Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends, featuring Emmy-nominated actress Kristin Davis as the voice of Miss Spider, to debut on Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m. (ET/PT)

New York, New York – August 26, 2004. For Immediate Release . . . Callaway Arts & Entertainment is pleased to announce the launch of Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends, a 3-D computer-animated show on Nick Jr., based on the best-selling Miss Spider book series by David Kirk. Emmy-nominated actress Kristin Davis is featured as the voice of Miss Spider, the loving and heroic mother of a bouncing brood of adorable bugs. The series, an international co-production between Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana and Absolute Digital in association with Callaway Arts & Entertainment, debuts on Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m. (all times ET/PT). The show will air regularly on weekdays at 10 a.m., on Nick Jr.

David Kirk, who created everyone’s favorite eight-legged charmer, says, “Miss Spider got her start as a gift for my daughter—a story to reward her kindness to all the tiny garden creatures she loved. Thanks to the storytelling and 3-D artistic talents at Nelvana, Miss Spider is spinning into the television world just as gentle and beautiful as I always imagined her. I’m delighted to see her join the Nick Jr. family.”

“Preschoolers have already fallen in love with Miss Spider through David Kirk’s beloved book series, and we are thrilled to bring her bugs’ eye view of family and acceptance to Nick Jr.,” said Brown Johnson, Executive Vice President of Nick Jr. “The real heart of the show is learning to get along with others–both at home and in the world.”

“Kristin Davis’ performance as Miss Spider is so warm and kind-hearted, she certainly gives this eight-legged arachnid mom a very human appeal,” Johnson said of the star, who was recently nominated for an Emmy award for her role as Charlotte York in the final season of the hit TV series, Sex and the City. Davis has also appeared on The Winning Season, Melrose Place, Friends, Seinfeld, E.R., The Larry Sanders Show and The Heidi Chronicles.

Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends follows the lives of Miss Spider, her husband Holley and their eight children (five spiders, a beetle, a dragonfly and a bedbug)—Squirt, Spinner, Wiggle, the twins Pansy and Snowdrop, Shimmer, Dragon, and Bounce. Grandma Betty, Uncle Gus, and Spiderus—familiar characters from David Kirk’s books and TV special of March 2003—add to the miniature menagerie, along with numerous other bugs that hop, crawl and fly around Sunny Patch. The bugs strive to get along and accept each other despite their differences in shape, size, color and personality.

Miss Spider and her family live in the whimsical woodsy wonderland of Sunny Patch, a lush realm of trees, grass, flowers, water and leaves. Their home, the Hollow Tree, is crowded, but full of homey touches like fresh flowers, brightly colored leaf rugs and rustic furniture.

The Sunny Patch kids occasionally find themselves in trouble, but their family and friends are always there to help and keep them safe. Watching the kids navigate the world, maneuver past obstacles and interact with their peers and family, viewers will come to know their own “inner bug.”

ABOUT CALLAWAY ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Callaway Arts & Entertainment specializes in family entertainment across all media. Its Callaway & Kirk division owns the underlying rights to the Miss Spider characters and stories and all of David Kirk’s other characters. Callaway & Kirk is dedicated to bringing David Kirk’s characters and stories to life in all media—books, television, film, and well-designed products for children. Nearly five million copies of Miss Spider’s books have been sold since the release of Miss Spider’s Tea Party in 1994. In summer 2005, Callaway & Kirk will launch a new book series in association with the Penguin Group and Grosset & Dunlap.

ABOUT NICK JR.

Nick Jr. is a specially designed programming block airing on Nickelodeon weekdays from 10 a.m.- 12 p.m. (ET/PT). Two signature Nick Jr. shows, Blue’s Clues and Dora the Explorer, also can be seen on Noggin and weekends on CBS. Completely dedicated to preschoolers ages 2-5, Nick Jr.’s Emmy, Peabody and Parents’ Choice Award-winning programs are curriculum based, fun and commercial free. At Nick Jr., kids play to learn with innovative, original shows created just for them.

ABOUT NICKELODEON

Nickelodeon, which is celebrating its landmark 25th anniversary this 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, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 88 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than eight consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

ABOUT NELVANA LIMITED

Nelvana Limited is one of the world’s leading international producers and distributors of children’s programming and products. Nelvana is owned by Corus Entertainment, a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in both specialty TV and Radio. The company’s other interests include music, television broadcasting and advertising services. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed in the Toronto (CJR.B) and New York (CJR) Exchanges. Corus’ website can be found at www.corusentertainment.com.

For more information or to request an interview or press materials, please contact:
Andy Shearer
Rubenstein Communications
(212) 843-8061
ashearer@rubenstein.com