Volkswagen drives TLC.com family travel content

TLC.com and Volkswagen of America have launched a collaborative online partnership dedicated to promoting family travel content.

Driven by exposure for the Volkswagen Routan minivan, the automaker is now the premier sponsor of family travel content on TLC.com and will feature an original webisode series titled The Great Getaway. The collaboration will also see sponsored family-related travel information ranging from travel destinations to tips for packing powered by Discovery-owned website HowStuffWorks.com.

The Great Getaway follows the seven-member Woods family on a road trip through Sedona, Arizona. Via video journals, the five-part series is set to air over the next three months, highlighting family travel in a Routan minivan.

Volkswagen branding will also be integrated into the Family Travel section on the TLC Family vertical. The partnership shows how content providers are creating custom platforms upon which advertisers can introduce new products and reach their target audience.

Dr. Seuss gets digital

Random House Children's Books and Dr. Seuss Enterprises have relaunched Dr. Seuss' official online home, Seussville.com. The enhanced interactive site features the books and classic characters of Dr. Seuss, including The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham.

Visitors can explore animated environments and engage in a variety of games and information, including a comprehensive character guide, searchable book catalog, an authoritative author section, galleries of Dr. Seuss's early sketches and artwork, robust parent and teacher resources and customizable avatar activities.

Random House Children's Books collaborated with L.A.-based Big Bad Tomato Interactive Agency to develop the new online experience. The two companies are also partnering to create a new Facebook game, set to launch in September, which will allow players to accumulate votes by completing a variety of Seuss-themed activities in pursuit of becoming the Mayor of Seussville.

I SPY franchise hits Wii platform

Scholastic Media, a division of global children's publishing, education and media company Scholastic, is adding to its I SPY interactive franchise with the release of I SPY Spooky Mansion for Nintendo's Wii console.

I SPY Spooky Mansion, which centers around a mysterious haunted house, will hit retail in October for US$29.99.

Marking the debut of the franchise on the Wii platform, the game will offer new first-person game play and original interactive 3-D components.

The game is being distributed by Cokem International.

Rainmaker bolsters original animation team with Wilson Tang

Vancouver, Canada-based animation studio Rainmaker Entertainment has signed Wilson Tang to a first-look deal to develop and direct animated digital features and content.

Tang's agreement marks the beginning of Rainmaker's effort to establish a team of top animation directors, producers and storytellers as it expands from its work-for-hire business to the creation, development and production of its own properties.

Tang's credits include work on Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, Steven Spielberg's A.I.: Artificial Intelligence and Ang Lee's The Hulk.

Tang recently led the new Rainmaker creative team to produce and direct an animated short film for the Canadian Pavilion at the 2010 World's Fair in Shanghai, China. He comes to Rainmaker from Electronic Arts Canada, where he has served as senior art director and franchise creative director. Prior to Electronic Arts, he was the visual effects art director for George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) for seven years.

Hyperion and ABC Family launch enhanced eBook

Hyperion and ABC Family have produced the first enhanced eBook based on a TV series, combining video content from ABC Family's The Secret Life of the American Teenager with text from Hyperion's new book The Secret Diary of Ashley Juergens.

The enhanced eBook is now available on the iBookstore, which is included in the free iBooks app for the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The video is viewable in a player box embedded inside the pages of the book.

The enhanced eBook is available for US$12.99 on the iBookstore and features 10 x two-minute video selections from The Secret Life of the American Teenager, the full text of the book The Secret Diary of Ashley Juergens in ePub format as well as video that provides another perspective on the experiences Ashley writes about from her own particular point of view in her journal

The project is the result of a partnership between two divisions of the Disney/ABC Television Group (DATG): Hyperion, which provided the book and produced the ePub text format and ABC Family, which provided the video clips and permissions. Disney Interactive Media Group provided the technical storyboard.

Chocolate Liberation Front covers new territory

One-year-old indie production company Chocolate Liberation Front (CLF) has secured a host of new TV-based projects across online and social media platforms in Australia, Canada and the US.

CLF's current projects include Santo Sam & Ed's Cup Fever!, a social media experience produced by CLF for SBS and Australian production company Working Dog. During the World Cup, CLF delivered a 24/7 online media experience to support the World Cup live television program, achieving more than one million visits to the social network extensions.

Also in Australia, CLF has been engaged by Werner Film Productions, ZDF and ABC3 to produce the Dance Academy choreography application Dance Academy Dance Maker. Since its initial launch last month, the activity and online destination has received hundreds of thousands of visits.

