New York, NY, May 2, 2003 — Pre-school mates everywhere will soon say "g'day" to The Koala Brothers! New York-based marketing agency, Big Tent Entertainment, will bring the highly-anticipated offering from the Executive Producer of Bob the Builder to young children throughout North America with a dynamic new licensing program. Driven by a comprehensive consumer marketing campaign, The Koala Brothers licensing program promises to be as vast and impressive as the Australian Outback itself. Big Tent Entertainment is currently signing licensees for The Koala Brothers in categories including, toys, publishing and interactive.

The Koala Brothers licensing launch coincides with the series' television premiere on Disney Channel, slated for next season during its learning-based programming block for preschoolers, Playhouse Disney. The Koala Brothers is the debut property of London's Spellbound Entertainment Limited, the production studio of Peter Curtis (Bob the Builder, Rubbadubbers) and partner, Nick Barrington.

The visually-stunning new series centers on koala brothers, Frank and Buster, each with a strong desire to help those in need. The two siblings live together in the Australian Outback amongst a multicolored menagerie of two-legged friends including Mitzi the possum, who is often in such a hurry that she walks right out of her flip-flops, and Ned the little wombat, who has a habit of hitching up his trousers, which always seem to be falling down. The irresistible characters and striking settings of The Koala Brothers easily lend themselves to licensed products that reinforce the series' pro-social values and core message, "We're here to help." With simple storylines that underscore the property's hallmarks of sharing, caring and understanding, The Koala Brothers TV series and accompanying licensing program will help pre-schoolers learn that even the smallest among us can accomplish big things when they help one another along the way.

"The Koala Brothers and the lessons it holds for young children regarding tolerance, support and genuine compassion for others are particularly timely in today's world," said Richard K. Collins, CEO of Big Tent Entertainment. "We're convinced that The Koala Brothers has all the right ingredients — great stories, engaging characters, and multiple environments — for long-term success as both a media property and pre-school brand."

"The Koala Brothers has a unique universal message that it's good to help others," said Mr. Curtis, Creative Director of Spellbound Entertainment and Executive Producer of the series. "It's our hope that children everywhere will take up this message and apply it to their daily lives."

"We are delighted to be working with Big Tent on The Koala Brothers in North America," said Mr. Barrington, Joint Managing Director and Commercial Director of Spellbound Entertainment. "Their team has a first-class pedigree in marketing children's properties and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with them."

In addition to the newly inked deal with Disney Channel for The Koala Brothers in the U.S., the series currently boasts commitments from many international broadcasters, including the BBC in the UK, TV Ontario in Canada and Super RTL in Germany, as well as licensees, including Hasbro as European master toy licensee.

About Spellbound Entertainment Limited
Spellbound Entertainment Limited was formed in 2002 by Peter Curtis, previous Head of Creative Development at HIT Entertainment PLC, Europe's leading producer and distributor of pre-school properties, and Nick Barrington, a former executive at Endemol Entertainment UK PLC. An innovative, independent production studio, Spellbound Entertainment's mission is to creatively and commercially manage a select portfolio of high-quality properties to engage and entertain children of all ages. Mr. Curtis, whose credits include serving as the Executive Producer of Bob the Builder and creator of Rubbadubbers, is Executive Producer of Spellbound Entertainment's pre-school property, The Koala Brothers. The new offering comes with an impressive pedigree, as Bob the Builder remains of Nick Jr.'s most successful shows and among the world's biggest pre-school franchises today.