Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends

TV Kids Weekly, May 1, 2007

ORIGIN: The series is based on an original concept.

CREATOR: Craig McCraken created Foster’s Home for Imaginary
Friends. He is also the creator of The
Powerpuff Girls.

TV SHOW: Foster’s is a 2-D
animated TV series that launched in 2004 with 13 episodes in the first season.
The series now totals more than 52 episodes.

What happens to imaginary friends
when they’re not wanted any more? They end up at Foster’s Home for Imaginary
Friends. Eight-year-old Mac’s best friend in the whole world is Blooregard Q
Kazoo. But Mac’s mom thinks he’s too old for an imaginary friend. Luckily Bloo
has been welcomed into Foster’s, where he has a knack for getting himself—and
his friends—into trouble. Mac loves hanging out at Foster’s, where he can
stay safely away from his obnoxious bully of a brother, Terrence.

Foster’s is home to a great group
of characters: Madam Foster is the matriarch of the house and is incredibly
kind, unselfishly caring and delightfully kooky. Wilt is extremely tall and
plays basketball even though his arm is missing. Eduardo, with sharp horns,
pointy teeth and monstrous size, is one scary dude, but he’s terrified of
anything that moves. Coco is a little…well, cuckoo. Frankie is Madame Foster’s
22-year-old granddaughter and the engine that keeps Foster’s Home running. Her
Royal Duchess Diamond Persnickety is a stuck-up royal pain, whose unreasonable
demands make life miserable for everybody in the house. And Mr. Herriman
oversees the daily operations of the house and expects nothing but perfection
from the staff and residents.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Craig McCracken

COMMISSIONING BROADCASTER: The show was created for Cartoon Network in its studios in
Burbank, California.

TV SALES: Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends is seen in more than 160 countries on Cartoon Network
throughout Latin America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific territories, including
Japan.

MAJOR TOY LICENSEES: Mattel is the master toy licensee for Foster’s under a global portfolio deal with Cartoon Network that
includes most of the channel's original programs for children aged 6 to 11.

OTHER PRODUCTS: Foster’s has many
successful softline partners that include T-shirts from Mighty Fine and
Logotel; totes, purses, stationery and accessories from Loungefly; jewelry
and accessories from H.E.R.; canvas shoes from T.U.K; social expressions items,
party goods and cards from Hallmark; cake decorating kits from Bakery Crafts;
publishing from Scholastic; and a Leapster title from Leapfrog due out later
this year. The show also has a top-selling first season DVD that was released
in March 2007 and a console game for Nintendo’s Gameboy Advance from Crave that
came out in the fall of 2006.

STRATEGY FOR ROLL OUT: Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends has been a very successful property for Cartoon Network.
Besides the series, a TV movie, Good Wilt Hunting, made its debut on Cartoon Network U.S. on Thanksgiving
Day, 2006. Foster’s has also spurred a
wide range of products, from apparel and jewelry to stationery and video games.

“We have just begun our consumer
products program for Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends here in the States,” says Christina Miller, the VP of
consumer products at Cartoon Network Enterprises. “We will be building on that
recent success and interest in the brand for consumer products by exploring new
categories here in the U.S., with plans to roll out products in other
territories in the very near future.”