Dairy Queen holds court with Dexter and Digimon

Cartoon Network and DQ are running a QSR promo for Dexter’s Laboratory from May 7 to May 20, complete with 30-second TV spots on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, a special on-line DQ/Dexter mini-site and two million premiums. The initiative features six playable action toys at approximately 4,800 North American DQs, including a squirt toy, a wrist crane and a sparkler machine.

Also kicking off at Dairy Queen is a two-month promo (starting in June 2002) for Fox’s Digimon: Digital Monsters, marking the show’s biggest North American fast food tie-in. Marketing support includes TV spots on Fox Kids, Nick and Cartoon, an in-store sweepstakes supported by FoxKids.com (in addition to other on-line support), extensive in-store signage and collectible premiums.

Caillou, say cheese

Yoplait Canada has put three new Caillou promotions together to tout the Minigo fresh cheese brand. Starting this month, children will be able to collect four Caillou ice pop sticks that double as soap bubble blowers. The sticks (1.3 million of them) will be included in packages of Minigo fresh cheese for six weeks starting in mid-May. Support includes on-sleeve packaging across Canada and on-shelf info-ads in Quebec. Details for the next two promos were being hammered out at press time, but they are expected to hit for back-to-school 2001 and January/February 2002.

Snoopy stamps around

The U.S. Postal Service is releasing a commemorative postage stamp nationwide on May 18, featuring Peanuts character Snoopy as the WWI Flying Ace (on his doghouse/plane) seeking out his longtime rival The Red Baron. The first-day issue and unveiling of the 34-cent stamp on May 17 will be celebrated in Santa Rosa, California-the adopted hometown of the late Peanuts creator Charles M. Schultz. The Snoopy stamp will be available at 38,000 U.S. postal offices for at least one year, with 125 million printed in all.