Nick Jr. Brings Three Brand-New Properties to Licensing Show 2005

Nick Jr. Brings Three Brand-New Properties to Licensing Show 2005

Merchandising Plans Underway for New Shows LazyTown, The Backyardigans and Go, Diego, Go!

NEW YORK, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Nick Jr., Nickelodeon's programming block for preschoolers, comes to Licensing Show June 21-23 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City with licensing programs for three new properties for the network: LazyTown, The Backyardigans and the highly anticipated Dora the Explorer spin-off series, Go, Diego, Go!.

"We're thrilled to add exciting and fresh new animated and live-action shows to our current roster of hit properties available for licensing," said Leigh Anne Brodsky, president, Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products. "We have seen tremendous success with Dora the Explorer and Blue's Clues, and now we have even more shows to expand our preschool portfolio to reach this group in 2005 and beyond."

Introductions from Nick Jr. include:

Go, Diego, Go!

Nick Jr. will premier Go, Diego, Go!, an animated play-along series starring Dora the Explorer's cousin, Diego Marquez, an eight-year-old, rough-and-tumble action-adventure hero with an intense love of nature and the animals around him, this September. Go, Diego, Go! will take viewers on high stakes animal rescue missions while encouraging them to jump, clap, cheer and speak in English and Spanish each step of the way. Diego will be joined by his 11-year-old sister Alicia, along with a loving group of loyal animal friends who will encourage kids to use scientific thinking and investigative strategies to help the animal in trouble. Dora the Explorer is the number-one preschool show on all of commercial TV and Dora merchandise generated $1 billion in retail sales in 2004.

The Backyardigans

The Backyardigans is Nick Jr.'s animated musical adventure series about five high-spirited preschool friends who rely on their vivid imaginations to embark on amazing, epic adventures. In every episode, the backyard transforms into a new fantastic, photo-real landscape that serves as the backdrop for completely original, story-driven musicals. Broadway-caliber music spanning a variety of genres and cutting-edge 3-D dance choreography propel the stories forward, lending the series a narrative voice that will appeal to preschoolers and parents alike. The series will inspire children to sing and dance along with these lovable characters and stretch their imaginations as they climb up mountains, slide down glaciers, and sail across oceans.

LazyTown

LazyTown is a comic action series about health and fitness for kids. Eight-year-old Stephanie is an optimistic girl living in LazyTown, where she is caught between a charismatic, health-conscious superhero and the world's laziest bad guy. Superhero Sportacus inspires the kids of LazyTown to play, move and find a healthy balance in their lives. Robbie Rotten, the villain, struggles to maintain the lazy status quo so he can get his beauty rest. The action and humor inherent in LazyTown allows kids to experience the wacky, but wonderful, side of a healthy lifestyle. LazyTown is already a household name in Iceland, where existing businesses include publishing, theatrical productions, live events and music. LazyTown product will launch in the Fall from master toy licensee Fisher-Price.

Nickelodeon can be found at Licensing Show booth #1317.

Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products manages the third largest licensing business in the world with $4.7 billion in retail sales in 2004, from such properties as SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer. The department handles the merchandising for Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, Comedy Central, MTVN International, and Spike TV.

Nickelodeon, now in its 26th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 89 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for nine consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Sara Levin, +1-212-846-8670, +1-917-701-6718 (on-site), or Nancy Hostler, +1-212-846-7491, +1-917-941-0995 (on-site), both for Nickelodeon

Web site: http://www.nick.com/

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