Children Can Star In Personalized Videos

Children often dream of joining their favorite characters in the make-believe worlds they watch on television and in films and videos. Now they can.

Thanks to Kideo Productions Inc., which has just unveiled “Gregory and Me,” there is a unique home cassette that allows children to star in their own story.

With the help of a photograph, a digital personalization process transports any child into the video as a fully animated member of the “Gregory and Me” cast.

Then the children can watch themselves taking part in the activities of Gregory’s bustling world. The featured child appears in both animated and live-action sequences with the puppets, which are Muppet-like characters.

In addition, the audio-personalization process allows characters to address the child by name throughout the video soundtrack.

This new kind of video reflects the talents of award-winning animator Michael Sporn, producer and director Bob Marty and 3/Design Studios Inc., who create the puppets.

The initial episodes, “See What I Can Do” and “My Amazing Animal Adventure,” list for $34.90, which includes handling.

For information, phone (800) 450-7556. Kideo will mail callers an ordering packet with instructions requiring a photograph of the child and the child’s name. The home videos are geared to children from 2 to 6 years old and have a running time of about 30 minutes.

“Gregory and Me” puppeteers have performed on shows such as “Sesame Street” and “Eureeka’s Castle.”

In this series, they enable the children to see themselves doing positive things, prompting them to participate in the story line.

Affirmative themes are strongly reinforced. Gregory and his “co-star” also engage in fun-filled activities, singing songs, solving problems and learning lessons about self-esteem, sharing and friendship.

In “What I Can Do,” the child sees him/herself singing, dancing and learning about being a good friend while taking part in Gregory’s backyard talent show.

In “My Amazing Animal Adventure,” Gregory escorts his “friend” on a safari around the world to meet real-life and animated animals in their natural habitats.