Animal Planet Cheers on College Sports Fans With 'MASCOT MADNESS' During The Big Dance

Animal Planet Cheers on College Sports Fans With 'MASCOT MADNESS' During The Big Dance

- Animal Planet's Jeff Corwin and ESPN College Football Analyst Lee Corso Crown Top College Animal Mascot Based on Online Voting -

SILVER SPRING, Md., March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Fans of college and university athletics have long debated which team mascot would truly win -- on and off the field of play. What makes a good animal mascot? How and why are college mascots chosen? Are the best ones the most ferocious like a lion (Penn State) or as swift as a wildcat (Arizona)? Are they majestic like an eagle (Boston College) or loyal like a bulldog (Georgia)? And should we really fear the turtle (Maryland)? These animals are mascots chosen for their bravery, tenacity and leadership. There must be a compelling reason they were chosen to lead their school, right?

Animal Planet reveals the animal who is the nation's #1 animal mascot in a one-hour countdown special called MASCOT MADNESS on Sunday, April 1, 2007 at 8 PM (ET/PT). Slated to air during the NCAA Basket Tournament (i.e., "The Big Dance"), MASCOT MADNESS is hosted by Animal Planet icon and animal expert Jeff Corwin, and ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso as they count down America's favorite animal mascot (determined by fans who recently voted online). Joining Jeff and Lee in studio are some of the most iconic mascots in college, including Buzz the Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket; Testudo the Maryland Terrapin; Bucky the Wisconsin Badger; the Cincinnati Bearcat; the Horned Frog of Texas Christian University; and Peter the Anteater from UC- Irvine. Throughout the special and online at AnimalPlanet.com, viewers will get interesting facts and trivia about their favorite team mascot and animal species.

Mascots elicit passion, devotion and pride every time they take the court or field. Animal Planet takes a glimpse at these symbols of team spirit and looks at the facts, lore, legend, tradition and history behind the creatures that have rallied alumni and students for decades!

The final animal mascot categories culminating in a winner on MASCOT MADNESS are as follows (in alphabetical order):

-- Bears
-- Birds
-- Bugs
-- Canines
-- Cats
-- Marsupials
-- Range Animals
-- Reptiles
-- Sea Creatures
-- Small Creatures

In addition, Jeff and Lee will give a shout-out to three special "wild card" categories, including Sidekicks, Mythological Creatures and Most Unusual Creatures.

At the fan site for http://www.animalplanet.com/mascotmadness, viewers can go online to find out additional information about MASCOT MADNESS, a photo gallery, puzzles, a vibrant message board, "view and vote" on mascots and a trivia quiz section.

MASCOT MADNESS is a production of Echo Entertainment for Animal Planet. Hugh Adrian is the executive producer, and John Ledesma is the producer for Echo Entertainment; Alexandra Bennett is the executive producer for Animal Planet.

Animal Planet Media Enterprises (APME), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications Inc, connects humans and animals with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for entertainment, information and enrichment. APME consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in over 90 million homes in the US; online assets http://www.animalplanet.com/, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; PetsIncredible, a major producer and distributor of pet-training videos and includes web service PetVideo.com; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Animal Planet

CONTACT: Brian Eley, +1-240-662-2957, Brian_Eley@discovery.com, or
Melissa Olear, +1-240-662-2946, Melissa_Olear@discovery.com, both of Animal
Planet

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

-------
Profile: intent