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In a British invasion not matched since The Beatles crossed the pond in 1964, the hugely successful UK live-action short-form series, Thumb Wrestling Federation: TWF, has arrived in the US and landed on kids’ broadcast giant, Cartoon Network! After a phenomenal first-year success in Britain, the 56 masked wrestlers belonging to the world’s most exciting sports league have thumbed a ride west to entertain American thumb wrestling fans. TWF sports a lineup of 56 of the toughest thumb wrestlers around, and they fight for two teams – the ‘Mighty Dexteras’ and the ‘Sinistras’ – in a classic good versus evil showdown. After a year in the UK spent launching TWF-Europe, the teams have come home to the US . TWF is already incredibly popular in the UK - all the bouts are filmed by Animation Collective, the leading independent creator of children’s entertainment in the US, and the show is one of the most watched kids’ shows on British TV, often topping the charts at #1. Cartoon Network has picked up the exclusive rights to broadcast TWF in the US and is due to launch season one on November 3. Seasons two through four will run in succession during the 2008-2009 broadcast year. The collection of high-octane bouts, wrestler bios and special features will air Monday-Friday in the coveted after-school position leading directly into Cartoon Network’s late afternoon block. In addition, TWF will air a full, half-hour weekly wrap-up show on Saturdays. Announcers Dick Thompson and wrestling legend Colonel Cossack will also be seen multiple times per day as they introduce viewers to a number of Cartoon Network’s hit series via a series of promotional ‘bumpers’. In addition, bouts, games, and other special features will be available on Cartoon Network’s hugely successful website, the #1 kids broadcast website in America, www.cartoonnetwork.com. TWF has proven to be sensationally popular with kids overseas,who regularly compete on playgrounds across the UK taking on the persona of their favorite wrestler. Top UK licensees have snapped up the brand: TWF already appears on toys, apparel, accessories, greetings cards, sticker books, calendars and plush. Publishing giant Random House has also entered the fray with a TWF ‘thumb book’ that is currently generating massive pre-sales - it has the low-down on all the TWF wrestlers and enables budding thumb wrestlers to make their own championship belts and wrestling rings. TWF is represented in the US, and globally, by Al Ovadia & Associates. Company President Al Ovadia stated, “I am delighted to be climbing into the ring with TWF, Kids are going to love the no holds barred thumb wrestling action. TWF brings a fun and action-packed personality to one of the most well established play patterns around. It is sure to be as big a hit in the US as it is in the UK”. “In laying out their year-long strategy, Cartoon Network has demonstrated a massive commitment to the future of the series in the US”, adds Ovadia. |
