September 14th (nice date...word) the new Kirby Cartoon, "Kirby: Right Back at Ya" kicks off it's Saturday morning run on Fox Kids! Brace yourself for "Kirby: Right Back at Ya!"
KIRBY ROLLS ONTO FOX NETWORK FALL SCHEDULE
Television Cartoon, New Video Games Feature Top-Selling Nintendo Character
REDMOND, Wash.--May 10, 2002--Kirby(TM), Nintendo's pink
powerhouse, bounces onto U.S. television airwaves this fall.
Nintendo of America once again is teaming up with 4 Kids Entertainment (NYSE:KDE) to produce a Kirby animated television series
to be broadcast Saturday mornings starting on September 14, 2002, on the Fox Kids block programmed by 4Kids. Nintendo and 4 Kids previously partnered to introduce Pokemon(R) to kids around the world outside of Asia.
Kirby, one of the most widely recognized video game characters in the world, has appeared in 15 Nintendo video games to date, including the popular Super Smash Bros. Melee(TM) for NINTENDO GAMECUBE(TM).
More than 20 million Kirby games have been sold worldwide since his debut a decade ago in Kirby's Dream Land(R) for Nintendo's Game
Boy(R). Nintendo will launch a new Kirby action game for Game Boy Advance this fall, and a NINTENDO GAMECUBE game is already under development.
In the Kirby cartoon series, the well-rounded video game character uses his famous copy ability to take what his opponents dish out and send it back at them. Kirby's unique power is the inspiration for the show's tagline "Kirby: Right Back at Ya!". During the course of the
series, Kirby will be transformed into Fire Kirby, Sword Kirby, Block Kirby and more.
"Kirby's television debut marks the natural progression for a Nintendo character that has remained strong and popular around the
world," says Gail Tilden, vice president, network marketing, Nintendo
of America Inc. "4 Kids' new Saturday morning kids network on Fox,
combined with their brand building and licensing expertise, make them
the perfect partner for Kirby. We're tickled pink!"
The Kirby entertainment initiative originated in Japan under the
guidance of Warpstar, a joint venture company formed by Nintendo Co.,
Ltd. and Hal Laboratories. Warpstar is responsible for developing the
Kirby animation series and managing the property worldwide. The
television series debuted in October in Japan on the CBC network.
As the worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of
interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co. Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan,
manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home
video game systems. The systems include Game Boy, Nintendo(R) 64, Game
Boy Advance and NINTENDO GAMECUBE. Since the release of its first home
video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.4 billion
video games worldwide, creating enduring industry icons such as
Mario(TM) and Donkey Kong(R) and launching such franchises as
Zelda(TM) and Pokemon. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of
America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for
Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere.
For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web sites, www.nintendo.com or www.nintendogamecube.com.
About 4Kids Entertainment, Inc.:
Headquartered in New York City with international offices in
London, 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:KDE) is a global provider of
children's entertainment and merchandise licensing. For further
information, please visit the company's Web site at www.4KidsEntertainmentInc.com.
