*DreamWorks and Burger King allies in Small Soldiers promotion

Next summer, DreamWorks SKG will launch its first-ever QSR promotion with Burger King for the movie Small Soldiers.

The Burger King Kids’ Club meal will feature special premiums based on the movie. The campaign will be heavily supported through national advertising, point-of-purchase and media efforts.

Small Soldiers blends live action with computer animation in a fantasy battle between a band of monsters and a platoon of commandos. The film is a co-production by DreamWorks Pictures (domestic distribution) and Universal Pictures (international distribution).

*Cartoon Network has two firsts in Asia-Pacific

Audiences throughout the Asia-Pacific region will be treated to an animated theatrical Cartoon Network production, and Australian kids recently enjoyed happy meals featuring Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and Magilla Gorilla, thanks to Cartoon Network’s entry into these new promotional arenas. Both events come under the purview of Cartoon Network Enterprises, a business development division of Cartoon Network that licenses the channel’s characters for promotions such as The Cartoon Network’s SMASH Tennis, Toon Tours and World Cartoon Headquarters programs in the Asia-Pacific region.

Cartoon Network On Tour, written and developed in Australia, is a half-hour production featuring 10 favorite Cartoon Network characters in song and dance routines performed by professional entertainers along with special animation effects.

The month-long Cartoon Network Happy Meal promotion-the channel’s first with McDonald’s in the Asia-Pacific region-was introduced at more than 630 McDonald’s restaurants across Australia in late October. The promotion featured one of four premiums per week.

*Sony Wonder revives musical video line

Two all-new titles and a relaunch of 15 classic titles in the Kidsongs sing- and dance-along video line were recently announced by Sony Wonder. One new audio title will also be released.

The Kidsongs brand will be reintroduced with a major advertising and marketing campaign, including a tie-in with Dairy Queen comprising approximately one million Kidsongs premiums and discount coupons on Kidsongs video products.

The all-new 30 minute videos I Can Dance! and I Can Do It! and the audio title I Can Dance! invite kids to participate in the music and movement. Kidsongs music videos are a production of Together Again Video Productions and Sony Wonder.

*Tasty promo device from LightVision

Cincinnati, Ohio-based LightVision Confections is offering a new idea to sweeten the promotional mix: holographic candy. So far, the company has created 50-gram lollipops with images of fish, dinosaurs and holiday scenes. The Starship Enterprise and Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation also appear among LightVision’s offerings.

The images are created by etching the candy surface with grooves that reflect light. Since no dyes or other additives are used during the process, the products are entirely edible. The company is developing its own Dr. Hologram-branded lines and is hoping to win over other licensors. The lollipops are available in selected retail stores and on the company’s Web site (http://lightvision.com).