• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Pets and Planet Benefit as Kids Embrace New and Traditional Media at CES in Las Vegas (Consumer Electronics Show)

Posted on: Thursday, 8 January 2009, 07:00 CST

Faithful Friends' Kid Reporters at CES will review new consumer electronics, interview corporate executives and report on 'green' issues for the Faithful Friends TV show presented by Drs. Foster and Smith Pet Supplies on Animal Planet, and for KidsCom.com virtual world.

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether kids are socially networking by posting videos online, blogging about global climate change or teaming with their avatars in the virtual world to help animals, today's digital kids are active consumer electronics users. That's why Animal Planet's hit TV show Faithful Friends presented by Doctors Foster and Smith pet supplies joined up with KidsCom.com, the tween virtual world where kids game green and parents save green, to report about CES starting January 8th.

From the floor of CES, at both the Las Vegas Convention Center and Sands Expo Hall, the kids will be filing reports on the newest electronic devices.

An upcoming Faithful Friends' Kid Reporter Contest will provide the opportunity for a winning kid reporter to be featured along with 10 year old co-host Electra Mustaine (daughter of "Rocker" Dave Mustaine of Megadeth) on the Faithful Friends TV show. Faithful Friends is seen nationally on Saturday's on Animal Planet and syndicated over 100 NBC, CBS, FOX and ABC affiliates nationwide.

"Kids don't usually get to interview corporate executives or the President of the United States about subjects that are important to them. We are hoping for the opportunity to interview the 'First Kids' Malia and Shasha Obama about their vet's advice for getting a new puppy, making the White House puppy friendly and new eco-friendly ideas to help our planet," stated Electra Mustaine, co-host of Animal Planet's Show Faithful Friends.

"We are like sponges, and becoming leaders to help our planet and our pets' health is important to learn about and to share. My hope is that we can find other kids to become reporters for our show Faithful Friends."

KidsCom.com will promote the Faithful Friends Kid Reporter Contest, in its Idea Seeker Universe on KidsCom.com, encouraging videos to be submitted to the Drs. Foster and Smith's Faithful Friends web site pages.

Already, thousands of children are actively participating in digital learning in innovative ways that use technology on KidsCom.com each day, discovering and exploring the topics of going green and helping animals.

As part of their experiences they have used digital cameras in their pursuit of knowledge about energy efficiency; GPS devices in finding out about endangered animals in a real world information scavenger hunt at the National Zoo; and virtual cameras to learn about biodiversity at the virtual Field Museum tied to exhibits in the real Field Museum in Chicago.

"We knew that the convergence between traditional TV broadcast media and new media virtual worlds is actively being used by kids today. This is an important trend to jump on in getting out key messages to families about proper animal and planet care," said Gordon Magee, Doctor Foster and Smith's spokesperson.

"We were impressed at how the virtual world of KidsCom.com took digital learning to a new level in their social networking and gaming experiences, making it fun for kids and good for parents. Blending this creativity with a voice on our television show is a great way to spread the word."

The Faithful Friends television show provides to pet owners, veterinarian advice and tips on subjects including health, nutrition, behavior, travel, new and aged pets, horses, fish & coral and birds. Kids are pet owners too!

Beginning January 17th on Animal Planet, Electra together with a host of 3D animated characters, and Faithful Friends' host Wanda Goldberg, will introduce the going green segment, "Close Your Eyes and Imagine." "Close Your Eyes and Imagine" includes segments that encourage and teach us how to compost horse manure for gardening, how to use dog hair to attract birds who are nesting, how to propagate coral in the 3rd longest reef in the world in the Florida Keys and more.

Electra is only one voice, but by blending new media with traditional media her voice will encourage kids from around the world to be more educated faithful friend's to their pets and their planet. At the CES conference, Electra will be looking to learn how companies and executives at companies such as Mattel, Electronic Arts, ATT, DirectTV and Sesame Street are doing their part.

"We are very excited with the launch of the Pets and the Planet Adventure with Drs. Foster and Smith," said Jori Clarke, CEO of KidsCom.com. "Kids will not only learn from the Faithful Friends TV show and meet Electra on her virtual world TV set in our Idea Seeker Universe, but having the opportunity to be on the real TV show should take it to a whole new learning excitement dimension."

Today's digital kids are today's and tomorrow's consumer electronics users. Kids are interested in the latest technologies, services and ideas that inspire them to play, learn and grow into their role as the next generation of digital users.

In hopes of becoming the Faithful Friends Kids Reporter, kids will submit digital videos to Drs. Foster and Smith.

This week, Electra will be taking some Idea Seeker Kid Reporters around CES to review and to post their recommendations on KidsCom.com about the best digital devices they can use to help the planet and their pets.

Doctors Foster & Smith and KidsCom.com will be participating in the Kids@Play Summit conference and exhibition held at CES in Las Vegas that explores how kids, from toddler to teen, play, learn, communicate and entertain themselves in the digital world.

About Doctors Foster and Smith:

Doctors Foster and Smith, a privately owned company, is the #1 catalog and online seller of pet supplies and pharmaceuticals in the industry. Doctors Foster and Smith is known for empowering pet owners by providing extensive veterinarian-supported advice, proprietary information and quality pet products, serving millions of pet owners from coast to coast via their extensive website and publications, and the television series "Faithful Friends presented by Drs. Foster and Smith Pet Supplies" on Animal Planet as produced by Heads & Tails, Inc. Dr. Race Foster and Dr. Marty Smith have become the nation's foremost authorities on pet wellness, pet care and pet-owner education, earning an unmatched reputation for the scope of their veterinary expertise on dogs, cats, fish, birds, reptiles, pond life, small animals and equine. For more information, visit http://www.DrsFosterSmith.com and http://www.PetEducation.com.

About KidsCom.com:

Offering kids and tweens the opportunity to "game green" and their parents to "save green", for 15 years KidsCom.com has been the place for families from over 200 countries around the world to know their children will Play Smart, Stay Safe, Have Fun(TM). Believing that being in the real world is as important as being in the virtual world, we encourage kids to take what they learn by gaming in our Idea Seeker Universe to become an ambassador of change in the real world. On KidsCom.com, kids learn about important issues such as global climate change, character education and healthcare as they customize their own avatar characters; safely practice social networking skills and team up with old friends and meet new ones from around the world to play and learn. KidsCom.com is published by Circle 1 Network, LLC. You can game and learn more at www.kidscom.com

Images are available at: www.DrsFosterSmith.com/press

SOURCE Doctors Foster and Smith

Source: PR Newswire

More News in this Category