Meanwhile, Toronto, Canada-based animation studio 9 Story Entertainment has commissioned CLF to produce a promotional web destination for the new Disney Channel film Harriet The Spy: Blog Wars, and Accent Entertainment and CBC appointed CLF to deliver the interactive strategy for the latest Kids In The Hall eight-part primetime series Death Comes To Town. This will include behind-the-scenes footage, original video shoots and an interactive hockey game.

CLF is currently in production on The Wild Kratts interactive project based on the series being produced by 9 Story for TVO and PBS.

CLF says it looks forward to announcing news about its own original projects soon.

BRB Internacional named sub-agent for PlayStation IPs

Target Entertainment Group has named BRB Internacional as the licensing sub-agent for the PlayStation brand and selected PlayStation software IPs across Spain and Portugal.

The appointment will see BRB manage a merch program for the region that will span all consumer product categories excluding PlayStation peripherals and PlayStation specific accessories.

The PlayStation brand incorporates the PlayStation logo, the format logos PS one, PlayStation2, PSP, PlayStation3, DUALSHOCK3 wireless controller designs and PlayStation symbols and phrases like The Game is Just the Start.

The PlayStation IPs licensed to BRB are LittleBigPlanet, EyePet, Invizimals and SingStar.

Thomas chugs along digital path

HIT Entertainment is marking Thomas & Friend's 65th anniversary with the launch of new digital extensions, including a refurbished website and mobile landing page.

To complement the new CG-animated television series launching this year, the site has introduced a My Station section that can be personalized for each visitor, as well as 90 new activities and 63 new videos in the CG art style, as well as an enhanced parents section.

The homepage now features a video player showcasing the latest Thomas & Friends videos with CG content and exclusive online interstitials.

Also featured on www.ThomasandFriends.com is a new mobile landing page, which provides links to the Thomas & Friends Game Pack mobile application (priced at US$2.99 in the Apple iTunes App Store), which launched earlier this year. HIT plans to launch a second mobile app for iPhone and iPod Touch later this summer.

HarperCollins helps kids Read Aloud

HarperCollins Children's Books is launching a new Read Aloud initiative to encourage beginner readers from across the globe to recite their favorite Dr. Seuss rhyme.

The competition, which runs until October 31, is being hosted online at www.seussreadaloud.com. Participants can choose to read from one of five Dr. Seuss books, including Fox in Socks and The Cat in the Hat, as well as watch sample videos, download extracts from Seuss stories and print objects suitable for video props.

Video submissions are being put to a public vote with the Dr. Seuss Grand Judging Panel selecting one winner from the group of finalists. The grand prize is a family vacation to Universal Orlando Resort and Seuss Landing in Florida. Other winners will receive an array of Seuss-themed prizes, including original prints from Chase Art, stovepipe hats, plush toys and carry-all bags.

It's Happy Bunny hops on KimmyShop

Jim Benton's tween-focused It's Happy Bunny brand has made its way to www.KimmyShop.com, the Canada-based specialized children's character merchandise e-tailer.

A wide range of products featuring the sweet-and-sassy rabbit are now available on the site. The deal was brokered by Canadian agent CPLG Canada.

Founded in 2001 by a husband and wife duo, KimmyShop.com has become a destination for hard-to-find character merchandise.

Parents missing mark on monitoring kids online

In a new national survey of parents with kids ages 18 and under released today by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and conducted by Zogby International, approximately 75% of parents report they are either "very confident" or "somewhat confident" that their children know how to stay safe on the internet, but aren't really monitoring usage on internet-connected devices other than the PC.

A full 86% said they monitor what their children are doing online. However, parental monitoring of online activity is largely confined to just two devices, with 82% of parents reporting they most often monitor their child's personal computer or laptop. In stark contrast to other devices, less than 1% of parents prioritize cell phones or gaming consoles as the devices that they most often check to see how their kids are using the onternet, the NCSA survey revealed.

An April 2010 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 75% of 12- to 17-year-olds today have their own phones, often using the phone's network access to visit websites, text, and send instant messages to friends. As for video games, more than 31% of the parents in the NCSA survey reported that their kids will spend most of their online time this summer playing video games. In contrast, less than 1% of parents plan to make monitoring the gaming console a top priority. Fully 97% of 12- to 17-year-olds play computer, web, portable and console games - games that often require an internet connection to interact with other players, found a separate Pew study.

Approximately 25% of parents reported their kids would most likely be visiting social networking sites, and nearly 16% said their kids would be watching videos online this summer.

NCSA's website, http://staysafeonline.org/, offers onternet safety and security tips for parents and their children, with advice on how to tackle many of the issues uncovered by the survey, including smart phones and online gaming safety.

The Zogby survey was conducted between June 4 and 7, 2010, with a sample size of 580 US parents with children ages 18 or younger. The margin of error is +/- 4.2 %.

