Kellogg boxes Disney beans

Kellogg is hoping that if beanbag critters can sell hamburgers, they can sell cereal too. Beginning next month, the struggling cereal giant will be offering free Disney mini-bean plush inside cereal boxes along with a sweeps dangling trips to Walt Disney World. The US$20-million effort will see more than 80 million boxes of Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, Froot Loops and other kid cereals offering one of 16 beanbag characters, including Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and Buzz Lightyear.

The instant-win sweeps will splash on more than 50 million boxes, offering a trip to Walt Disney World with 10 friends to the lucky 10 consumers who find a Goofy mini-bean inside. Support comes via TV spots from Leo Burnett, Chicago in January and February, newspaper inserts appearing the same months, and a kelloggs.com on-line promo.

McDonald’s helps Monster Jam beat the crush

4Kids Entertainment licensing division Leisure Concepts Inc. is on the lookout for some ‘aggressive’ properties that would feel right at home in a monster truck. Following the success of the WCW character-inspired Monster Jam Hot Wheels and friction trucks from master toy Mattel, LCI is currently negotiating rights for other kid entertainment properties to tie into the toys.

The Monster Jam line is touted as having built-in promo power, thanks to the 300 live monster truck events put on by SFX Motorsports across the U.S. between January and March every year, many of which are televised on TNN as the lead-in to WWF. LCI will be pumping up the promo volume with a McDonald’s deal running next year from mid-August to mid-September that will see each WCW truck offered with Happy Meals for a two-week window. An additional promo offering a free Monster Jam video with the purchase of two branded Hot Wheels trucks is currently being hammered out for 2001.

Applebee’s serves up turtle

Toronto-based Nelvana Marketing has hooked up with casual dining chain Applebee’s to serve up four million Franklin premiums next month. Running across the U.S. and Canada, the month-long promo will include Franklin placemats, tumblers and stickers as well as promotional activities touting last October’s DTV release Franklin and the Green Knight.

Thunderbirds are go in Japan

U.K.-based Carlton International’s decision to bring back the supermarionated Thunderbirds has delighted millions in Japan. The classic series, which was cleaned up and relaunched last September on BBC2, has become a cult hit in Japan, inspiring two Thunderbirds-themed ad campaigns. The first, from Dentsu Young & Rubicam, is a TV and print effort for NTT DoCoMo, one of Japan’s largest mobile phone companies. The second, from the Sogei Create agency, features Parker (the butler) in a print effort touting apartments in central Tokyo.