October 25, 2004 Preschool has just gone hi-tech! Following in the footsteps of the enormously successful VIDEONOW player for tweens which sold over 12 million copies , Hasbro's PLAYSKOOL division has launched the VIDEONOW JR as a portable, full-color personal video player designed specifically for preschoolers aged 3 to 6 and featuring early learning programming from some of the biggest names in kids' television.
Easy to use with colorful, chunky buttons that are perfect for little hands, the VIDEONOW JR. player is designed for the active child. The player features a colorful housing that is built tough enough to withstand the bumps of daily preschool use. It measures approximately five by six inches with a backlit, full-color LCD screen featuring a special combination of frame rate and color level efficiency.
To use the VIDEONOW JR. player, children simply pop in a VIDEONOW Jr. personal video disc and press play. To conserve battery power when the player reaches the last track on the disc, the unit will automatically go into sleep mode. Similarly, if the player is paused it will go into sleep mode after five minutes. To wake up the player, simply press play. VIDEONOW JR. also features fast-forward and fast-rewind video scanning.
"VIDEONOW JR. is a perfect match for today's busy families with young children," said toy and children's lifestyle industry expert Chris Byrne. "It combines innovative product, mom-approved programming and total portability."
The VIDEONOW JR. library of content provides kids with the characters and TV shows they love and parents with the educational programming they trust -anytime, anywhere. It includes Dora the Explorer, Blue's Clues, Max & Ruby, Little Bill and Oswald from Nick Jr.; The Wiggles, Barney and Bob the Builder from HIT Entertainment; and Sesame Street from the Sesame Workshop. The VIDEONOW JR. proprietary color video discs will be available for approximately US $9.99 each and US $19.99 for three-packs.
The VIDEONOW JR. personal video player will be available in two fun styles: yellow and purple, and purple and green for an approximate retail price of US $85. Additional software titles and a VIDEONOW JR. carrying case with easy grip handle and a compartment that holds five personal video discs, will be also be available.