Classic Media makes Where's Waldo iPad game easy to find

Montreal-based interactive entertainment company Ludia and Classic Media have teamed up to launch Where's Waldo? The Fantastic Journey for the iPad in HD.

The game, available for US$4.99 at the US iTunes app store, features new HD graphics and multi-touch game play exclusive to the iPad, including the new party mode that enables two players to compete on the same device.

Based on the red-and-white-clad iconic characterthe game offers an interactive Waldo experience. Players will compete in an action-oriented, hidden-object game, as they scour the virtual globe in search of Waldo and his friends. There are hundreds of hidden items to be found within twelve magical worlds, and game play is enhanced with surprise elements that are designed to challenge and/or help players gain advantage during their search.

Nintendo unveils new glasses-free 3-D platform at E3

Yesterday at the E3 Expo taking place in L.A. this week, Nintendo unveiled its new 3DS, the handheld device that promises 3D effects without the need for special glasses.

Nintendo 3DS comes with a 3.53-inch top screen and a 3.02-inch bottom touch screen and three separate camera that deliver 3-D effects. The platform also includes a motion sensor, a gyro sensor and a slide pad that allows 360-degree analog input. Announced games for the platform include Kid Icarus, Mario Kart, Nintendogs, Pilotwings, Animal Crossing, Mario and Starfox. Additional games are in development by Disney Interactive Studios, Majesco, Marvelous Entertainment, Rocket, SEGA, Takara Tommy and Take-Two Interactive.

While no retail price has been set, the platform is expected to hit mass market before March 2011.

THQ develops slate of Megamind games to roll out with film

In a somewhat novel move, game developer THQ is working on a slate of video games to launch simultaneously with the theatrical release of DreamWorks Animations' fall feature Megamind and extend the world portrayed in the film.

Scheduled to hit mass-market retailers this November, the video games will extend the film's super-villain-turned-superhero storyline with new characters, environments and plot twists. Three different gameplay experiences are being designed: The Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 games deliver a social and interactive experience with two-player cooperative play; the Wii version provides a multi-player, competitive experience; and the Nintendo DS and PSP games will present players with an on-the-go, solo-style functionality. The games will also feature the voice of Megamind cast member Jonah Hill.

The Megamind-based games are currently in development for Microsoft's Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, Wii and Nintendo DS.

Dora gets interactive for her 10th birthday

Dora the Explorer is boasting a new lineup of interactive games that tie into the global theme of her 10th anniversary celebration.

Gaming developer 2K Play and Nickelodeon are teaming to commemorate the 10th anniversary with the launch of Dora's Big Birthday Adventure for Wii, Nintendo DS and PlayStation 2. In addition, Dora will introduce her first video game incorporating a pre-kindergarten through kindergarten math curriculum in Dora's Cooking Club exclusively for Nintendo DS.

Dora's Big Birthday Adventure, based on Dora's 10th Anniversary special televised event, follows Dora and Boots as they try to find their way out of Storybook Land to make it to Dora's birthday party.

Dora's Big Birthday Adventure for Nintendo DS will be available in August, while the Wii and PlayStation 2 system titles, as well as Dora's Cooking Club, will be available in November.

The celebration extends across the pond with Nickelodeon UK launching Dora's Great Big World, a new application for www.nickjr.co.uk that will sit on the re-launched Dora microsite.

Dora's Great Big World is an interactive game that encourages preschoolers to engage with Dora and her friends by following a map and customizing their worlds, adding stickers to the environment and playing games which they have to unlock.

Dora's Great Big World will launch with one location displayed on the map, but will then offer a new location every month over a 10-month rollout.

Habbo Hotel earns Sulake solid first quarter

Sulake, the Finnish parent company of virtual tween community Habbo Hotel, has released its 2010 first quarter results, revealing a revenue increase of more than 25%, compared with the same period last year and sales of US$20 million.

The results, marking the best quarter in the company's 10-year history, are attributed to a better user experience, increased viral recommendations and a larger user base. Additionally, activities and presence on social networking sites like Facebook and other new acquisition partnerships have contributed to the growth. Also, the global online advertising market recovery resulted in solid growth in ad sales business.

Habbo Hotel is currently open in 32 countries in 11 different languages. More than 15-million unique visitors spend a total of 45 million hours playing Habbo Hotel each month.

DHX lands Interactive Award for Apollo 11 game

DHX Interactive, interactive arm of Canada's DHX Media and maker of youth interactive games, activities and online environments, has snagged the 2009/2010 Applied Arts Magazine Interactive Award for Mobile App (single) for the iPhone game Apollo 11: The Game , which was developed in collaboration with NASA to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the moon landing.

