Colgate Introduces Pokémon™* Toothbrushes
Colgate Introduces Pokémon™* Toothbrushes
Apr 18, 2000
Colgate Introduces Pokémon™* Toothbrushes
Colgate® Grip'Ems™ Pokémon™ toothbrushes have a squishy grip that makes brushing fun for kids age five and up. Like all Colgate children's toothbrushes, they have end-rounded bristles to protect tooth enamel and have the Seal of Acceptance from the American Dental Association. The toothbrush also stands upright for easy storage, keeping bristles away from bathroom surfaces.
Colgate® Grip'Ems™ Pokémon™ toothbrushes consist of six fun Pokémon™ color brushes and eight different 3-D Magic Transforming Character Stickers. Motion makes the sticker's image magically transform and there is one magic sticker per pack.
"Kids will want to collect them all which means more sales of these premium toothbrushes for retailers," says Suzan Harrison, Vice President & General Manager, Colgate U.S. Oral Care.
Pokémon™ means "pocket monsters" and is the collective name for the 151 unique little characters that can be found, captured, trained, swapped, collected and used to compete against rivals. Pokémon™ is the #1 rated kids TV show, airing 12 times per week on the Kids WB Network, as well as being the #1 rated Nintendo Game. Pokémon™ toys are the #1 ranked TV promoted toys as well as the #1 and 2 non-TV promoted toys(1). The first US full length animated feature, "Mewtwo Strikes Back," opened in November 1999 and generated over $52 million in its first weekend, at the time, the largest animated film opening ever! Home video sales for the first movie will exceed 6 million units. A second animated feature is due out July 2000.
"Kids oral care is big at over $105 million and is growing rapidly,(2)" Harrison says. "Colgate has the best character line-up with the strongest portfolio of licenses including: Looney Tunes™, Barney™, Star Wars™, Barbie™ and now Pokémon™. Colgate Kids toothbrushes and toothpaste are now the #1 kids oral care products in the market(3)."
Colgate will drive sales for this new product with heavy trade support. Past sales show that when displayed, Colgate® Grip'Ems™ toothbrushes generate a volume lift of 215%(4). Special packs containing a free toothbrush topper with a Colgate® Grip'Ems™ toothbrush will also be available to retailers in a variety of floorstands. These toothbrush toppers, which protect the bristles, are in the shape of Pokémon™ characters and kids will want to collect them all.
Colgate Grip'Ems Pokémon™ toothbrushes began bleed-in shipments to stores nationwide April 1, 2000. They have a suggested retail price of $2.99, in-line with other premium priced kids toothbrushes.
Nintendo first launched Pokémon in Japan for the world's best-selling Game Boy hand-held video game system and watched the original 150 creatures evolve into a cultural phenomenon. The franchise arrived in North America in September 1998 with the release of the Pokémon Blue and Red Game Boy games and has grown into a 7 billion dollar industry worldwide. Nintendo and its licensing agency, Leisure Concepts, Inc. (a division of 4Kids Entertainment Inc., NASDAQ: KIDE) have licensed the franchise to approximately 500 licensees worldwide, outside of Asia.
Headquartered in New York City, 4Kids Entertainment, Inc., (NASDAQ:KIDE) is a vertically-integrated entertainment company whose wholly owned subsidiaries include: Leisure Concepts, Inc., leader in domestic and international merchandise licensing and product development; 4Kids Productions, a television, film, music and home video production company, and Summit Media, a domestic and international television distribution, media buying and planning company.
Colgate-Palmolive is a leading global consumer products company tightly focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Household Surface Care, Fabric Care and Pet Nutrition. In the U.S., Colgate sells its quality products under such nationally recognized brand names as Colgate, Palmolive, Mennen, Ajax, Irish Spring, Softsoap, Murphy Oil Soap, Ultra Brite and Fab, as well as Hill's Science Diet and Hill's Prescription Diet pet foods.
# # # #
* ©1995, 1996, 1998, Nintendo, CREATURES, GAME FREAK. ™ and ® are trademarks of Nintendo. ©1999 Nintendo.
