It must be in the cards that the month of May is a good time for fairies as the WINX CLUB joined Miguzi's Monday-Friday lineup on May 16, 2005 and now airs on the Cartoon Network afternoon adventure block at 5:00 pm. The action-packed series features teenaged fairies and witches use magical powers for both good and evil. The series also premiered this month (May 2) on Nickelodeon UK, as well as a trading card game at Toys "R" Us stores.
When Bloom discovers that she has magical powers, she joins the Alfea School for Fairies, the oldest and most prestigious fairy school in the magic dimension. With four fellow freshmen, Stella, Flora, Musa and Tecna, they form the Winx Club, a group of magically gifted teenagers striving to save the universe. Each carries powers that are closely related to the element of their nature Stella draws her energy from the sun and moon, while Flora is a nature fairy, deriving her strength from plants and flowers. Together, the girls use the lessons they learn at Alfea, like how to concoct potions and connect with nature, to fight off evildoers.
Other schools within the magic dimension are the Cloud Tower School for Witches and the Red Fountain School for Heroics and Bravery. Some of the most wicked girls attend the Cloud Tower School with hopes of perfecting the art of dark magic, including seniors Icy, Darcy and Stormy. The boys of the Red Fountain School don't have magical powers, but they do train to become brave and skilled fighters. They learn tactics like rescue techniques and dueling that prove to be vital when fighting against magical creatures like trolls and ghouls.
Cartoon Network will air 26 episodes of WINX CLUB during Miguzi, which airs seven days a week and features series such as TEEN TITANS, JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED and MEGAS XLR.
4Kids Entertainment Inc., which is distributing WINX CLUB, has a global broadcast lineup that includes 4KidsTV (U.S.), RAI 2 (Italy), France 3, Teletoon (France), RTL II (Germany), Telecinco (Spain), Alter TV (Greece), TV 2 (Denmark), MTV3 (Finland), Nickelodeon (Netherland/Benelux), TV 2 (Norway), RTP1 (Portugal), Club RTL (Belgium), ORF (Austria), YTV (Canada), Network TEN (Australia), Cartoon Network (Australia and New Zealand), TV3 (New Zealand), Minimax (Poland), S4C (Wales), TVR /Channel 2 (Romania TV Markiza (Slovakia) and Iceland Broad Corp. (Iceland).
Influenced by top Italian designers, the WINX CLUB is produced in Italy by Rainbow Srl. and adapted for English language markets by 4Kids Ent. The WINX CLUB television series has been airing Saturday mornings on 4Kids TV, 4Kids Ent.s four-hour block of children's programming on FOX.
4Kids Ent., in association with Upper Deck Ent. has also created and is distributing a new trading card game based on the WINX CLUB. Designed just for girls, the WINX CLUB MAGICAL FAIRY GAME launched at Toys "R" Us stores in the U.S. on May 15. The game will also be launched simultaneously throughout participating retail stores in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
"Girls play differently than boys, and it is in understanding these play patterns and appeal that led us to work with Upper Deck and create a trading card game that is more about friendship, fun, fashion and magic," said Alfred R. Kahn, chairman/ceo of 4Kids Ent. "The WINX CLUB is particularly important to us because it represents one of 4Kids' first properties specifically targeted to girls. We are pleased to have strong licensing partners,like Mattel for toys, Scholastic for books and Upper Deck for cards to complement the success of our animated series."
The exclusive launch is supported with a national advertising campaign and on-air promotion on 4Kids TV and the 4Kids.TV Web site. In addition, kids will be invited to design their own WINX CLUB trading card as part of "The Magix In The Cards" contest. The winning design will be featured in a future WINX CLUB card game. The winner also will receive a Toys "R" Us gift card valued at $1,000. Over 100 other prizes will be awarded, such as WINX CLUB toys and games.
"We are thrilled to team up once again with 4Kids Entertainment to produce the next big trading card game for girls the WINX CLUB MAGICAL FAIRY GAME," said Jerry Bennington, vp of Upper Deck Ent (www.upperdeck.com). "We lead the industry in trendsetting and in innovation. With our expertise in creating unique trading card games, and 4Kids' extensive knowledge in developing exciting new properties, I am confident the WINX CLUB MAGICAL FAIRY GAME will be a success."
The WINX CLUB MAGICAL FAIRY GAME focuses on cooperative play patterns and incorporates several teen girl topics such as love, friendship, fashion and magic. The two-player starter set includes two 30-card starter decks, magical fairy rings, a play-mat, a scoring wheel with usable hair bands and a glitter die all encased in a stylish WINX CLUB tin.
The MAGICAL FAIRY GAME is showcased in a shipper program and merchandised with the premiere issue of the WINX CLUB COMIC MAGAZINE that includes a free WINX CLUB fashion handbag. The new 64-page WINX CLUB COMIC MAGAZINE features more than 40 pages of graphic novel content and at least 10 pages of entertainment-related stories centering on fashion, technology, music, friendship and fun. The debut issue includes an exclusive interview with WINX CLUB siren Bloom and her special Friendship Card from the WINX CLUB MAGICAL FAIRY GAME set.
The WINX CLUB licensing program includes dolls from Mattel featuring mystical light-up wings and lots of fun fairy accessories, books from Scholastic and shoes from BBC International at Payless Shoe Source all available now at retailers nationwide. For additional information on WINX CLUB, please visit www.WinxClub.TV, which has more than 600,000 unique visitors a month.
