Diego, Dora & Friends' Animal Jamboree CD Hits Stores

files/pictures/picture-35.jpgDora and Diego joins forces on their new CD DIEGO, DORA & FRIENDS' ANIMAL JAMBOREE, featuring kids' favorite animal songs. The 10 song-album, hitting stores April 11, 2006, is the latest release from Nick Records in partnership with the SONY BMG Strategic Marketing Group.

Dora has already proven to be a major children's recording artist with two hit albums under her tiny belt, DORA THE EXPLORER and DORA'S DANCE FIESTA!, which featured special performances by Carlos Santana and Los Lonely Boys. Both albums have remained Top 20 release on the Nielsen Children's chart. On the new album, Dora is joined by Diego, whose show GO DIEGO GO! is the most watched by preschoolers on all commercial TV. Together, they sing a collection of animal-inspired tracks including "Rockin' Robin," "Down by the Bay" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" as well as "Animal Jam" and "The Piranha Song," written exclusively for the album. DIEGO, DORA & FRIENDS' ANIMAL JAMBOREE was produced by two-time Latin Grammy Award winner Joel Someillan.

"From rainforests and jungles to safaris and forests, the cast of Diego and Dora will musically transport children from adventure to adventure all over the word," said Emily Wittmann, vp of Nick Records. "The album will bring Diego and Dora's world to life with a combination of new tracks inspired by the show and classics, which parents can now rediscover with their children."

Nick Records is a kids and tween focused music partnership between Nickelodeon and Sony BMG Strategic Marketing. The Nick Records label focuses on showcasing emerging young artists as well as established talent from the network, through soundtracks based on its hit shows and compilations. Nick Records niche is delivering music for the expanding market of kids 9-14. The N, Nickelodeon's nighttime network for teens, and NOGGIN, the commercial-free educational network for preschoolers, also provides content under the Nick Records umbrella.

DORA THE EXPLORER, which airs at 9:00 am and 11:00 am weekdays on Nick Jr., is a play-along, animated adventure series starring Dora, a seven-year-old Latina heroine whose adventures take place in an imaginative, tropical world filled with jungles, beaches and rainforests and engages its audience in an interactive quest using a variety of learning techniques.

GO, DIEGO, GO!, airs at 9:30 am and 1:30 pm (ET/PT) weekdays on Nick Jr. In each episode, Diego receives a call for help at his Animal Rescue Center in the rainforest. With help from his friends, high-tech gadgets and viewers at home, Diego identifies and locates the animal in trouble and the adventure begins.

Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products manages the third largest licensing business in the world with $5 billion in retail sales in 2005, 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.

SONY BMG's Strategic Marketing Group is comprised of Commercial Master Film & TV licensing, Strategic Business Development, Direct Response Television, New Product Development, Joint Ventures & Elvis content management. The group works closely with the Sony Music and BMG labels in creative product development and partnership marketing alliances.