(1) Brandweek, August 1999
(2) A.C. Nielsen, Kids FDM Dollar Sales 12 months through 12/99
(3) A.C. Nielsen, Kids FDM Dollar Share, 1999
(4) A.C. Nielsen Co., EQ Lift with feature and display, Grip 'Ems, U.S. Food & Combo, YTD 10/99
Fun Colors and Collectible Stickers Will Make Kids Say, "Gotta Catch 'Em All™"
New York, NEW YORK, April 18, 2000 - Pokémon™, the Japanese phenomenon which invaded the US in 1998, will be invading US retailer toothbrush aisles this Spring with the introduction of Colgate® Pokémon™ toothbrushes! This agreement was orchestrated by Nintendo's licensing agent, Leisure Concepts, Inc., the licensing division of 4Kids Entertainment Inc.Colgate® Grip'Ems™ Pokémon™ toothbrushes have a squishy grip that makes brushing fun for kids age five and up. Like all Colgate children's toothbrushes, they have end-rounded bristles to protect tooth enamel and have the Seal of Acceptance from the American Dental Association. The toothbrush also stands upright for easy storage, keeping bristles away from bathroom surfaces.
Colgate® Grip'Ems™ Pokémon™ toothbrushes consist of six fun Pokémon™ color brushes and eight different 3-D Magic Transforming Character Stickers. Motion makes the sticker's image magically transform and there is one magic sticker per pack.
"Kids will want to collect them all which means more sales of these premium toothbrushes for retailers," says Suzan Harrison, Vice President & General Manager, Colgate U.S. Oral Care.
Pokémon™ means "pocket monsters" and is the collective name for the 151 unique little characters that can be found, captured, trained, swapped, collected and used to compete against rivals. Pokémon™ is the #1 rated kids TV show, airing 12 times per week on the Kids WB Network, as well as being the #1 rated Nintendo Game. Pokémon™ toys are the #1 ranked TV promoted toys as well as the #1 and 2 non-TV promoted toys(1). The first US full length animated feature, "Mewtwo Strikes Back," opened in November 1999 and generated over $52 million in its first weekend, at the time, the largest animated film opening ever! Home video sales for the first movie will exceed 6 million units. A second animated feature is due out July 2000.
"Kids oral care is big at over $105 million and is growing rapidly,(2)" Harrison says. "Colgate has the best character line-up with the strongest portfolio of licenses including: Looney Tunes™, Barney™, Star Wars™, Barbie™ and now Pokémon™. Colgate Kids toothbrushes and toothpaste are now the #1 kids oral care products in the market(3)."
Colgate will drive sales for this new product with heavy trade support. Past sales show that when displayed, Colgate® Grip'Ems™ toothbrushes generate a volume lift of 215%(4). Special packs containing a free toothbrush topper with a Colgate® Grip'Ems™ toothbrush will also be available to retailers in a variety of floorstands. These toothbrush toppers, which protect the bristles, are in the shape of Pokémon™ characters and kids will want to collect them all.
Colgate Grip'Ems Pokémon™ toothbrushes began bleed-in shipments to stores nationwide April 1, 2000. They have a suggested retail price of $2.99, in-line with other premium priced kids toothbrushes.
Nintendo first launched Pokémon in Japan for the world's best-selling Game Boy hand-held video game system and watched the original 150 creatures evolve into a cultural phenomenon. The franchise arrived in North America in September 1998 with the release of the Pokémon Blue and Red Game Boy games and has grown into a 7 billion dollar industry worldwide. Nintendo and its licensing agency, Leisure Concepts, Inc. (a division of 4Kids Entertainment Inc., NASDAQ: KIDE) have licensed the franchise to approximately 500 licensees worldwide, outside of Asia.
Headquartered in New York City, 4Kids Entertainment, Inc., (NASDAQ:KIDE) is a vertically-integrated entertainment company whose wholly owned subsidiaries include: Leisure Concepts, Inc., leader in domestic and international merchandise licensing and product development; 4Kids Productions, a television, film, music and home video production company, and Summit Media, a domestic and international television distribution, media buying and planning company.
Colgate-Palmolive is a leading global consumer products company tightly focused on Oral Care, Personal Care, Household Surface Care, Fabric Care and Pet Nutrition. In the U.S., Colgate sells its quality products under such nationally recognized brand names as Colgate, Palmolive, Mennen, Ajax, Irish Spring, Softsoap, Murphy Oil Soap, Ultra Brite and Fab, as well as Hill's Science Diet and Hill's Prescription Diet pet foods.
# # # #
* ©1995, 1996, 1998, Nintendo, CREATURES, GAME FREAK. ™ and ® are trademarks of Nintendo. ©1999 Nintendo.
(1) Brandweek, August 1999
(2) A.C. Nielsen, Kids FDM Dollar Sales 12 months through 12/99
(3) A.C. Nielsen, Kids FDM Dollar Share, 1999
(4) A.C. Nielsen Co., EQ Lift with feature and display, Grip 'Ems, U.S. Food & Combo, YTD 10/99
