JunkFood's Be My Pet tee shirt is now available at Kitson in Los Angeles and www.shopkitson.com for $28.00

Curious George Debuts At Kitson


Universal Studios Consumer Products Group Launches First Luxury Curious George Apparel Featuring Raw 7 Cashmeres And Junkfood T-Shirts

Universal Studios Consumer Products Group announces Curious George’s first entry into high-end designer apparel with a collection at Los Angeles’s hippest boutique, Kitson. “Curious George is a mischievous character that our clients will relate to and it works for men and women,” said Fraser Ross, owner of Kitson. www.shopkitson.com

Key designs in the Kitson collection are created by RAW 7 and JunkFood Tees. RAW 7 products include a luxury collection of men’s and women’s cashmere hoodies, v-necks, polos and crews, recreating original art from classic favorites from the literary world of Curious George.

The Raw 7 products retail for $88-$400. JunkFood has created the monkey’s first boutique collection of collectable t-shirts, priced from $22-$28. The first items are available at Kitson with continued store and Internet sales extending through the holidays.

“We are very excited to be working with these reputable partners to bring Curious George product to such a premiere fashion boutique as Kitson,” said Cynthia Modders, senior vice president of licensing and retail development, Universal Studios Consumer Products Group. “The popularity and high-end reach of Kitson combined with quality apparel is in line with the heritage of Curious George and is a great fit for our program.” Following the exclusive launch though Kitson, Universal Studios Consumer Products Group will introduce the Curious George collections to other boutiques and major department stores. Universal Studios first acquired the rights to Curious George in 1997 and has since transformed the brand into a global franchise.

With more than 100 worldwide licensees, the Curious George entertainment franchise continues to grow across all categories. Beginning February 10, 2006, Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment will bring Curious George to the big screen in an animated feature film with the voices of Will Ferrell, Dick Van Dyke, Drew Barrymore, David Cross, Eugene Levy and Joan Plowright.

In addition, Universal Home Entertainment Productions (UHEP), in association with Imagine Entertainment and WGBH-TV, Boston is producing an animated Curious George preschool television series, with 30 half hour episodes scheduled to air on PBS KIDS beginning in Fall 2006.

About the Curious George books

Originally published in 1941, the book Curious George has never been out of print since. Authors H. A. Rey and his wife Margret, creative partners who fled Europe during the Nazi occupation and settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts, wrote the original seven Curious George tales.

In 1998 Houghton-Mifflin began publishing new Curious George adventures and continues to release new titles and formats. Curious George titles have sold more than 27 million copies worldwide and have been published in 17 languages, making the little monkey who left the jungle with The Man With the Yellow Hat one of the best-selling and most enduring characters in children’s literature. Curious George and related characters, created by Margret and H.A. Rey, are copyrighted and trademarked by Houghton Mifflin Company and used under license. Licensed Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. All rights reserved.

About the Curious George film

Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment bring Curious George, the original “monkey see, monkey do” chimp to the screen in an all-new animated adventure based upon the beloved tales that have been enchanting readers for more than 60 years. George, the inquisitive little guy with an insatiable taste for adventure, sets off in a brand new tale for the big screen, where his spunky and fun-loving nature endears him to new friends he meets along the way and (of course) lands him in a series of (mis-) adventures. Produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Jon Shapiro and David Kirschner, Curious George is directed by Matt O’Callaghan. Will Ferrell (Elf, Old School) lends his voice to The Man With the Yellow Hat. Dick Van Dyke, Drew Barrymore, David Cross, Eugene Levy and Joan Plowright are also among the distinguished cast of voices. This film has not yet been rated. Please consult www.filmratings.com or www.parentalguide.org for more information.

About the Curious George television series

Universal Studios Home Entertainment Family Productions (USHEFP), Imagine Entertainment and WGBH Boston, a leading public television producer, are producing an animated Curious George preschool television series based on the literary classic. Curious George will use George’s insatiable curiosity as a way of acquainting preschoolers with key concepts in math, science and design engineering technology. The series will encourage inquiry and curiosity, promote hands-on exploration, and show parents and caregivers how to support children’s science and math-related play. George’s memorable misadventures from dismantling clocks to rounding up errant bunnies will offer a perfect vehicle for motivating kids to expand their own investigations of the world. William H. Macy will narrate the series.

About RAW 7

Founded in 2003, RAW 7 was inspired by a love of urban art. The collection features vintage and pop art designs, “rock icons” and well-known university emblems, all remixed and reinterpreted to reflect RAW 7’s unique edginess. RAW 7 has quickly become one of the hottest labels in Hollywood. Celebrities from Madonna, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, Usher, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Cameron Diaz, Gwyneth Paltrow, Heidi Klum, Jessica Simpson, David and Victoria Beckham, Kate Hudson, Kate Moss, Oprah Winfrey, Uma Thurman and Claire Danes have all been seen wearing their clothing. The collection can currently be found in high-end boutiques nationwide such as Kitson in Los Angeles and, Big Drop and Atrium in New York, as well as worldwide at such stores as Bon Marche and Galleries Lafayette in France, Mercury in Russia, Harvey Nichols, Sistyr Moon and I.T. in Hong Kong and Skin Couture in Singapore.

About JunkFood

JunkFood began in 1998 with Designer/Co-Owner Natalie Grof and Designer/Co-Owner Blaine Halvorson having an idea to make a better t-shirt. What began as a “Feel Good” brand has now evolved into one of Hollywood’s most sought after possessions. JunkFood has won over the hearts of millions around the world with its soft vintage feel and the nostalgia of brands like Hanna Barbera, Sesame Street, and Looney Toons. JunkFood chooses brands that take customers back to the “better days” of A&W Root Beer and Tootsie Rolls. Customers not only get a trip down memory lane, but they get to wear their favorite memories everyday. For six years, JunkFood has enjoyed success in the juniors and women’s market, and are now answering the cries of the tween and men’s markets as well. Always evolving and always in style, JunkFood forces you to get your sweet tooth.

About Universal Studios Consumer Products Group

Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is responsible for global licensing and retail strategies as well as building brand recognition of the extensive catalogue of NBC Universal properties. Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is a unit of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.