Subway Teams Up with Powerpuff Girls

The world?s first animated female superhero trio, Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles, a.k.a. Cartoon Network?s The Powerpuff Girls [8], will be appearing in more than 13,491 U.S. and Canadian Subway [9] Restaurants for a promotion this fall.Four themed toys from the top-rated series will be featured in the Subway Kids' Pak, running Aug. 21 to Oct. 1, 2000.

The Powerpuff Girls follows the adventures of three hip, super-powered sisters who frequently ask to be excused from school so they can save the world?before bedtime, of course. Created by 28-year-old animator Craig McCracken, The Powerpuff Girls are the result of a laboratory mishap by the benevolent Professor Utonium of Townsville, USA. Combining sugar, spice and everything nice to create the world?s first "perfect little girls," the professor accidentally spilled some Chemical X into his potion. Fortunately, The Powerpuff Girls emerged somewhat more than "perfect," and the pint-sized powerhouses keep Townsville clean of crime. United in their life's mission to fight diabolical crime and win at hopscotch, the girls often find themselves pitted against such evil villains as Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins, The Amoeba Boys, Roach Coach and "Him."

The promotion will be supported by approximately four million premiums, targeted for kids 3-8 years old. The four themed items include "Sleepytime Bubbles," a small figurine whose eyes close when laid horizontally upon her bed of clouds, and re-open when standing vertical; "Blossom Beauty," a doll with a "real" red ponytail whose stand also serves as a small brush for kids; "Flying Buttercup," an action-doll that can be launched into flight from its base, which depicts the city of Townsville; and "Ray Gun Mojo Jojo," a translucent figurine containing a trigger mechanism that produces sparks in the ray gun of arch villain, Mojo Jojo.

Promotional support for The Powerpuff Girls' Subway Kids? Pak promotion will include a media buy and in-store point-of-sale (POS) materials. Among the POS items will be a freestanding toy merchandiser and sneeze guard clings. Three weeks of national TV ads will run in the U.S.

EMMY-nominated in 1999 for Best Primetime Series, The Powerpuff Girls debuted on Cartoon Network on Nov. 18, 1998, and has consistently topped the network's ratings charts.

"We are very proud to be the first quick-service restaurant to offer our customers a fun-filled promotion involving The Powerpuff Girls, clearly one of the hottest animated shows on television today," says Joanne Vermilya, promotional services supervisor for the Subway Franchisee Advertising Fund Trust (SFAFT). "We designed the unique collection of premiums to appeal to both girls and boys, making this a back-to-school promotion for the entire family."

"As a promotional partner now for several of Cartoon Network's original properties, Subway has demonstrated the vast appeal our original characters have with children and families across the country," adds Phyllis Ehrlich, vice president of promotions marketing, Cartoon Network sales and marketing.

Cartoon Network, currently seen in 62.6 million U.S. homes, is Turner Broadcasting System Inc.?s 24-hour, basic cable service offering the best in animated entertainment and drawing from the world?s largest cartoon library. Since its launch in 1992, Cartoon Network has remained one of basic cable?s highest-rated networks. Online users may visit Cartoon Network at its popular Web site address, www.CartoonNetwork.com [10].