Nickelodeon Brings a Taste of the Pacific Coast to Licensing Show 2005 with Merchandising Plans for Zoey 101

Nickelodeon Brings a Taste of the Pacific Coast to Licensing Show 2005 with Merchandising Plans for Zoey 101

New Line of Apparel and Accessories Based on Nickelodeon's Hit Tween Show Starring Jamie Lynn Spears to Launch Fall 2005

NEW YORK, June 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon has announced plans for a line of apparel and accessories inspired by Zoey 101, currently the number-one show for tween girls on all TV, starring Jamie Lynn Spears. The announcement was made today by Leigh Anne Brodsky, president, Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products. The apparel line will launch Fall 2005 at most major department stores, and the sleepwear and accessories will be available exclusively at stores operated by The May Department Stores Company.

"Zoey 101 has become an instant hit with tween girls who relate to the lives of Zoey and her school friends," said Brodsky. "Girls can aspire to be like Zoey with fashion-forward clothes and accessories this Fall," she said.

The apparel will be inspired by the looks of the students at Pacific Coast Academy, the Malibu, CA boarding school that Zoey (Spears) and her friends attend on the show. The department stores owned by The May Department Stores Company (Famous-Barr, Filene's, Foley's, Hecht's, Kaufmann's, L.S. Ayres, Meier & Frank, Robinsons-May, Strawbridge's, and The Jones Store) will have a major role in the October launch. May stores will carry the Zoey 101 apparel and will be the exclusive retailer for all accessories in the line, including sleepwear, handbags, jewelry, and watches.

"We think the new Zoey 101 apparel and accessories will be a great fit for our department stores," said Jay H. Levitt, president and chief executive officer of the May Merchandising division of The May Department Stores Company. "We look forward to offering this fresh, unique look to our tween customers, who are the ultimate trend-conscious shoppers."

Zoey 101 premiered in January on Nickelodeon and spotlights Spears as Zoey Brooks, a 13-year-old winsome leader whose independent nature is put to the test at the newly co-ed Pacific Coast Academy. The series, shot entirely on location in Malibu, CA, deals with a lot of "firsts" that viewers relate to including; first friendships, first crushes, first kisses and living away from home for the first time. Girls are drawn to Zoey, as she is independent and a natural leader, and the series showcases her ability to use her confidence to succeed at a new school. Zoey has a flair for creating unique outfits that are bold and colorful -- but look cool when they're all put together. The show carries on Nickelodeon's tradition of empowering young girls with series that feature strong, independent females as leads.

Zoey 101 is part of the popular TEENick line-up which includes Drake & Josh, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Unfabulous and Romeo!. The block intertwines the tween-focused series with music, games and comedy segments, all hosted by deejay J-Boogie and co-hosted by kids' favorite stars of music, TV and movies.

Nickelodeon can be found at Licensing Show booth #1317, June 21-23, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.

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

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