MADRID--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pocoyo, the little boy in blue who has captured the hearts of children and their parents the world over, and actor/writer/presenter Stephen Fry, who narrates the animated Pocoyo television series, will appear together in the “Get Caught Reading” annual national campaign in May organized by the Association of American Publishers, the trade association representing the premier U.S. publishing companies. The “Get Caught Reading” initiative was created to remind people of all ages how much fun it is to read. As part of the campaign, Pocoyo is depicted “caught reading” with Fry in posters made available to teachers and parents for use in classrooms (www.getcaughtreading.org), libraries and other locations throughout the country.
In addition to his numerous film and television roles (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Hobbit: There and Back, and hit TV series, Bones), Fry is an accomplished writer, performer and film director, who has contributed columns and articles to newspapers and magazines and has written four novels and a two-volume autobiography.
“Since I was a young boy reading has given me great joy, transported me to extraordinary places and helped me to experience amazing escapades,” said Fry. “It is my pleasure to remind others that reading books is an incredible passport to a lifetime of unlimited adventure, and I am honored to participate in this year’s ‘Get Caught Reading’ campaign.”
“Pocoyo is a wonderful vehicle for introducing young children to reading, both in terms of developing language skills and in enjoying the written word,” said Maria Doolan, Managing Director of Brand and Business Development for Zinkia Entertainment, Pocoyo’s creator. “We are thrilled Stephen Fry has joined Pocoyo to celebrate the ‘Get Caught Reading’ campaign, and with Random House launching a variety of Pocoyo books in America this August, the campaign is also a great way to help promote this new partnership.”
“Small children already see Pocoyo as a reflection of themselves, their curiosity about and discovery of the world around them,” said Chris Angelilli, VP, Editor-in-Chief, Random House/Golden Books Young Readers Group. “By adding a few words to the already familiar images, youngsters begin learning basic reading skills without even realizing they’re learning. As they advance from activity and picture books to beginning reader books, they gain confidence and really begin to enjoy reading.”
Research has proven that early language experience stimulates a child's brain to grow and reading to children gives them a huge advantage when they start school. Member organizations of the Association of American Publishers participate in a variety of ways in Get Caught Reading to encourage people of all ages to enjoy books and magazines and to share that pleasure with the young children in their lives.
Random House Children’s Books will publish its first Pocoyo books in August 2012, including storybooks, leveled reader books, coloring and activity books, board/novelty books and ebooks (based on the published books in the referenced formats) in the English language. Four books will be published and available at retail in August -- Picture This (Color Plus Chunky Crayons); Pocoyo Dance (Pictureback); Pocoyo's Big Lift-and-Look Book; and Surprise for Pocoyo (Step into Reading) -- with additional titles rolling out in spring 2013. Random House Children’s Books will also publish ebooks in August 2012 for both Pocoyo Dance and Surprise for Pocoyo.
About POCOYO
Zinkia Entertainment’s Pocoyo is recognized as a hit global brand. The award-winning animated series first launched in 2005 across all media platforms simultaneously and in a multitude of languages. Pocoyo now airs in over 150 markets around the world and has aired continually on Nick Jr., Univision’s Planeta U and select PBS Kids stations in the U.S. since its American debut in 2010. Pocoyo has also demonstrated significant and consistent growth in the digital arena, with the Pocoyo YouTube Channel receiving over 50 million hits per month on average, accumulating over 900 million hits to date. Pocoyo also has over 800,000 Facebook friends and its online virtual world, www.pocoyoworld.com, has attracted more than 2.5 million unique visitors. Approximately 14 million people have used the Pocoyize app, www.pocoyize.com, to create unique Pocoyize characters of themselves. And the official Pocoyo website, www.pocoyo.com, has amassed more than 27.5 million content downloads.
Zinkia also recently signed a Ready to Learn (RTL) educational partnership in the U.S. with the Hispanic and Telecommunications Network, Inc. (HITN) that will establish Pocoyo as the foundation for the English Language Learning (ELL) component of Project LAMP. Through this partnership, HITN will bring Pocoyo to a series of tablet, smartphone and web-based programming designed to aid preschool children in developing critical literacy skills in English.
About GET CAUGHT READING
A cornerstone in its mission to encourage literacy and the love of reading, the Association of American Publishers launched the Get Caught Reading initiative in 1999. It has evolved into a national campaign bringing together America’s leading publishers, community libraries, schools and families as partners in this vital effort. While May is Get Caught Reading Month, the program is promoted all year long. http://www.getcaughtreading.org.
About AAP
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association representing the country’s premier book publishers. Its 300 members develop and publish the highest-quality entertainment, education, scholarly and professional content in all print and digital formats. The AAP Trade Division member organizations are active in promoting the joy of reading, literacy, the value of publishers in an information society and First Amendment rights.
About ZINKIA ENTERTAINMENT
Founded in 2001, Zinkia Entertainment specializes in the creation and management of entertainment brands for the international market. The Company is primarily involved in the animation business, creating quality content for the audiovisual market, as well as interactive content for multi-player console and online games. Zinkia’s on-air and online content and associated merchandising and licensing products are distributed to over 150 countries worldwide. Animation production credits include the multi-award winning Pocoyo and the successful series Shuriken School. In April 2011, Zinkia acquired a 51% stake in London-based family entertainment company Cake, further bolstering its content brand management and distribution opportunities. Zinkia is headquartered in Madrid, with commercial offices in Beijing, China.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50281823&lang=en