The game enables iPhone users to take a trip to the moon and use controls to guide a mission from liftoff to splash down, over seven levels, featuring 3-D environments and archival mission imagery from the NASA archives.

During its launch month of July 2009, Apollo 11: The Game was ranked among the top-25 paid apps. An optimized version of the game will be available for the iPad this summer.

Established in 1986, Applied Arts is a Canadian magazine of visual communications and a leading voice of the industry. The Applied Arts Interactive Awards are in recognition of creative excellence, based on creative merit, technical excellence and sustainability for end use.

Innovation takes center stage at INplay

With the rapidly changing landscape of interactive media came the inaugural INplay event held in Toronto, Canada this past Tuesday and Wednesday. The goal was to connect international kid-centric creative industries with those operating in the digital and interactive media space.

With sessions revolving around online privacy, social media, search engines, business innovation and trends in game design, a consensus emerged that iterative innovation and a commitment to good content spur higher results among an increasingly social generation. Mobile, of course, was also touted as the wave of the future in kids interactive entertainment.

At the "How Do Children Find Good Sites" session, Gail Livermore, from toyco Spin Master, says the company relies on its research and consumer insight department to take the temperature of the interactive space on a daily basis through interviewing and talking with kids about their wants and needs. Livermore's co-panellist, Jed Schneiderman of Microsoft Canada, preached about the importance of instant messaging as a traffic referrer, revealing that 80% of teens use IM, accounting for the same total online minutes as email.

"The Rules of the Game Have Changed," meanwhile, sparked an interesting debate surrounding the 70-30 rule - the idea that companies should put 30% of their resources into game development and through testing and real-time measurement let consumers decide where to invest the remaining 70%. The model relies on the growing shift from a product-based gaming industry to an agile service-driven one, as with the erosion of production costs comes more room for risk and smaller budgets.

Yet despite an evolving digital landscape, innovation consultant Lib Gibson is seeing that "everything old is new again," with things like the subscription model making a comeback. Gibson stands by the concept that innovation begins with an understanding of the user. It's also driven by need. A lesson learned by Corus Entertainment's director of kids interactive, Caitlin O'Donovan, who said that while translating the Babar website into several languages, her team quickly discovered it required a translation engine to increase efficiency and had to create one in-house.

Internet privacy and safety were also big themes thrown around at the conference, as kids are entering the digital space at increasingly younger ages. Virtual sites like Habbo Hotel, for instance, are already incorporating small-scale police patrol. Roughly 26% of kids have been bullied online at one point, and with new networks emerging like Togetherville, which is geared towards the under-10 set and their parents, the hope is to try and creatively bridge the privacy gap that continues to widen in the space.

Geronimo Stilton teaches internet safety

Atlantyca Entertainment has partnered with Telecom Italia for a nationwide public service campaign that will have Geronimo Stilton teaching Italy's children how to safely surf the web.

Atlantyca's Geronimo Stilton is featured in new book The Fabumouse Secrets of the Web that's part of the national Sail Safe Campaign (Navigare Sicuri), launched in October of 2009 in association with Telecom Italia, Save the Children and Fondazione Movimento del Bambino. The book chronicles Geronimo's misadventures with the Internet and gives advice to children in the form of 10 Rules for Safe Internet Usage. Telecom is distributing 100,000 complimentary copies of the book at the company's points of sale outlets throughout Italy and online at www.navigaresicuri.org.

In addition, posters featuring Geronimo Stilton and his 10 Rules will be given out at elementary schools and the character will embark on a national tour that is scheduled to visit a number of Italy's major metropolitan areas. Geronimo Stilton is also featured on Telecom Italia's website, with his own interactive webpage where he shows children and parents how to use the Internet correctly.

Atlantyca Entertainment is the original rights holder of the Geronimo Stilton brand and all of its character spinoffs. Geronimo Stilton, the series, is co-produced by Atlantyca and Moonscoop and based on the chapter book series featuring the curious rodent.

TurnOut launches Ben 10 online game

TurnOut Ventures, the digital joint venture between Turner Entertainment Holdings Asia-Pacific and Outblaze Investments, has launched Ben 10 Omniverse: Rise of Heroes, the first multiplayer online game based on the Cartoon Network's animated series Ben 10.

The game, created in partnership with Typhoon Games Studio, is currently available in English in Australia and Hong Kong and will roll out to other Asia Pacific markets this year.

In Ben 10 Omniverse: Rise of Heroes, players take on the role of one of the students at Bellwood Elementary School, who find themselves trapped in a strange world and transformed into one of three types of alien creatures. Features include PvP modes, an emoticon-based in-game chat system and an item mall