Kids Marketing Report articles from February 2001

Kids Marketing Report archives from February 2001

Butt-Ugly Martians makes terrestrial debut on CiTV.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Butt-Ugly Martians, the 3D CGI animated cartoon series produced by Just Entertainment in association with Mike Young Productions, made its worldwide debut on CiTV on 19 February 2001. CiTV, the first to buy Butt-Ugly Martians, showed its...

Lego launches toys with CD-Roms throughout northern Europe.(Lego Technic's Bionicle)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... LEGO Technic has launched Bionicle in northern Europe -- a range of action figures and CDRoms, which it describes as a 'new concept in storytelling'. Bionicle is aimed at the seven plus market -- an older audience than LEGO has traditionally...

BRANDT'S VIOLENT ADS.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... The Independent Television Commission has ruled that ads for Brandt domestic appliances could encourage aggressive behaviour in children under eight after 126 people complained. The ads, created by Face Audio Visual, showed people smashing up...

ADS FOR AVENT SKINCARE.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Avent, the mother and baby care brand, is running a TV campaign for its luxury skincare range. The ads were created by Commercials Unlimited.

HASBRO'S CLEVER BUGS.(Biomechanical Integrated Organisms)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Hasbro is to launch a range of toy bugs based on technology that the US government uses to create robots. The BIO (Bio-mechanical Integrated Organisms) Bugs are the first toys to use the 10-year old 'nervous network' technology. The robotic...

WOOLIES REFUSES MAG.(Woolworths; Mad About Boys)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Woolworths has refused to sell Mad About Boys, the contreversial magazine from Planet Three aimed at 9-12 year old girls.

BABY TELETUBBIES.(baby clothes from Mothercare)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Mothercare is to sell an exclusive range of baby clothes based on the Teletubbies characters. The range, which includes pyjamas and babysuits, will feature the outline shapes of the characters and pastel shades of the original colours. BBC...

GLAXO DROPS CLAIMS.(about Ribena ToothKind, tooth decay)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... GlaxoSmithKline is to drop all claims that Ribena ToothKind does not cause tooth decay following the High Court ruling in January, which ruled that ads for the brand were misleading. The company is due to reveal revised labels later this...

Carlton acquires rights to hit US TV adventure show.(Carlton International)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Canton International has acquired the rights for Survivor, a psychological TV adventure game where 16 contestants marooned on a deserted island battle it out for a huge cash prize. The show launched in the US on 31 May 2000 where it has...

Wickedcolors to launch offline mag.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Wickedcolors.co.uk, the e-zine for 11-17 year old girls, is launching an offline version of the magazine. The monthly title will be available from May as an insert in other teen magazines such as Sugar before launching as a standalone...

Nick Jr pilots 'make and do' TV show.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Birds of a Feather star Linda Robson is currently working on a 25-minute pilot pre-school show for the Nick Jr channel. You Do Too is a live action 'make and do' show that will be shot in Nickelodeon UK's studios. As well as Linda...

Sub-club research tool.(from NOP Research Group)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... sub-club.com, the 3D shopping and entertainment website for kids aged 7-15, has entered into a partnership with NOP Research Group to develop a research tool for marketers wanting to track children's trends and behaviour. Each quarter a...

Mobile operators to push gaming.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Motorola and games developer Creature Labs have signed a two-year agreement to develop artificial life pet nurturing games that consumers can play using data-enabled handsets connected to 2.5G and 3G cellular networks. The games, which...

Kids accessing web using digital TV.(Brief Article)(Polling Data)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... The first signs are emerging that kids and teens are moving from PCs to digital TV to access the internet, according to a survey by NOP Family. The kids.net survey found that among the almost five million 7-16 year olds now accessing the...

BUGLES LAUNCHES IN UK.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Golden Wonder has joined forces with US cereal giant General Mills to launch cone-shaped corn snack Bugles in the UK. A [pound]5m marketing campaign by McCann-Erickson will back the launch.

T2 GOES ONLINE.(newspaper supplement for teens from Daily Telegraph)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... T2, the Daily Telegraph's tabloid newspaper supplement for teens, formerly published every Saturday, will now only be available online. The title, available at t2online.com, will be updated daily.

ZOO KEEPER FOR A DAY.(from Leaf)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Leaf is offering kids the chance to become a zoo keeper for a day through an on-pack promotion on Chewits. Children collecting tokens from packs of Chewits can also send away for one of five beanie animals. For every application, 50p will be...

