Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation® Produces First-ever Original Fundraising Videogame: The Tuttles Madcap Misadventures
—Expected to Launch 4Q, Starlight Starbright's Charity Challenge Breaks New Fundraising Ground to Benefit Seriously Ill Children and Family Members
Los Angeles, Calif., (August 28, 2007) - Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation® is pleased to announce the development of The Tuttles Madcap Misadventures: Starlight Starbright Charity Challenge, a casual videogame that pairs having a good time with doing good. A first-of-its-kind fundraising initiative, Starlight has partnered with Legacy Interactive®, a leader in games for the mass market, on the game's development and publishing. Dave Thomas and his comedy team at Emmy Award-winning studio, Animax Entertainment, developed the game's original script and characters.
In 4Q 2007, Starlight will invite people from around the world to play the game and help lift the spirits of seriously ill children and their families in this novel way.
"Starlight is taking a giant step forward, away from run-of-the-mill charity events into the rapidly growing realm of online entertainment and casual game play," said Patty Evans, Vice President, Development, Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation. "This inventive approach gives anyone with Internet access the chance to participate together in a fundraising "event" through online casual gaming. Traditional barriers to charity event participation such as geographic location, cost to participate and finding the time to partake become virtually obsolete."
The Tuttles: Madcap Misadventures is a hilarious arcade adventure game about a thoroughly modern family trying to bond on a road trip to see the Alamo. Beautifully detailed art and wonderfully silly situations bring this familiar story into the Interactive Age. In addition to 40 engaging levels of side-scrolling action, players are treated to animated, comic book style cut scenes brought to life by the fantastic voice-over talents of some of Hollywood's biggest names: Bob Saget (Barry Tuttle), Jamie Lee Curtis (BarbaraTuttle), Ashley Tisdale (Jess Tuttle), Dominic Scott Kay (Zach Tuttle), Dave Thomas (The Australian), Dave Coulier (The Native and several other characters), and William Shatner (Vance Shepherd, a TV action star whose self-involved persona has been downloaded i nto the on-board computer of the family's souped-up mini-van).
"The Tuttles Madcap Misadventures is a high-quality, engaging game that stands out among other casual games on the market," said Ariella Lehrer, President of Legacy Interactive. "The experience that we have created for the benefit of Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation is truly unique."
The game will be available to the public through multiple online gaming portals and potentially via retail distribution in the future. The standard price to play will be about $20, though prices will vary depending on customer agreements with various gaming portals. On average, Starlight will receive approximately $4.75/unit. Additional information about the game is available at www.tuttlesfamily.com.
About Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation
When a child or teenager has a serious medical condition, everyone in the family is affected. For more than two decades, Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation has dedicated itself to helping seriously ill children and their families cope with their pain, fear and isolation through entertainment, education and family activities. Starlight Starbright's programs have been proven to distract children from their pain, help them better understand and manage their illnesses, and connect families facing similar challenges so that no one feels alone. Serving more than 180,000 children each month, Starlight Starbright's array of outpatient, hospital-based and Web offerings provide ongoing support for children and families - before, during and after medical treatment. To learn more visit www.starlight.org.
Supporters can use PayPal's Text to Give program to donate $10 to Starlight Starbright today by texting STAR10 to 78787!
About Animax Entertainment
Founded in 2001, Animax Entertainment produces original animated content and interactive character-driven experiences for all screens. Animax's clients include Disney, Ty, AOL, HBO, WWE, Qantas, Cadbury Adams as well as educational institutions and nonprofits. As an Adobe Solution Partner, Animax has a particular expertise in using Flash to create character animation, games, websites, virtual worlds like tygirlz.com and immersive interactive content. In May of 2006, Animax made history as the winner of the inaugural Broadband Emmy Award for an animated series produced for ESPN. For more information visit, http://www.animaxent.com/ and the company blog at http://news.animaxent.com/.
About Legacy Interactive
Legacy Interactive is a dynamic leader and seasoned innovator in the world of casual gaming. Entertaining customers since 1998, the company has built a reputation for developing intelligent, realistic and entertaining games for a broad audience. Located in Los Angeles, Legacy is well-known for its TV branded games such as Law & Order and The Apprentice, as well as for its popular simulation games such as Pet Pals: Animal Doctor, Emergency Room, and Zoo Vet. In June, 2006, Legacy launched a downloadable game portal at www.legacygames.com, from which customers can "try before they buy" more than 500 different casual games. Featuring innovative community tools, Legacy's members can read and write reviews and share "Playlists" of their favorite games while perusing the popular site. Legacy has ongoing distribution, marketing and content strategic partnerships with a number of companies, including Mark Burnett Productions, Universal Consumer Products, Ubisoft, Mindscape, Scholastic, and Prentice Hall, as well as all the major downloadable game portals, such as Yahoo, RealArcade, Big Fish Games, and others. Legacy Interactive can be found on the Web at www.legacyinteractive.com.
For More Information:
Press Contact: Donna DeDario
(323) 556-3322
www.tuttlesfamily.com