Nickandmore!

[via press release]

NICKTOONS NETWORK CELEBRATES HALLOWEEN WITH ITS SECOND ANNUAL “SCARE-A-THON” HOSTED BY CHILDREN’S BOOK CHARACTERS EDGAR AND ELLEN SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29 – MONDAY, OCTOBER 31

48-Hour Halloween Marathon Will Include Premiere of New Martin Mystery Episode and Never-Before-Seen Edgar & Ellen Animated Short

New York, NY, September 28, 2005 – Nicktoons Network, the 24-hour animation network owned by Nickelodeon, celebrates Halloween with its second annual “Scare-A-Thon” — 48-hours of Nicktoons Network’s spookiest Halloween-themed programming. The two-day marathon will be hosted by Edgar and Ellen, the set of mischievous twins featured in the Edgar & Ellen® book series (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing).

The “Scare-A-Thon” will premiere Saturday, October 29 at 8:00 a.m. (ET) through Monday, October 31 at 8:00 a.m. (ET), and will feature a new Martin Mystery episode, “Curse of the Necklace” and a never-before-seen Edgar and Ellen animated short, “Trick or Twin.”

The “Scare-A-Thon” will feature Halloween-themed episodes from several Nicktoons favorites, including: Jimmy Neutron, Hey Arnold!, Invader Zim, Fairly Oddparents, My Dad the Rockstar, SpongeBob SquarePants, Rocko’s Modern Life, Ren & Stimpy, The Angry Beavers, Corneil & Bernie, CatDog, Rugrats, Rocket Power and AAAHH!!! Real Monsters.

On October 29 at 9:00 a.m. (ET), Nicktoons Network will premiere the new Martin Mystery episode, “Curse of the Necklace.” When a young woman discovers an ancient Celtic necklace in a costume shop in Ireland, strange things begin to happen and M.O.M. sends Martin, Diana and Java to investigate. What they uncover is the legend of Carlin, the Celtic spirit of Samhain. They learn that, via the ancient necklace, Carlin has inhabited the young woman in order to achieve her goal: to open the door between Earth and the “Otherworld.” By giving out evil trick or treat candy, she will cause people to literally become their costumes – they’ll be stuck that way forever and she will be their ruler! When Martin falls prey to the evil candy, Diana, Java and Billy must stop Carlin and save Martin before the sun rises.

Nicktoons Network will air a total of 12 new Edgar and Ellen animated shorts which will begin rolling out on the network Saturday, October 1. A new Edgar & Ellen short entitle, “Trick or Twin” will also premiere during the “Scare-A-Thon.” “Trick or Twin” follows Edgar and Ellen, dressed as robots and aliens for Halloween, as they try to spook their neighbors to no avail. Fright Night’s a bust! But when Pet scurries into a neighborhood house, the twins, sans costumes, retrieve their hairy eyeball while proving that their normal appearance might be the most frightening costume of all.

In conjunction with Nicktoons Network’s “Scare-A-Thon,” viewers can visit “Share the Scare™,” Edgar & Ellen’s Halloween-themed web site, available via www.nicktoonsnetwork.com and www.edgarandellen.com. The festive site will feature downloads, e-cards, Horror-scopes and Mansion Mayhem—a contest where users can build their own scary mansion, load it with pranks and invite their friends to visit. The mansion with the most visitors will win a Nicktoons portable DVD player, and the runner-up will receive an Edgar & Ellen Scary Pack including a 2-book set, board game and puzzle.

In the popular Edgar & Ellen book series, the creative and mischievous twins get into all sorts of trouble, but they always get their comeuppance. Through the series, readers are encouraged to think for themselves, use their imagination, and learn from their mistakes. The Edgar & Ellen series is written for children aged 8 to 12 years old. The series is available in 68 countries and 9 languages. The edgarandellen.com website receives visitors from 140 countries.

Nicktoons Network, the 24-hour animation network, owned by Nickelodeon, features 24-hours of animation a day, with a wide variety of programming that have defined kids’ and animation lovers’ television for more than 10 years. Targeting kids 6-14, Nicktoons Network features programming that is 75% exclusive to the channel, including Martin Mystery, My Dad the Rock Star, Corneil & Bernie, Kaput & Zosky and Yakkity Yak, as well as classic Nicktoons hits like Ren & Stimpy, Invader Zim, Ahhh! Real Monsters, SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents. In addition, Nicktoons Network is home to award-winning shorts that helped redefine kids’ television.

Nicktoons Network currently reaches 36 million homes via cable, digital cable and satellite, and can be seen on Cablevision, Charter Communications, Comcast Cable, Cox Communications, DirecTV, DISH Network and Time Warner Cable. Nicktoons, and all related titles and logos are property of Viacom, Inc.