Bloo and company from Cartoon Network's original series, FOSTER'S HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS, will sail down Broadway on a new float in the 80th Anniversary Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov.23, 2006, singing the Beatles' classic "With A Little Help From My Friends." This marks just one of the many amazing highlights the network has developed for the show through programming, promotions, new media, consumer products and gaming that extend well into 2007. After the parade, at 7:00 pm, Cartoon Network will also premiere the first FOSTERS HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS movie, GOOD WILT HUNTING, which will introduce viewers to the creators of their favorite imaginary friends for the first time.
The FOSTER'S float will be a 30-foot-tall replica of Madame Foster's rainbow colored mansion with all of the favorite imaginary friends. Through the creativity of the Center for Puppetry Arts, multiple puppets of Bloo will pop out of the windows and chimney, while Cheese reclines in an open window and Wilt leans against the house on the ground floor. Eduardo will be a walk-around character, and Coco, whose mouth will open and close, and Herriman will be sculpted replicas.
"We feel there is no better 'face' for Cartoon Network than these wonderfully creative, adventurous and mischievous characters from Foster," said Dennis Adamovich, svp of marketing for Cartoon Network. "They are the perfect embodiment of the Cartoon Network motto -- Fun, Funny, Fearless. The intent of this campaign is to create iconic characters with Bloo and Mac and make them the 'spokestoons,' if you will, of the network. There's no better venue to highlight their importance to Cartoon Network than the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade."
"This all-encompassing marketing campaign for FOSTER'S has generated unprecedented exposure for the show in the community, as well as in the retail marketplace," said John Friend, svp for Cartoon Network Enterprises. "Having Bloo, Mac and the Fosters friends come to life for kids -- in all formats from on-air to digital to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade -- creates a real, emotional connection to these characters. It is a great spring board for us as we continue to expand our consumer products business and launch the Foster's toy line from Mattel this spring."
FOSTER'S friends will be seen in publishing, apparel and interactive with a brand new toy line debuting in the spring. The new toy line represents the first toy licensing deal for the series since its launch in 2004. Mac, Bloo and the rest of the FOSTER'S cast will be the lead products in a brand new line of toys and games that are part of Cartoon Network's global, multi-year portfolio deal with Mattel.
Over the summer, Mac and Bloo were the starring characters in the network's most ambitious multi-media branding campaign to date, which generated a ground swell of press in late June as mysterious red billboards began appearing across the country with lines like "I pooted!" or "I'm hot toe picker." The reveal billboards appeared in July with the Cartoon Network characters and logo. Simultaneously, Mac and Bloo were the hosts of Cartoon Network's summer programming block, kicking off the primetime lineup each night at 7:00 pm and also introducing the "Are You a Cartoon Network Kid?" live summer segments that featured kids from all over the country. The duo was also featured in crossover promos interacting with other characters from Cartoon Network's original programming.
The FOSTER'S cast was also featured in Burger King Kids Meals in March of 2006. In May, the network launched BIG FAT AWESOME HOUSE PARTY, a free year-long interactive game that allows players to immerse themselves in the FOSTER'S world by creating their very own imaginary friend and then guiding that friend through the game. In the first week, more than 700,000 new users registered to play and, to date, the game has attracted 6.6 million registered users. The game will continue to evolve, rolling out new levels, additional games and exciting new features into 2007.
In August, FOSTER'S joined several other Tuner Broadcasting System Inc. properties available for download from Apple iTunes and Amazon. A new interactive game from Crave for Nintendo's GameBoyAdvance will be available for the upcoming holidays and a first season DVD is also in the works for early 2007.
