Dinosaur Train” Featured in National Amtrak Promotion in August
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THE JIM HENSON COMPANY’S HIT PRESCHOOL PROPERTY “DINOSAUR TRAIN” FEATURED IN NATIONAL AMTRAK PROMOTION IN AUGUST Hollywood, July 28, 2011: The Jim Henson Company, Random House Children’s Books and Paramount Home Entertainment have partnered with Amtrak for a nationwide promotion in August to support the season premiere on PBS KIDS of Dinosaur Train: Dinosaur Big City on August 22 and the DVD release on August 23. The partnership marks the first promotional collaboration among the companies for the critically-acclaimed animated preschool series, DINOSAUR TRAIN. From August 1 – 31, families can embark on their own DINOSAUR TRAIN adventure by entering the Amtrak - Dinosaur Train Sweepstakes. One lucky family of 4 (2 adults / 2 children) will win an Amtrak Vacations® Rocky Mountain National Park Tour to visit the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park, Colorado as part of the grand prize. In addition, the promotion will feature DINOSAUR TRAIN placemats on Long Distance Trains, while seatbacks, counter cards, activity book giveaways will be in over 100 stations nationwide to promote the sweepstakes and DVD release. One million ticket jackets will be used system wide featuring DINOSAUR TRAIN. The “Dinosaur Big City” DVD will also include an Amtrak offer in 50,000 units. Visit www.henson.com/DTsweepstakes, starting August 1, for promotion details. In “Dinosaur Big City,” join Buddy the T. rex and his Pteranodon family as they gather all their Theropod friends together to travel to the big Theropod Club Convention which is being held in Laramidia, the “Dinosaur Big City!” Among the travelers is King Cryolophosaurus, who’s more than a little nervous about giving a concert in front of his biggest audience ever. Can Buddy and Tiny help him overcome his fear of performing? DINOSAUR TRAIN, created by Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!), embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains while encouraging basic scientific thinking and skills. Each episode includes animated segments with live-action sequences featuring a paleontologist who brings to life the show's natural science and natural history curriculum for preschoolers, giving specific facts about dinosaurs and comparing their features to animals of today. Craig Bartlett, Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford executive produce the new season. The Jim Henson Company oversees all ancillary exploitation of the property, including licensing and merchandising. PBS handles DVD distribution to consumer and education markets. DINOSAUR TRAIN is co- produced with Singapore animation company Sparky Animation, with the participation and assistance of the Singapore Media Development Authority. UK production and financial support is provided by Ingenious Media. About PBS KIDS PBS KIDS, the number one educational media brand for children, offers all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, online and community-based programs. Each quarter, more than 27 million viewers watch PBS KIDS on TV, and PBSKIDS.org, the number one kids’ entertainment site for free video streaming, attracts more than 9.3 million unique visitors per month (Nielsen, NTI Q42010; comScore Video Metrix; Google Analytics). For more information on specific PBS KIDS programs supporting literacy, science, math and more, visit PBS.org/pressroom, or follow PBS KIDS on Twitter and Facebook. About Amtrak® Celebrating 40 years of dedicated service as America’s RailroadSM, Amtrak is the nation’s intercity passenger rail provider and its only high-speed rail operator. A record 28.7 million passengers traveled on Amtrak in FY 2010 on more than 300 daily trains – at speeds up to 150 mph (241 kph) – that connect 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian Provinces. Amtrak operates trains in partnership with 15 states and four commuter rail agencies. Amtrak also is a strong financial performer achieving an 85 percent cost-recovery ratio in FY 2010. Enjoy the journeySM at Amtrak.com or call 800-USA-RAIL for schedules, fares and more information. Join us on facebook.com/Amtrak and follow us at twitter.com/Amtrak. About Random House Children’s Books Random House Children’s Books is the world’s largest English-language children’s trade book publisher. Creating books for toddlers through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books, novels, ebooks, and apps, the imprints of Random House Children’s Books bring together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and multimillion-copy series. The company’s website, Kids @ Random (www.randomhouse.com/kids) offers an array of activities, games, and resources for children, teens, parents, and educators. Random House Children’s Books is a division of Random House, Inc., whose parent company is Bertelsmann AG, a leading international media company. # # # The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include the Emmy® nominated “Sid the Science Kid,” “Dinosaur Train,” “Wilson & Ditch: Digging America” and “Pajanimals.” Features include “The Dark Crystal,” “Labyrinth,” “MirrorMask,” and “Unstable Fables” and television productions include “Fraggle Rock” and the sci-fi cult series “Farscape.” With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities. Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry’s top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of-the-art and vintage equipment. The Company’s Henson Alternative brand has recently launched the national tour of “Stuffed and Unstrung,” a live puppet improvisational show named one of the top 10 “Best Stage Shows of 2010” by Entertainment Weekly. http://www.henson.com Join us on www.facebook.com/hensoncompany and follow us at www.twitter.com/hensonparents..