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN.(campaign from Family Circle magazine)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Family Circle magazine has launched a 'Kids in the Kitchen' campaign. The campaign aims to stimulate children's interest in cooking -- as well as boosting sales of the magazine, which was redesigned in March 2000. As part of the campaign a...

FOX PUSHES DIGIMON.(animated television series promotion)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Fox Kids Europe is currently running a national promotional campaign for its top-rating anime series Digimon, which includes activity across Fox Kids' UK channel, website and consumer products. The campaign has been timed to coincide with the...

COKE SIGNS [pound]95M DEAL.(to become sole global marketing partner for Harry Potter film from AOL Time Warner)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Coca-Cola has paid [pound]95m to become AOL Time Warner's sole global marketing partner for the forthcoming Harry Potter film.

KOCH SIGNS LSP.(Koch Media, Light and Shadow Production)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... UK-based KOCH Media has signed a major publishing and distribution deal with one of France's leading children's multimedia workshop and print activity developers, LSP (Light and Shadow Production). The deal takes in a number of children's...

AWARDS FOR RAYMAN.(top selling video game)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Rayman 2, UBI Soft Entertainment's top selling video game, has scooped two major awards. IGN has named Rayman 2: The Great Escape as Dreamcast 'game of the year' for 2000. The game has also gained recognition from EB Online, the online arm of...

ASDA CHOOSES RAYMAN.(for Golden Puffs promotion)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Rayman is to appear on 300,000 packets of Asda's own-label breakfast cereal Golden Puffs as part of an on-pack promotion offering consumers a range of prizes from an experience of their choice to Sony PlayStations and copies of Rayman 2: The...

COKE AUCTION IS BACK.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Coca-Cola has relaunched its 'Coke Auction' promotion, which allows consumers who collect tokens from cans and bottles to bid for goods and services over the internet. A TV campaign, created by Soul, shows teens trying to recreate the...

POPSTARS QUIZ ON WAP.(from Granada Broadband and Distractions)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Granada Broadband has joined up with mobile entertainment developer Distractions to launch an official WAP-based quiz game for TV show Popstars.

THQ to extend its range of licensed video games.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... THQ, the video games developer, is to rapidly expand its product portfolio after acquiring the exclusive publishing rights to two of Mattel's biggest properties -- Hot Wheels and Matchbox -- as well as extending its current agreement with...

BBC Multimedia targets older users with Robot Wars games title for PS2.(PlayStation 2)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... BBC Multimedia is targeting an older audience than its traditional pre-school market with a new software title for PlayStation 2 based on the popular TV show Robot Wars. The new Robot Wars title, which will also be available in PC...

Kids big net users at home.(Brief Article)(Polling Data)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... Kids and teenagers are becoming an increasing force within the UK 'at home' Internet audience, according to latest figures from Jupiter MMXI. Two to 14 year olds now account for 15.6% of 'at home' users compared to 14.8% in December 2000. As...

mykindaplace.com buys assets from former rival teen girl portal.(Wowgo.com)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... mykindaplace.com has acquired certain assets of Wowgo.com, the Unilever-backed teen girl portal which ceased trading in November 2000. The deal includes Wowgo's database of registered users and redirection from the Wowgo.com URL to...

Mattel signs interactive software deal with Vivendi for key girl brands.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Mattel has entered into a worldwide licensing agreement with Vivendi Universal Publishing, who will produce video games and other interactive services based on a number of Mattel's toy brands. Under its Knowledge Adventure banner, Vivendi...

HARRY POTTER CD-ROMS.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... LEGO Media International, the new media arm of the LEGO Company, and Warner Bros. Consumer Products have joined forces to produce two children's software titles based on Harry Potter. The titles will form part of LEGO's Creator series of...

TOYSRUS LINKS WITH BT.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... ToysRUs has chosen BTinternet as its ISP partner for offering free Internet access to its customers following the collapse of its previous partner Breathe.net. Registration disks will be available in the toy retailer's stores across the UK...

WEBSITES FOR EGGS.(Big Picture Interactive)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... New media agency Big Picture Interactive has created websites for Cadbury's Creme Egg and Mini Eggs.

UBI SOFT APPOINTMENT.(picks MJ Media for media buying account)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Computer games publisher UBI Soft Entertainment has appointed MJ Media to handle its [pound]2m media planning and buying account. UBI Soft markets computer games such as Rayman 2 and games based on The Flintstones and Dinosaur brands.

