AOL has launched KOL Jr. (www.koljunior.com/), a website for kids 2-5. The site contains original cartoons, games, music, bedtime stories and other fun, interactive features designed to help parents introduce the Internet to their young children. The launch of KOL Jr. also marks the debut of a brand new cartoon called PILAR'S ADVENTURES, which covers topics that engage preschoolers' imaginations while helping them deal with everyday life experiences.
"Parents want to be as involved as they can with their young kids while they are online," said Malcolm Bird, svp, AOL Kids & Teens. "At KOL Jr., parents and their children will have fun learning and playing together, with fresh content and activities that aren't available anywhere else online."
Developed by a former teacher and current programming director for AOL, PILAR'S ADVENTURES follows Pilar, a young horse with a wild imagination who joins her new friends in Farmer Roxy's barnyard. Pilar and the gang Cleg the horsefly, Hampshire the pig and Susa the owl explore new places all while learning new and valuable life lessons. The animated cartoon will launch with 10 five-minute episodes.
Beyond PILAR'S ADVENTURES, young kids will also find other activities including:* Animal Videos Watch videos from National Geographic and footage of dolphins swimming at the National Aquarium.* Games Play games featuring PILAR'S ADVENTURES' characters, such as coloring and dot-to-dot, and educational games from AOL Learning Games.* Music Dance along to popular tunes by the WIGGLES, STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE, HI-5, BARBIE PRINCESSES and BARNEY.* TV Check out kid-friendly movies and DVDs clips such as MUPPETS, TROLLZ, CHICKEN LITTLE, CINDERELLA, BAMBI, CARE BEARS and SCOOBY DOO will be available.* Toy Time Become official Toy Time Testers. Parents and kids work together to rate toys from all the biggest toy companies.* Printables Print out some of their favorite characters including PILAR characters, KOL GLIDERS, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, WINX and many others.
The launch of KOL Jr. follows the success of KOL AOL's service for kids 7-12, and will compliment other content already available for kids on AOL.
AOL Llc. and its subsidiaries operate a leading network of Web brands and the largest Internet access subscription service in the U.S. Web brands include the AOL.com website, AIM, MapQuest and Netscape. AOL offers a range of digital services in the areas of education, safety and security, communications and music. The company also has operations in Europe and Canada. AOL, which is based in Dulles, Virginia, is a majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
