Billboard Marketing Coverage

The following appeared in Billboard Magazine. The citation is Paramount Nick vids debut., By: McCormick, Moira, Billboard, 00062510, 8/10/96, Vol. 108, Issue 32. Only the relevant excerpt is presented.

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HEEERE'S JONNY: A small army of corporate sponsors, including Pillsbury, Campbell Soup, Pizza Hut, General Mills, and Galoob Toys, are teaming with Turner Home Entertainment to introduce a new series, "The Real Adventures Of Jonny Quest."

Based on the original '60s animated series "The Adventures Of Jonny Quest," the program debuts on Turner Broadcasting's TNT, TBS, and Cartoon Network channels this month. A welcome innovation is the addition of a female character, Jessie Bannon, to the previously all-male cast. The four-title series hits stores Oct. 8 (pre-order cutoff Sept. 17).

Pillsbury's role in the promotion includes a $3 mail-in rebate, display contests, and instant coupon offers on 20 million Pillsbury packages in 10,000 outlets. Select packages will contain the rebate coupon. Meanwhile, Campbell Soup will run an on-package promotion featuring six Jonny Quest collectibles on 20 million cans of Franco-American Spaghetti-O's.

More than 5,000 Pizza Hut restaurants will hold a merchandise giveaway Aug. 19-Oct. 15, promoted via broadcast TV and Turner's cable channels. General Mills plans to promote the series on boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Some 13 licensees and promotional partners are joining for a Quest Adventure Pack, which offers licensed merchandise and savings on related products, including Galoob toys, Pizza Hut pizzas, Dark Horse comic books, Upper Deck trading cards, and Virgin Interactive and Kid Rhino audio releases.

The four Quest titles, "The Alchemist," "Escape To Quest World," "The Darkest Fathoms," and "Rage's Burning Wheel," contain the title episode, a secondary episode, two "bonus toons," and a 3D animated Questworld episode. Each is $12.98 suggested list.

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