'Toons Meet Tunes: The Singing Machine Soaks Up SpongeBob SquarePants; Licensing with Nickelodeon Character Shores Up Home Karaoke Market.Entertainment Editors/Business Editors COCONUT CREEK, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 20, 2003 Add "musical" to the list of SpongeBob SquarePants' qualities, as The Singing Machine (AMEX AMEX See: American Stock Exchange :SMD (1) (Storage Module Device) A high-performance hard disk interface used with minis and mainframes that transfers data in the 1-4 MBytes/sec range (SMD-E provides highest rate). See hard disk. ) introduces its SpongeBob SquarePants home karaoke machine. Nickelodeon's Bikini Bottom-dwelling, absorbent, yellow, and porous hero is the latest licensing coup for The Singing Machine, the Coconut Creek, Fla.-based leader in home karaoke. "SpongeBob has legions of fans worldwide and was voted the 2003 Kid's Choice award winner as favorite cartoon. SpongeBob appeals to adults and children because he's good-natured, tries hard and has a great, if a little off-kilter, sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour ," said Jack Dromgold, Singing Machine's Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. "We believe he is a great fit for a product everyone in the family can have fun with." The SpongeBob karaoke machine captures SpongeBob right down to his gap-toothed smile and square pants. The front of the machine easily opens for a child to insert the SpongeBob SquarePants karaoke CD of nautical tunes that comes with the machine or any CD. Conventional CDs also work in the machine. There are two microphone inputs for singers to perform solo or as a duet. The built-in speaker system makes the Singing Machine's SpongeBob perfect for birthday parties, holiday celebrations and other family gatherings. Suggested retail price for the SpongeBob SquarePants karaoke machine is $59.95 and is available at Toys R Us. "We are very selective with our licensing agreements and Nickelodeon fits the criteria we established," Dromgold said. "'Nick' is the highest rated basic cable network in the United States and reaches more than 81 million households, a larger audience of kids than ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. , CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. and NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. combined." The Singing Machine's partnership with Nickelodeon has also produced a hand-held "Dora the Explorer Dora the Explorer is an animated television series that is carried on the Nickelodeon cable television network. A pilot episode for the series aired in 1999, and Dora the Explorer became a regular series in 2000. " karaoke unit and a "Nick Jr." karaoke cassette machine. The Singing Machine's other products are available in retail stores, including Toys R Us, K B Toys and Walgreens. About Nickelodeon Nickelodeon is the No. 1 entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 85 million households and has been the No. 1-rated basic cable network for more than six consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. About The Singing Machine Company Incorporated in 1982, The Singing Machine Company (AMEX:SMD) produces and distributes a full line of consumer-oriented karaoke machines, CD with graphics and CD+G (CD+Graphics) An audio CD format that allows images to be stored in six of the eight subcode channels of the CD (P through W). Also known as the "R-W subchannels," because R, S, T, U, V and W are used, each of which can hold 4MB. and audio karaoke music under its own name and that of its licensing partners, including Motown, MTV MTV in full Music Television U.S. cable television network, established in 1980 to present videos of musicians and singers performing new rock music. MTV won a wide following among rock-music fans worldwide and greatly affected the popular-music business. , Nickelodeon and Hard Rock Academy. The company, which is based in Coconut Creek, Fla., was the first manufacturer to offer karaoke electronic equipment and audio software for home use in the United States. BusinessWeek magazine named The Singing Machine the number one "Hot Growth" company for 2002. The company currently has 71 employees in three facilities. |
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