SMART-CREDS ON SALE.(Great Britain)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... UK Smart has launched Smart-creds, which allow online shopping without a credit card. Smart-creds can be bought from Post Offices throughout the UK.

SOAPY WEBSITE.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Cussons has unveiled a new website for its Imperial Leather brand. As well as content aimed at working mothers, the site also features games for children, the 'lathercam' (humorous mock-webcams in shower cubicles) and links to soap operas....

Broadening the scope of the web.(Brief Article)(Column)
February 1, 2001... Scott Morris examines what the arrival of broadband will mean to children's websites The notion of bandwidth, or lack of, depending on who you speak to is something that has dogged those involved in the internet industry for a number of...

Taking the fear out of surfing the net.(AmiWeb from Mid Multimedia)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Scott Morris looks at a child-friendly web browser that offers protection for kids online The need for child protection on the web has long been recognised. Statistics show an ever growing amount of content that can be described, at...

Encyclopaedia links with websites.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Britannica builds brand recognition among kids and parents with online promotions The Encyclopaedia Britannica on CD-Rom and DVD offers the user around 80,000 articles, 7,000 pictures and hours of video and music. As such, it's probably...

Pre-school and high tech are key categories in toy ranges for 2001.
February 1, 2001... Ian Downes reports on trends from this year's toy fairs in London and New York Traditionally in the toy industry January and February are busy months dominated by the industry's showcase trade fairs in London, New York and Nuremberg. ...

The text messaging phenomenon.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Rick Mower explains why children are such big fans of sending messages via mobiles It was Martin Phelps, the then O&M planner, who really hit the nail on the head when he wrote about the changing behaviour of kids. He advocated that it...

Research Data.(new brands; top ten toys)(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... NEW BRANDS TRACK: OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2000 Awareness Tried On-Net - internet service 15% 2% Cap Candy Action Man Spin Pops - confectionery 12% ...

Mature answers to question of what do you want to be when you grow up.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... Children giving more serious thought to long-term ambitions according to RDSi report Latest results from RDSi reveal what children want to do when they grow up and leave school. The results show that media has a big impact on children's...

The sports licensing boom.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... Ken Kemp looks at the factors driving growth in this sector First some basic statistics courtesy of License! magazine's worldwide survey in 2000. Retail sales of licensed products totalled a phenomenal $172.5bn. One of the most...

NEW DEALS FOR LINK.(Link Licensing)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Link Licensing is handling licensing for Clifford the Big Red Dog and Horrible Histories. Horrible Histories has been developed as an animation series, which will be shown on CITV in late 2001. Clifford is already a successful TV and...

SOOTY MERCHANDISE.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Gullane Entertainment has signed a number of new licences for its lovable hand puppet Sooty. New licensees include Golden Bear (plush), Flair (Sooty Magic Sets), Dekkertoys (playsuits, masks and backpacks), and VCI (videos). Product will be...

PARTNERS FOR TV SERIES.(Entertainment Rights, J and G Licensing, 'Toddworld')(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Entertainment Rights has reached an agreement with US licensing company J&G Licensing and artist/author Todd Parr. The partnership will develop a new animation series called Toddworld, based on the worldwide best selling books. The series...

SUCCESS FOR SABRINA.(licensed products for animated TV series)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... CPLG reports success for licensed products based on animated TV series Sabrina. The US master toy line from PlayAlong is distributed by Toy Options in the UK and will be in all major toy retailers. New Sabrina licensees also include Blues...

JUST DEVELOPS STAR HILL.(Just Group, Star Hill Ponies)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Just Group have acquired the worldwide merchandising and TV distributions rights for Star Hill Ponies. The first series was developed between S4C and BBC and originally screened in 1999. Just is looking to develop a second series in 2001,...

BILL & BEN SUCCESS.(BBC Licensing has 26 licensees)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... BBC Licensing has 26 licensees on board for Bill & Ben. Licensees so far include Hasbro, Wesco, Zeon, Ravensburger, Ayckroyd & Sons and Danilo. BBC expects two streams of product release in 2001, expected to be in the spring and autumn.

Is kids' telly becoming irrelevant?(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Martin Phelps urges makers of kids' TV to produce shows that are more involving Children are seen as an increasingly interesting audience for commercial communications and in response the media, particularly television, have expanded...

Satellite takes largest share of kids' TV viewing.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2001... The writing has been on the wall for the terrestrial channels for some time Multi-channel TV is having a big impact on kids' viewing of terrestrial channels, according an analysis of BARB data. In particular, for the first time ever,...

