Kappa Mikey the Breakout Hit From Nicktoons Network to Premiere on Nickelodeon With an All New Original Episode Sunday, August 20

Kappa Mikey the Breakout Hit From Nicktoons Network to Premiere on Nickelodeon With an All New Original Episode Sunday, August 20

From the Animated Minds of Nicktoons Network Comes Kappa Mikey, the First Anime Series Created and Produced Entirely in the U.S.

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Kappa Mikey, the breakout Nicktoons Network hit anime comedy series about a struggling American actor-turned- Japanese anime star, will make its series premiere on Nickelodeon on Sunday, August 20 from 11:00 to 11:30 a.m. (ET/PT) with an all new, original episode. The series, which first debuted to critical acclaim on Nickelodeon's sister channel, Nicktoons Network, in February 2006, was MTV Networks' first global acquisition. All new episodes (that have not yet aired on Nicktoons Network) will debut on Nickelodeon in the regular series timeslot, Sundays at 11 a.m. (ET/PT).

Episodes of Kappa Mikey will continue to air on Nicktoons Network, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 8:30 p.m. (ET). The original animated comedy series was developed by Nickelodeon and created and executive produced by Larry Schwarz of Animation Collective.

Kappa Mikey is the only anime television series created and produced in the U.S. (New York City) and not in Asia. The 52-episode series is written like a sitcom and the story contains a show within a show. Each episode takes place on and off the set of LilyMu, a fictional Japanese TV series starring once-struggling American actor, Mikey Simon, as he adjusts to his new role as "Kappa Mikey," the biggest anime star Japan has ever seen. With its distinct creative style, blending a combination of American and Japanese animation, Mikey, drawn in thick-lined Pop Graphic style, is the only character on the show not depicted in anime. The series contains many pop-culture references and jokes for kids and adults alike.

"Kappa Mikey is a breakout hit for Nicktoons Network and it fits in with Nickelodeon's audience perfectly -- it is stuffed with great dynamic characters and funny, laugh out loud storylines," said Tom Ascheim, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Nickelodeon Television. "We are excited to bring this unique world, with its beautiful anime style, to our air."

"It's fantastic that Nickelodeon's vast audience will be able to see what's next for Mikey and his gang," said Larry Schwarz, Kappa Mikey's creator and C.E.O. of Animation Collective. "Written with colorful characters, fast- paced action and satirical comedy, there is so much going on that kids want to watch again and again."

A fish-out-of-water anime action comedy, Kappa Mikey chronicles the madcap adventures of once-struggling American actor, Cleveland, Ohio native Mikey Simon, as he adjusts to his new role as the biggest anime star Japan has even seen. When he is recruited to join the cast of LilyMu, formerly Japan's hottest anime TV series, his co-stars know immediately that he's the wrong guy for the job. But, the audience disagrees, and suddenly Mikey is Japan's newest rising star, rocketing LilyMu back to the top of the ratings. But fame doesn't come without a price, and when he's not being chased down by the paparazzi, Mikey must also find time to get to know his costars, adjust to Japanese culture and learn to love life inside the fishbowl.

In the premiere episode, "Lost in Transportation," the cast is scheduled to perform at the birthday party of the son of a major LilyMu advertiser. Mikey decides he can get there on his own but then gets lost in Tokyo. As the cast does all they can to stall for him, Mikey joins a Tokyo motorbike gang and eventually becomes their leader.

"Splashomon," the second episode which debuts on August 27, begins with LilyMu producer Ozu interrogating the cast to find out who's responsible for the death of his beloved goldfish. The members of the cast relate their inconsistent accounts of the crime in a series of flashbacks in homage to Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon."

The theme song from Kappa Mikey is performed and created by DefSTAR Records (a Sony Music Group Company) recording artists, Beat Crusaders (http://www.beatcrusaders.com/). The band has managed to go from darlings of the indie scene to major Top 5 success in a very short time. In spite of having only made a major label debut in 2004, lead vocalist Toru Hidaka has arranged and produced some of Japan's top musicians and supervised the musical aspects of the hit Japanese animated series Beck.

Animation Collective (http://www.animationcollective.com/) is the largest animation studio in New York with more original series in production than any other animation studio in the world. The company is a leader in creating children's programming for television, the Internet, home video and other platforms. Larry Schwarz is the creator and executive producer of all of Animation Collective's original television series including Kappa Mikey, Thumb Wrestling Federation: TWF, Leader Dog, and Tortellini Western for Nicktoons Network and Ellen's Acres and HTDT for Cartoon Network. In addition, Schwarz served as producer of Wulin Warriors for Cartoon Network and the first season of The Incredible Crash Dummies for 4KidsTV. Animation Collective is the largest provider of original content for KOL, America Online's kids channel and Red, its teen channel.

Nickelodeon, now in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for eleven consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:VIA.B).

Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Nicole Parker, +1-818-736-3613, nicole.parker@nick.com, or
Photo Contact: Michelle Hernandez, +1-212-258-7722,
michelle.hernandez@nick.com, both of Nickelodeon

Web site: http://www.nick.com/

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