Cartoon Network Kicks off Annual Holiday Toy Giveaway

Cartoon Network is back with its annual holiday toy give-away offering the chance to kids to win a truckload of Hasbro toys.

But there's a catch: Entrants have to act fast. Tommy and Tara, who host Cartoon Network's popular Friday kids' programming block, are scheming to keep the toys to themselves. Cartoon Network and Hasbro are putting the call out to viewer to help stop Tommy and Tara from hoarding the loot and to make sure the toys and games reach the true winner.

Cartoon Network devised four TV spots featuring the puppet Long Haul to freshen up the sweepstakes storyline, said Phyllis Ehrlich, senior VP-promotions marketing for Cartoon Network. In the spots, Long Haul does his best to get the toys to the rightful winner, but Tommy and Tara try their best to distract him.

"We try to come up with a [fresh] idea to raise the bar," Ehrlich said.

To help Long Haul, viewers can enter the sweeps online starting Nov. 14 at CartoonNetwork.com. One grand-prize winner gets 500 Hasbro toys and games valued at more than $7,000; 500 second-place winners get their choice of one of four featured Hasbro toys. Entrants also can play an interactive game that brings them inside a toy factory to search for toys.

"This is great way to extend the relationship with Hasbro and highlight some of their key toys this season," Ehrlich said.

The sweepstakes runs through Dec. 3. TV spots and online materials support. Cartoon Network is handling in-house.

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