CHUPA CHUPS.(introduces Mega Choppers)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Mega Choppers lollipops Chupa Chups has launched Mega Choppers -- plastic heads and bodies of animals, fish and reptiles that are attached to a strawberry Chupa Chups lollipop. Once children have finished with their lollipops the...

GOLDEN WONDER.(introduces Bugles)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Bugles crisps Bugles will be launched in the UK this spring following an alliance between Golden Wonder and General Mills. Bugles are cone-shaped corn snacks and will be available in three flavours: cheese; salt & vinegar; and BBQ....

JOHNSON & JOHNSON.(introduces Baby Honey Shampoo)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Baby Honey Shampoo baby shampoo Johnson & Johnson has created Baby Honey Shampoo as an addition to its 'No More Tears' range for children. A range of point-of-sale material aims to communicate the brand's values of mildness and...

KELLOGG'S/MULLER.(launch new dairy snack)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Muller Corners with Kellogg's cereal dairy snack The UK's most popular yogurt and cereal brands have joined forces to launch a new dairy snack -- Muller Corners with Kellogg's cereals. The split pot range features Muller Corner with...

KP.(extends Hula Hoops brand)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Hula Hoops XL savoury snack KP has extended its Hula Hoops brand with Hula Hoops XL -- a bigger version of the standard product. Four flavours are available: nacho cheese and cool chilli (made with corn-based tortilla) and...

MARS.(extends Starburst brand)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Starburst sweets Mars has extended its 10p range of Starburst sweets to include Smilers, Juicy Gums, Fruity Animals and Joosters. These are targeted at the under 12s. At the other end of the scale, the company is bringing out a...

ST IVEL.(children's yogurt introduced)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Dart's Cool Yoghurt children's yoghurts St Ivel has launched a range of yoghurts featuring cartoon character Bart Simpson to capitalise on the popularity of the TV show. The yoghurts come in two flavours: strawberry and raspberry in...

THE BIG CEREAL COMPANY.(introduces Funky Girl)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Funky Girl breakfast cereal The Big Cereal Company is targeting 3-9 year old girls with a new breakfast cereal called Funky Girl. The cereal consists of strawberry-flavoured cereal hearts and vanilla-flavoured cereal flowers. It...

UNILEVER BESTFOODS.(extends Ambrosia Splat! ambient custards into ambient milkshakes)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Ambrosia Splat! ambient milkshakes Unilever Bestfoods has extended its Ambrosia Splat! range of ambient custards into the drinks market with a range of ambient milkshakes aimed at 4-11 year olds. The milkshakes come in three...

WALKERS CRISPS.(introducing Funyuns in UK)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Walkers Funyuns crisps Walkers is launching Funyuns in the UK -- onion-flavoured rings -- which have been available for some time in the US. Trade marketing manager: Jan Beacham Design: Not available Advertising: None...

YEO VALLEY ORGANIC.(Fromage frais)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Organic Fromage Frais children's organic fromage frais Yeo Valley Organic has extended its range to include an organic fromage frais for children. The new product is available in four flavours: raspberry; strawberry; banana; and...

YOPLAIT DAIRY CREST.(extended to Petits Filous Organic Yogurts)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... Yoplait Petits Filous Organic Yaghurt children's organic yoghurt Yoplait Dairy Crest has extended its range of dairy products with its first yoghurt product and its first organic product. Petits Filous Organic Yoghurts comes in four...

RELAUNCHES/REPACKAGINGS.(Humbrol Airfix model kits)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
February 1, 2001... HUMBROL Airfix model kits Airfix has revamped the packaging for its scale model kits. The colourful new look is designed to complement new additions to the range and attempts to introduce a fresh, modern look to the brand. A new...

WALKERS CRISPS.(Walkers Square, formerly called Smiths Square Crisps)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Walkers Squares crisps Smiths Square Crisps are being relaunched as Walkers Square with revamped packaging. A new bigger sized 40g Big Eat pack joins the existing 25g bags. The product inside remains the same and will still be...

ST IVEL.(ad for Cadbury's Mini Eggs Dessert)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2001... Cadbury's Mini Eggs Dessert dessert St Ivel has extended its range of Cadbury twinpot desserts with Cadbury's Mini Eggs Dessert -- a chocolate dessert with a helping of Cadbury's Mini Eggs. The launch has been timed to coincide with...