MCDONALD'S TO LAUNCH NEOPET PROJECT.Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer GLENDALE - You know you've arrived in the toy world Track listing
v. crammed, cram·ming, crams v.tr. 1. To force, press, or squeeze into an insufficient space; stuff. 2. To fill too tightly. 3. a. To gorge with food. in a box with a hamburger and fries and thrust into the hands of a covetous cov·et·ous adj. 1. Excessively and culpably desirous of the possessions of another. See Synonyms at jealous. 2. Marked by extreme desire to acquire or possess: covetous of learning. 8-year-old. Neopets, the tangible version of the online characters created by Neopets Inc., now have that validation See validate. validation - The stage in the software life-cycle at the end of the development process where software is evaluated to ensure that it complies with the requirements. . The Glendale-based company announced a deal with McDonald's Corp. on Monday that will put 109 different plush toys and 15 trading cards into Happy Meals beginning May 28. The two companies have an advertising relationship dating back a year, but the four-week promotion marks the first time the creatures have found their way into the kids' meals A Kids' meal is a meal specified to children, usually to preteens, sometimes younger. One example is the McDonald's Happy meal. . ``McDonald's doesn't just use anything, of course,'' said Rik Kinney, Neopets' executive vice president, with evident pride. Beyond just making the toys' creators feel good, the deal brings a serious financial upside Upside The potential dollar amount by which the market or a stock could rise. Notes: This is basically an educated guess on how high a stock could go in the near future. See also: Bull, Downside . The fast food giant won't say how many of the meals it sells every month, but annual sales of the packages run in the $3 billion range. Hot promotions, such as McDonald's Teenie Beanie Babies Sources: A Beanie Baby is a stuffed animal made by Ty Inc. Ty was founded by Ty Warner who promoted the line in specialty stores and gift shops. The Ty company's famous special "posable lining" is understuffed with plastic pellets (or "beans") rather than stuffing or Burger King's Pokemon toys, have created past crazes so passionate that adults will buy the meals then toss out the food just to bring home the hot toys. ``We always look for what's hot and new for kids,'' said Kathy Pyle, director of family and kids marketing for McDonald's. ``Neopets definitely came to the top of the list: new, fresh, interactive and different.'' The restaurant has a built-in relationship with Neopets - unlike many of the toys that McDonald's features in monthly promotions - and the online audience of 11 million active users on www.neopets.com. In the virtual universe the characters inhabit in·hab·it v. in·hab·it·ed, in·hab·it·ing, in·hab·its v.tr. 1. To live or reside in. 2. To be present in; fill: Old childhood memories inhabit the attic. , when pets get hungry, they chow down at a virtual McDonald's. ``Being in a Happy Meal brings the brand in front of the consumer,'' said Maria Weiskott, editor in chief of Playthings Magazine. ``Kids nag their parents, oh, we need to go get the Happy Meal, then they turn around and buy it in the store, as well. It works well for both partners.'' Having a tangible product only strengthens the marketing push, Kinney said. The Happy Meal boxes prominently feature the Neopets Web site, shuttling curious kids into an the online world, creating more visitors and thus more ad dollars for Neopets. ``There's an expectation that with the TV coverage and Neopets in tens of millions of Happy Meals, people who've never heard of them will go to the site and set up accounts,'' he said. Brent Hopkins, (818) 713-3738 brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Plush versions of the online stars Neopets will be sold in Happy Meals starting Friday. There will be 109 versions of the toys. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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