Monday, September 28, 2009

FULL COURT PRESS KIT

Okay, so your brand new show is about to hit the airwaves...
but how is the network gonna get people to actually WATCH it?
You wanna get some good press going, right?

That's where the press kit comes in.

And it's funny that press kits should come up since I just found a couple whilst sifting through the countless boxes of stuff that followed me here to LA.

First up is this fine specimen from the long lost Cartoon Network show called Time Squad (created by the sooper talented Mr. Dave Wasson).

Check out the fancy box:


And what's inside? A nice, sooper informative packet jam packed with information about the show:



There's also a VHS tape with an episode or two (snicker... VHS!), and in the case of this kit, a Time Squad themed disposable camera for you to take with you on your time traveling adventures!


Here's the kit from sooper pal Mr. Willem's show Sheep in the Big City:


It also came with a couple episodes on tape and a Sheep notepad:


See, newspapers, magazines and such get literally HUNDREDS of press kits about all sorts of stuff every day. So networks have to think of clever new ways to grab their attention. With Sheep, they offered a free trip to Ireland (a sheep paradise) as incentive for watching the video:


Not sure who got the trip, but it certainly wasn't me.

By the time Codename: Kids Next Door came out, VHS was going the way of THIS so they started sending episodes on disk. This saved on space and shipping and allowed for networks to do even more fun stuff.

KND was the first CN show to send out vinyl action figures:


I LOVED these and gave them to whoever crossed my path for years to come! And here's the actual kit:


They wanted it to look like a kid's pencil case. It came with a secret note pad, a decoder ring and an inviso writing pen thing. Pretty fun. I know I've got about 10,000 of the actual press folder... but couldn't find one to take a picture of so you'll have to use your imaginations on that.


Not sure what CN's press kits look like nowadays but I'm sure they're thinking of even crazier ways to promote their wares. At least I hope so.

4 comments:

Adam Ansorge said...

I used to have that KND toyset. drat. used to.....:(

Charles K. said...

I had no idea that Ireland was a "sheep paradise". The Irish Tourism Office have been quite misleading in their promotions all these years!

Chris Battle said...

VHS... how appropriate for a time-travel show :)

Anonymous said...

I HAVE to have the Time Squad press kit. I just HAVE to.