HIT Entertainment Digital Newsroom

Angelina Ballerina™ Invites Fans To Take Center Stage With Her Online And On-The-Go

AngelinaBallerina.com Becomes First Young Girls’ Online Destination to Implement Augmented Reality
Brand New Angelina Application for iPhone and iPod Touch Now Available

03/23/2010

New York, NY

HIT Entertainment, a leading provider of quality children’s entertainment, jetés onto the digital stage with the all-new www.AngelinaBallerina.com and first ever Angelina Ballerina™ app for the iPhone™ and iPod Touch®. AngelinaBallerina.com is the only web site for young girls (ages 3 to 7) that boasts new augmented reality technology including webcam games, personalization, videos and a sing-along music player. In tandem with the launch of the new website, the new Angelina iPhone application launched in the iTunes store worldwide in January 2010 and charted in the Top 50 apps for children in 15 territories including the US, UK and Australia within the first two weeks of its launch. Because of its fast-rising momentum, the app was selected by Apple to be featured on the Apple App Store homepage, and on January 28, it was the #1 paid children’s app in the US.

AngelinaBallerina.com is fully integrated with desktop webcams allowing users to record themselves in a personalized and safe environment. Using their webcam, Angelina fans can dance and sing alongside their favorite ballerina, record their performance and then save and send their videos to friends and family. In addition, new webcam games encourage dance and physical activity and are completely unique to any other young girls’ online destination.

With registration, Angelina fans are rewarded with their own “dressing room” that can be personalized with customizable content from the site that will keep users returning again and again. In the “dressing room” fans are offered an enhanced user experience where they can create a user profile, save game scores and favorite videos. The site also enables visitors to share personalized content via Angelina postcards, videos and more. AngelinaBallerina.com includes a music player with sing-along videos, arcade games centered on Angelina’s world of dance as well as printable coloring sheets and activities including door hangers, printable postcards, and bookmarks.

“We’ve created truly innovative and interactive experiences for Angelina fans, whether they are on their PCs or in the car playing with a parent’s iPhone,” said Natasha Fishman, Senior Vice President, Global Brand Management and Digital Media at HIT Entertainment. “The site and iPhone app extend the Angelina experience across digital platforms offering children great play value. Parents will love that their kids are interacting with a brand that is trusted, lively and educational.”

As part of the expansion in their digital offerings, HIT Entertainment launched an Angelina iPhone application, “Dress Up With Angelina Ballerina,” in mid-January. Theapp features four different games in one. Kids can help Angelina, Gracie and Viki dress up for their big performance with hundreds of possible mix-n-match outfit/accessory combos;and play Concentration, What Doesn’t Belong and Performance. The app is available in the iTunes store for $0.99 USD.

HIT Entertainment partnered with the web and mobile developer Mammalfish and strategic partner company Whistlebox to bring AngelinaBallerina.com to life. HIT collaborated with smart phone application developer SmartFish to create the Angelina iPhone application.

In addition, Angelina Ballerina now has her own official Facebook fan page where visitors can access the latest news, events and television updates worldwide. http://www.facebook.com/angelinaballerina

Angelina Ballerina The Next Steps is broadcast exclusively on PBS KIDS® in the US (check local listings) and Nick Jr. UK. Based on the classic Angelina Ballerina books by author Katharine Holabird and illustrator Helen Craig, the new program follows Angelina as she embarks on the next stage in her life at a new performing arts school -- Camembert Academy. Angelina Ballerina The Next Steps celebrates music and brings to life new forms of dance for Angelina including modern, tap, jazz, classic and ethnic.

About HIT Entertainment
HIT Entertainment is one of the world's leading independent children's entertainment producers and rights-owners. HIT's portfolio includes properties, such as Barney™, Bob the Builder™, Thomas & Friends™, Pingu™, Fireman Sam™, Angelina Ballerina™ and Rainbow Magic™. HIT represents Chapman Entertainment’s Fifi and the Flowertots™ and Roary the Racing Car™ in North America, as well as Wallace & Gromit™, Shaun the Sheep™, Timmy Time™ and Aardman Classics from Aardman Animations. HIT also acts as representative for The Wiggles® in the UK. Launched in 1989, HIT’s lines of business span television and video production, content distribution, publishing, consumer products licensing and live events and has operations in the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan. HIT is a part-owner of US-based preschool channel, PBS KIDS SproutSM, and international preschool channel JimJam, (outside of the US, UK and China). For more information, visit www.hitentertainment.com.

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