| Press Release |
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Asam Ahmad Senior PR Manager, THQ asam@thq.com T: +44 1483 767656 F: +44 1483 770727 |
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Mary Nelson Garrett Investor Relations, THQ T: +1 818 871 5090 |
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Robin Lawson SSA PR for Hearst/Spumco T: +1 212 679 4750 |
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The Ren and Stimpy Show Creator’s New Cartoon About Four Unique Superheroes Is Scheduled to Debut on Fox Kids this Fall
"It has long been my goal to establish Fox Kids as a leader in comedy as well as action and adventure programming for kids. The Ripping Friends is the perfect series to establish us in that position and it is a perfect fit with our brand!," said Maureen Smith, President of Fox Kids Network.
Fox Kids has slated an initial 13 episodes to air this fall as part of their new season line-up. Kids will first be introduced to the “most manly men in the world” this spring in a five page Ripping Friends comic book that will be featured in the May issue of Fox Kids Magazine which enjoys a circulation of four million households in the U.S. and Canada. In September, Fox will feature The Ripping Friends on the cover of Fox Kids Magazine.
“The Ripping Friends is such a clever and innovative program, that it actually invites kid’s to participate in physical activities during the show,” stated Michael Rubinelli, vice president of product development, THQ. “We think this type of involvement --that actually brings kids into the action -- is an ideal springboard for developing interactive games. We are delighted to be working with Hearst Entertainment in extending John Kricfalusi’s creative fantasy with The Ripping Friends videogames.”
The Ripping Friends superheroes, Crag, Rip, Slab and Chunk, are the four manliest men in the world and live and train for their next mission in a super industrialized complex futuristic city called R.I.P.C.O.T. (“Really Impressive Prototype City of Next Tuesday”…but the ‘n’ is silent). While they live just slightly ahead of the rest of the planet, in the world of next Tuesday, one of their enemies manages to stay just out of reach in the world of next Thursday.
“John Kricfalusi has to be one of the most creative people I've ever worked with, he's really this big kid doing exactly what he wants to do, creating laugh out loud funny eccentric characters in never-ending costume changes, vehicles and new worlds,” commented Leslie Levine, Vice President of Entertainment Licensing for Hearst Entertainment.
“Kricfalusi is completely tuned into what kids relate to and has created heroes, kids will love to emulate with great catch phrases they will repeat over and over again, with interactive elements creatively woven into every episode,” said Levine.
“We are extremely pleased to be working with THQ to create interactive games based on The Ripping Friends,” stated Kevin Kolde, Vice President and General Manager, Spumco. “The Ripping Friends series features story segments called ‘Rip Along With The Ripping Friends’ that are designed to involve kids at home in the action. Interactive games will allow us to take the concept even further and allow kids to play as their favorite manly heroes.”
Spümco is an independent animation studio known for its cutting edge humor and its culturally influential animation. Spümco was initially established in 1989 by John Kricfalusi to create and produce "The Ren and Stimpy Show" for Nickelodeon. The show went on to be the highest rated non-sports show on cable television. In addition, Kricfalusi and Spümco have produced music videos and award-winning commercials for clients such as Bjork, Old Navy, Nike and Cadbury as well as an animated Ranger Smith special for The Cartoon Network.
Hearst Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation, is a leading producer and distributor of made-for-television movies, animated series and reality and documentary programming for the global marketplace, and markets and licenses the ancillary consumer products of these entertainment properties.
THQ Inc. develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software worldwide for a variety of hardware platforms including PC CD-ROM, and those manufactured by Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. The THQ site is located at www.thq.com.
Hearst Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation, is a leading producer and distributor of made-for-television movies, animated series and reality and documentary programming for the global marketplace, and markets and licenses the ancillary consumer products of these entertainment properties.
THQ Inc. develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software worldwide for a variety of hardware platforms including PC CD-ROM, and those manufactured by Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. The THQ site is located at www.thq.com.
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This press release contains statements that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors including those described above and the following: changes in demand for the Company's products, product mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries, the impact of competitive products and pricing and difficulties encountered in the integration of acquired businesses. In addition, such statements could be affected by growth rates and market conditions relating to the interactive software industry and general domestic and international economic conditions. Specific information concerning these and other such factors is contained in the Company's most recent report on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities Exchange Commission on November 13, 2000. A copy of this filing may be obtained by contacting the Company or the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.