THE JIM HENSON COMPANY LICENSES CUPCAKE DIGITAL TO CAPTURE THE MAGIC OF CLASSIC FRAGGLE ROCK ANIMATED EPISODES REIMAGINED AS ENHANCED STORY APPS
Cupcake Digital Joins the 30th Anniversary Celebration of The Jim Henson Company’s Fan Favorite Children’s Television Series Fraggle Rock
NEW YORK, NY/Hollywood, ca (March 6, 2013) This spring, Cupcake Digital celebrates the 30th anniversary of Fraggle Rock, the classic series created by Jim Henson, by bringing interactive mobile appisodes based on the animated series to new and existing fans everywhere. Beloved episodes, including “No Fraggle is an Island,” “Mokey’s Flood of Creativity,” “The Best of the Best,” and “The Great Radish Roundup,” will be developed into enhanced story experiences featuring the wonderful adventures of the Fraggles, Doozers and Gorgs. The series of apps is slated for development and release in 2013 and will be available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and Barnes & Noble for the iOS, Android, NOOK and Kindle Fire platforms.
“Fraggle Rock has an enduring quality that has stood the test of time among parents who are eager to share the stories with their young children. We are excited to be able to introduce the characters, their complex ecosystem and, most of all, the great music, in this new medium,” said Susan Miller, President of Cupcake Digital. “The stories of Fraggle Rock, the animated series, have a contemporary relevance that is perfect for engaging today’s kids in an interactive story experience infused with learning moments.”
Cupcake Digital’s mission is to deliver enhanced story app experiences that surprise and delight. Each app includes features such as three modes of reading, professional narration designed to help kids recognize words and sounds, opportunities for shared screen time for parents and kids, and educator-vetted learning elements within the apps and online that follow Common Core State Standards. Every Fraggle Rock app will be designed to take full advantage of the nostalgic graphics, timeless stories and fun interactions that are inherent to the original episodes of the television series.
“The team at Cupcake Digital has demonstrated a great affinity for Fraggle Rock and its original vision. It seems fitting that, as we celebrate 30 years of this great property, we have the opportunity to give it new life in a relevant and engaging way via these enhanced story app experiences,” said Melissa Segal, Executive Vice President, Global Consumer Products for The Jim Henson Company. “Loyal fans around the world have never stopped rocking along with Fraggle, and they will love that the spirit of the show and the music that is so much a part of the experience are fully captured within these apps.”
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FRAGGLE ROCK Synopsis
Created by Jim Henson, the series features a quirky and fun-loving group of cave-dwelling creatures in a world where three diverse, yet surprisingly similar, communities learn to live and work in harmony. The Fraggles love to sing and dance, work just thirty minutes a week and spend most of their days dancing their cares away. They are joined by their industrious neighbors, the Doozers, tiny green workers that build elaborate structures the Fraggles find irresistibly tasty; and the Gorgs, giant creatures who live in the garden above Fraggle Rock guarding their cherished radish patch. Through the fun of the Fraggle five: the level-headed, practical Gobo; spiritual, artistic Mokey; exuberant, athletic Red; nervous, indecisive Wembley; and worrisome Boober and the unique mix of music, from folk, blues and gospel to country and rock, the series entertains and encourages an understanding and embracing of diversity.
Premiering in 1983, Fraggle Rock was seen in 80 countries in over ten different languages. Fraggle Rock continues to enjoy a loyal international fan following. In its 96 episodes, the show encouraged an understanding and embracing of friendship and diversity and featured a unique mix of music from all genres from folk, blues, gospel, country and rock.
About Cupcake Digital
Cupcake Digital, Inc. was established in June 2012 with the intent of transforming children’s entertainment properties into deluxe story experiences infused with educational elements. Its first venture into digital applications was based on the Emmy Award-winning television series “Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!” These apps immediately rose to #1 and #3 among children’s book apps on Amazon and iTunes respectively. Since then, every subsequent children’s app created by Cupcake Digital has achieved a top 10 rating on Amazon. Headquartered in NYC, Cupcake Digital was founded by proven professionals in the fields of technology, family entertainment, publishing and brand marketing. In October of 2012, Cupcake Digital received its first round of private funding and has since gone on to partner with additional major children’s entertainment properties. For more information about Cupcake Digital Inc., please visit www.cupcakedigital.com.
About the Jim Henson 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. Visit henson.com, join us on facebook.com/hensoncompany, and follow us at twitter.com/hensonparents.
Media Contacts:
Carmen Hernandez/Cupcake Digital/ 310-383-4875/ carmen.hernandez@cupcakedigital.com
Ann Schwarz/The Jim Henson Company/323-802-1667/aschwarz@henson.com
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