THE WEBKINZ WORLD SITE TO SHUT DOWN FOR THREE HOURS TO SUPPORT NICKELODEON’S EIGHTH ANNUAL WORLDWIDE DAY OF PLAY SATURDAY, SEPT. 24, 12:00 to 3:00 EST

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011 - TORONTO, CANADA. Joining Nickelodeon’s eighth annual Worldwide Day of Play initiative on Sept. 24, for the first time ever the Webkinz World™ site will ‘shut down’ from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. (EST), encouraging kids to go outside and play. While the site is inactive, the Webkinz hosts and characters will be shown having fun outdoors on the home page. When members log in after 3:00 p.m., they’ll receive a special virtual healthy snack for their pets, as a ‘thank-you’ for participating in this unique active-lifestyle event.

For the eighth consecutive year, all of Nickelodeon’s networks and websites will go dark from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. (ET/PT) on Worldwide Day of Play (Sept. 24) as a signal to kids and families to get up and get active. Additionally, Nickelodeon and its partners will host the biggest celebration of play on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C, offering an entire day of physical activities and games for kids and their families to encourage active and healthy lifestyles.

Webkinz World’s participation in Worldwide Day of Play is an extension of its ongoing support of health and wellness initiatives. Webkinz is a corporate advocate of PALA (Presidential Active Lifestyle Awards), promoting healthy, active living for kids and adults. PALA is a program of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. Kids are challenged to be active 60 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week, for 6 out of 8 weeks.

Worldwide Day of Play is part of Nickelodeon’s The Big Help health and wellness efforts, which include grants programs, public service announcements, websites, games and more. The Big Help is a kid-led movement for positive change that focuses on four key issues: the environment, education, health and wellness and community service.

About Webkinz:
The original kids’ online world, Webkinz World introduced the concept of web-enabled toys. Webkinz pets combine the timeless fun of plush with the interactivity of the Internet. Members adopt pets, go on quests, enter tournaments, play games and quizzes, and create rooms and ‘chat’. The company’s success allowed the Ganz family to create Webkinz Foundation in late 2007, to develop programs and donate funds to programs that benefit children.

Nickelodeon, now in its 32nd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).