Casper to Celebrate 60th Anniversary

NEW YORK, June 4: Classic
Media, an Entertainment Rights subsidiary, is gearing up for the 60th
anniversary of Casper in 2009
with an expanded licensing program across categories like apparel and DVDs, as
well as a new CGI-animated TV series.

Casper-branded products will roll out at retail in time
for Halloween across categories like apparel, DVDs, music, digital content,
games and social expressions. Partners for the 60th anniversary celebration
include new apparel licensees such as Local Celebrity, Mad Engine and Briefly
Stated.

Madacy Entertainment has
come aboard as well, with plans to offer up Halloween songs and sounds inspired
by Casper in the third quarter
this year. Classic Media has renewed agreements with American Greetings (social
expressions), MJC (men’s loungewear) and Logotel (tee shirts). MJC and Logotel
plan to expand their lines at mass market and chain drug retailers.

American Greetings will
roll out a line of Casper-themed
cards, gift wrap and accessories with new designs that will be available this
Halloween. Mello Smello will expand its Casper product offerings with new novelty items,
including stickers, temporary tattoos and wall décor.

On the music front, Madacy
This Halloween, Classic Media and Genius Products are slated to release the
first two volumes in the new Casper
DVD collection—Casper: Trick-or-Treat Classic Collection Volume 1 and Casper & Wendy: Scare Up Some Fun
Classic Collection Volume 2. The
DVD compilations are themed by title, with each containing 12 classic Casper cartoons. In honor of the property’s anniversary, Casper is also getting a fresh new look and a new style
guide.

Casper-branded mobile content is now available through
MobiTV, with the classic cartoons also recently launching on several online
video sites, including YouTube, Joost and Babelgum. In other interactive deals,
Compedia has developed a line of Casper CD-ROM kids’ games featuring multiple levels of play that enable each
child to advance at his or her own pace. Available in 31-plus countries and in
14 languages, the product debuts in North America later this year.

The new Casper TV series, currently in production, is slated to
premiere in more than 60 territories next year. The series is being co-produced
by Classic Media, MoonScoop SAS and DQ Entertainment. To date, the new series
has been sold to more than 60 territories worldwide. Broadcast partners include
TF1 (France), Cartoon Network (the U.K., Asia, Latin America), YTV (Canada) and
Jetix (Europe).

“Casper is a true entertainment franchise that has
generated more than $1 billion in sales worldwide,” said Nicole Blake, the
senior VP of marketing at Classic Media. “Moms and kids all over the world have
come to recognize Casper as the official ambassador of Halloween. With
Halloween consumer spending at an all-time high, we are perfectly poised to
solidify Casper’s position as
the season’s most popular icon leading up to the 60th anniversary next year.”

—By Irene Lew