Dec 7, 2007

Compass Kidz Collect Treasure on a ‘Round the World Adventure

Fremont, CA – If you offered a 12-year-old a chest full of golden treasure and an open-ended ticket to travel around the world do you think they’d take it? An adventure where they would collect treasures from Italy, souvenirs from Mexico and meet kids from India, Egypt and China? You’re darn right they’d take it! Kids are natural-born explorers and it’s their innate sense of adventure that attracts them to things like Pokemon, “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and the World Wide Web. Of course, collecting a prize or two along the way doesn’t hurt either!

The reality is that we’re not going to let our 8- to 12-year-old kids trek around the world on their own to satisfy their curiosity—not just yet. Nor are we going to give them unfettered access to the internet. And as they grow out of the land of Pokemon we want to give them something exciting to collect, trade and explore, but we also need to keep them safe as they do so. And thanks to a brand new product line from Compass KidZ we have that opportunity.

Rome might not have been built in a day, but with the monumental new Compass KidZ line, children will be able to travel to Ancient Rome and learn about its history with the flip of a Medallion. Compass KidZ inspires kids ages 8 to 12 to learn about the world and collect Passports and Medallions as they explore. Kids can explore the Compass KidZ website, communicate, earn and share SouvenirZ, trade with PenPalZ, express their opinions and share their experiences with kids just like them from around the world.

The company will showcase their new line at the 2008 American International Toy Fair in New York. This innovative product inspires reflection, empowerment, pride in one’s country and culture and models responsible sharing via the Internet.

In order for kids to begin their around-the-world adventure they must first purchase a CKidZ Medallion Set. Each set features a CKidZ Ambassador, an 11-year-old representative of the featured country that kids can relate with. This starter set is their unlimited, open-ended ticket to global adventures, cultural diversity and lifelong friendships. Medallion sets retail for $14.99 and contain:

2 CKidZ Medallions – Each one of these golden, limited edition, collectible Medallions highlights a world treasure chosen by a CKidZ Ambassador. Each medallion is based on an important landmark, world contribution or cultural custom from that country. Medallions are approx. 1.5″, and are the size and weight of a silver dollar– so that they look and feel like real treasure.

The first Medallion is from the Ambassador featured on the Passport from the set. But the second Medallion is a “Mystery Medallion” –a special Medallion from another Ambassador whose identity is revealed by looking on company’s website. This encourages kids to explore another country beyond the first one.

There are currently six Medallion sets from 3 different countries:

• Egypt’s Sphinx and Pyramids, and Pharaoh Ramses II
• Italy’s Roman Colosseum, and culinary tradition of eating Pasta
• Mexico’s Aztec Sun Calendar Stone, and Day of the Dead Celebration

There are nine Medallions in the collection (they will also be sold separately for $6.99). Three of the Medallions can only be found in sets as Mystery Medallions). They are:

• The Great Wall of China
• India’s Taj Mahal
• Egypt’s Nile River

CKidZ Passport – A 24-page photographic Passport (same size as a real passport!) that introduces the CKidZ Ambassadors. Inside are facts and information about their home countries, their language and culture, and the Ambassador’s story about what it’s really like to live in his or her country today. The wonderful stories and real photographs give an amazing sense of what it’s really like to live in that country, from a kid’s point of view.

2 FactZ Card – Every Medallion comes with a FactZ card, containing a unique Medallion code. When kids join online as CKidZ PenPalZ (free!), they submit their codes so they can display their limited edition Medallions online and begin trading and treasure hunting immediately.

As cool and fun as the CKidZ Medallions are, they are merely the ticket to adventure. But the child has now boarded the airplane and is ready to take off. And that’s another part of this global adventure: They’re not only the travelers but the pilots as well.

CKidZ PenPalZ Club – When kids visit the Compass KidZ website they explore and meet Ambassadors and PenPalZ from around the globe. With their parent’s permission, kids can join the Compass KidZ PenPalZ Club and start creating their own PenPalZ Club page.

Club Activities – In the club, PenPalZ can vote, send comments to PenPalZ and Ambassadors, participate in the ForumZ, create their own PenPalZ Club Page and Blog, and share their photos. They can also fill their TreaZure Chest with Medallions and SouvenirZ Points earned for each activity, which they can collect and send via PostcardZ to their friends.

Global ForumZ – Engage kids in a global sharing of opinions, and discover how universal kids’ experiences are around the world, despite differences in culture, religion or the primary language they speak. Kids get to express their opinions and explore questions and topics that they may never have considered. Questions like, “where in the world would you like to visit and why?” “If you were the leader of your county, what would you do to stop global warming?”

If Mark Twain were alive today, there’s no doubt that Huckleberry Finn would have been floating down his raft in a Global Forum, collecting Medallions and making friends in every corner of the globe. Adventure was in his nature, just like it’s in the nature of every other child alive today. And thanks to Compass KidZ those adventures will create a new generation of global citizens.

For more information about Compass KidZ visit their website at CompassKidZ.com. If you would like to include Compass KidZ in your retail plans, please contact Jennifer Apy for a free retailer’s kit and product samples, or for a private product line showing and meeting during NY Toy Fair. Ph: 510-393-8408 or jen@compasskidz.com

About Compass KidZ

The mission of Compass KidZ is to promote cultural awareness and understanding by building kid-to-kid connections around the globe. By instilling values of cross-cultural respect and understanding, The company’s hope is to help kids become responsible citizens of the world.

Compass KidZ began as an educational initiative to support classroom teachers in bringing contemporary cultures of the world into many areas of the curriculum. The Compass KidZ Project is designed to encourage kids to share and compare their lives with other kids, and in the process, cultivate appreciation for similarities, build respect for our differences, and inspire reflection.

The company is led by two visionary moms, Jennifer Apy and Nancy Daniels. Apy started her career as Brand Manager for the classic children’s geography product line, “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” She has held leadership positions with a variety of companies to create educational toys, books, games, software and online content. Learning tools and educational software were an early passion, fueled by studies in Cognitive and Computer Science at Brown University. Apy also holds an MBA from Stanford University.

Daniels is an award-winning designer and creative director, with more than 20 years of experience in many areas of design including branding, environments and print for clients around the world. Her passion for travel and creating meaningful and relevant learning experiences inspires the development of Compass KidZ. Daniels holds a Master’s degree in Learning, Design and Technology from Stanford University School of Education and an undergraduate degree in Art History & Design from Stanford University.