive.com) is the consumer              software publishing unit of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Based in New York,             S&SI is the Codie Award winning publisher of the best-selling "Douglas            Adams Starship Titanic" adventure, the best-selling parody "Deer                  Avenger," the award-winning Richard Scarry children's software line and           Star Trek(TM) entertainment / reference titles.                                                                                                                     Simon & Schuster, the publishing operation of Viacom Inc., is a global            leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to                  providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages,           across all printed and multimedia formats. Its divisions include Simon            & Schuster Trade Publishing, Pocket Books, Simon & Schuster Children's            Publishing, Simon & Schuster New Media, Simon & Schuster Online, Simon            & Schuster U.K., and Simon & Schuster Australia. For more information             about Simon & Schuster, visit our website at www.simonsays.com.                                                                                                     Viacom Inc. is one of the world's largest entertainment companies and             is a leading force in nearly every segment of the international media             marketplace. The operations of Viacom include Blockbuster, MTV                    Networks, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Television, Paramount Parks,              Showtime Networks, Simon & Schuster, 19 television stations, and movie            screens in 12 countries. Viacom also owns half-interests in Comedy                Central, UPN and UCI. National Amusements, Inc., a closely held                   corporation which operates approximately 1,300 screens in the U.S., the           U.K. and South America, is the parent company of Viacom. More                     information about Viacom is available at the Company's Web site located           at viacom.com.                                                                                                                                           NOTE TO EDITORS: All brand and company/product names are trademarks or            registered trademarks of their respective companies.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Copyright (C) 1999 Business Wire.  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