The Jim Henson Company Joins Forces with Applebees For A Fun ...

THE JIM HENSON COMPANY JOINS FORCES WITH
APPLEBEES® FOR A FUN FAMILY-FRIENDLY PROMOTION FOR
DINOSAUR TRAIN
Hollywood (November 14, 2012): The Jim Henson Company has joined forces with Applebee’s, the
fun, family-friendly, national casual dining restaurant chain, to feature a 7-week promotional
experience for families featuring characters from the Emmy® Nominated PBS KIDS series
DINOSAUR TRAIN. The announcement was made today by Melissa Segal, Senior Vice president of
Global Consumer Products, The Jim Henson Company and Applebees.
In its first promotional partnership with Applebee’s, DINOSAUR TRAIN will be featured in 5-6 million
Applebee’s kids’ menu booklets at nearly 1,900 locations, across 49 states, from November 11
through December 30, 2012. The booklets will include DINOSAUR TRAIN themed activities and
artwork. The DINOSAUR TRAIN promotional program will also be promoted on the Applebee’s brand
website.
“Applebee’s the world’s largest family-friendly restaurant chain, so this Dinosaur Train promotion will
be a fun and engaging way for many of our young fans to interact with their favorite characters while
dining at Applebee’s restaurants with their parents and caregivers,” commented Segal.
DINOSAUR TRAIN’s fun, educational and colorful characters and themes are a perfect match for
Applebee’s and a fun addition to the kids menus in our restaurants,” said John Schaufelberger,
Applebee’s Vice President of Marketing. “With Applebee’s a part of almost every neighborhood, a lot
of our guests are families with children. Adding DINOSAUR TRAIN activities to our kids menus gives
families another reason to visit Applebee’s every day.”
Created by Craig Bartlett, DINOSAUR TRAIN embraces and celebrates the fascination that
preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains while encouraging basic scientific thinking and
skills. Each episode, airing daily on PBS KIDS®, includes animated segments with live-action
sequences featuring a paleontologist who brings to life the show's natural science and natural history
curriculum for preschoolers, giving specific facts about dinosaurs and comparing their features to
animals of today. DINOSAUR TRAIN is produced by The Jim Henson Company and co-produced with
Singapore animation company, Sparky Animation, with participation and assistance of the Singapore
Media Development Authority. U.K. production and financial support is provided by Ingenious Media.
PBSKIDS.org/dinosaurtrain welcomes more than 2.4 million visits each month, offering engaging
content designed to continue dinosaur exploration beyond the television series, including printables,
games, and a dinosaur field guide. Parents, caregivers and educators can find resources and
activities to extend the series learning at PBS Parents (PBSPARENTS.org) and PBS Teachers
(PBSTEACHERS.org).

About Applebee’s
Applebee’s (www.applebees.com) is the world’s largest casual dining chain, with approximately
2,000 locations in 49 states, 15 countries and one U.S. territory. Based in Kansas City, Mo.,
Applebee’s takes pride in providing a welcoming, neighborhood environment where everyone can
enjoy the dining experience. Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar® is a DineEquity, Inc. (NYSE: DIN)
brand, and is franchised and operated by Applebee’s Services, Inc. and its affiliates.
# # #
Media inquiries contact: Michelle Orsi / Carol Holdsworth
Three.Sixty Marketing & Communications
michelle@360-comm.com / carol@360-comm.com
310.418.6430 / 805.252.1848
www.360-comm.com
Ann Schwarz
The Jim Henson Company
ASchwarz@henson.com
323.802.1667
www.Henson.com

The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years
and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best
known as creators of the world famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine
Grammy Awards. Recent credits include the Emmy® nominated “Sid the Science Kid,” “Dinosaur Train,”
“Wilson & Ditch: Digging America” and “Pajanimals.” Features include “The Dark Crystal,” “Labyrinth,”
“MirrorMask,” and “Unstable Fables” and television productions include “Fraggle Rock” and the sci-fi
cult series “Farscape.”
With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los
Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities.
Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is
also home to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group
with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of
the music industry’s top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of-the-art and vintage
equipment. The Company’s Henson Alternative brand has recently launched the national tour of “Stuffed
and Unstrung,” a live puppet improvisational show named one of the top 10 “Best Stage Shows of 2010”
by Entertainment Weekly.
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