As a three-year national underwriter of ARTHUR, the LEGO Company will receive two 15-second television spots, at the beginning and end of each half hour-program, which airs more than 3,500 times per week on more than 300 PBS stations in the U.S. The sponsorship begins with the premiere of the show's fifth season scheduled to begin on September 25, 2000.

The sponsorship also includes exposure on the 60-minute holiday special, ``ARTHUR's Perfect Christmas,'' with two 15-second credits. Plus, it entitles the LEGO Company's credit to appear on all home videos packaged during the sponsorship, including two new ARTHUR videos scheduled for February 2001, as well as inclusion in the ARTHUR's Perfect Christmas CD and on the ARTHUR Web site.

Three-time Emmy Award-winner ARTHUR is rated number one among children ages two to 11 and two to five. Since its introduction in 1996, the bespectacled aardvark named Arthur has not only won the hearts of millions of children, but also the approval and appreciation of their parents and educators, who applaud the program for its emphasis on literacy and appropriate social behavior. More than 15 million viewers tune in each week to watch Arthur, his little sister D.W. and their friends solve everyday problems, all while reinforcing a love of reading.

``The LEGO Company is committed to providing children with fun learning experiences through imaginative play,'' said Michael Moynihan, director of preschool brand marketing for LEGO Systems, Inc. ``We're thrilled to support ARTHUR and PBS in their efforts to do the same; the sponsorship is a natural fit,'' he continued.

``LEGO toys are the most creative toy that can reach the hands of a child,'' stated Marc Brown, creator of the ARTHUR television series. ``They reinforce the power of a child's imagination, and I could not announce a more perfect partnership than ARTHUR and LEGO toys.''

LEGO Systems, Inc. (LSI) is the Americas (North America and Latin America) division of the LEGO Company, a privately-held firm based in Billund, Denmark. The LEGO Company employs more than 2,000 people in the Americas - approximately one half of whom work at LSI's 203-acre headquarters in Enfield, Connecticut. LSI manufactures more than 2.7 billion LEGO elements each year. The LEGO Company is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities, and its employees are guided by the motto adopted in the 1930s by founder Ole Kirk Christiansen: ``Only the best is good enough.'' For more information, visit www.lego.com.

WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcasting producer. More than one-third of PBS's prime-time lineup and companion Web content is produced by WGBH, and the Boston station is the source of many public radio favorites. WGBH also is a pioneer in educational multimedia and in access technologies for people with disabilities. For more information visit www.wgbh.org.

PBS, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, is a private, nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 349 public television stations. A trusted community resource, PBS uses the power of noncommercial television, the Internet and other media to enrich the lives of all Americans through quality programs and education services that inform, inspire and delight. Available to 99 percent of American homes with televisions and to an increasing number of digital multimedia households, PBS serves nearly 100 million people each week.

[Posted 8/04/2000]