CINAR Corporation: ZOBOOMAFOO Licensee Brighter Child Interactive Launches First Interactive CD ROM.

Business Editors

MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 2, 2000

CINAR Corporation announced today that an interactive CD ROM featuring the PBS KIDS preschool series ZOBOOMAFOO was launched in retail stores across the United States.

The Animal Kids CD ROM, by Brighter Child Interactive, features ten fun and educational games that emphasize critical thinking skills and test animal knowledge. The CD ROM includes video and music from the hit PBS series ZOBOOMAFOO, produced by CINAR in association with PBS and The Earth Creatures Company.

"I am delighted that ZOBOOMAFOO is part of a dynamic interactive media market," said CINAR Licensing Vice President Kelly Elwood. "Animal Kids encourages both young children and older kids to problem solve, while also having fun learning about animals. Like the show, this game has tremendous appeal to both kids and their parents."

Animal Kids, delivered to Toys R Us, CompUSA, Electronics Boutique, Microcentre, and Zany Brainy and other retail outlets, is targeted to kids three to eight-years-old.

"We believe ZOBOOMAFOO is one of the best properties out there," said Brighter Child Interactive CEO Rick Pam. "The show can be seen in 92% of US households, and that exposure is unbeatable. Add to that the appeal of the Kratt brothers, the show's repertoire of fun animals, and incredibly viewer loyalty, and you've got all the right tools for success."

The Brighter Child Interactive retail launch is part of an expanded ZOBOOMAFOO licensing program from PBS in conjunction with CINAR. The program includes clothing and accessory lines by PBS licensees Changes, Gurilla Biscuit Entertainment Company, CBN One of the Boys, ES Originals and AME Enterprises; home fashion and table wear by ABC Development; live entertainment by Jamey Cohan Productions and books from Simon & Schuster.

The slate of new ZOBOOMAFOO products follows the successful launch of ZOBOOMAFOO plush toys from Eden LLC, board games and puzzles from Pressman Toys, pencils and pencil grips by The Pencil Grip, Inc.; supplementary educational products by CINAR Education subsidiary HighReach Learning, and home video products from PBS Home Video in conjunction with Warner Home Video.

ZOBOOMAFOO, consistently ranked as one of the top six preschool shows, airs daily on the PBS KIDS Ready to Learn service. It stars a lively, leaping lemur puppet named Zoboomafoo, and real-life "creature adventurers" Martin and Chris Kratt, whose fun-filled adventures introduce children to the world of animals.

ZOBOOMAFOO soon begins its second season on PBS KIDS. Recently, PBS announced plans for an aggressive second season launch campaign, including New ZOBOOMAFOO Tuesdays, an exciting new scheduling strategy where a new episode of ZOBOOMAFOO will be broadcast every Tuesday beginning October 3rd. Encore episodes will fill out the remaining broadcast schedule. The campaign will be supported by a national print advertising campaign targeted towards parents, and an extensive outreach program. Visit ZOBOOMAFOO at www.pbskids.org/zoboo.

Brighter Child Interactive, publisher of children's educational software located in Columbus, Ohio, promotes learning through exploration with titles such as Muppets Learning to Read series, The Beginners Bible, and Garfield: Mad About Cats.

CINAR Corporation is an integrated entertainment and education company involved in the development, production, post-production and world-wide distribution of non-violent, quality programming and educational products for children and families. CINAR's web site www.cinar.com