Countdown to the Great Pumpkin

As "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is no doubt near and dear to everyone participating in the Countdown to Halloween, I thought you'd be interested in seeing the countdown that the Peanuts are having this year. Here is the press release for "Countdown to the Great Pumpkin" social media game.

PEANUTS FANS: CELEBRATE 60 YEARS OF HALLOWEEN MEMORIES—

LINUS IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH! CHARLIE BROWN’S ‘I GOT A ROCK’! —

IN “COUNTDOWN TO THE GREAT PUMPKIN” SOCIAL MEDIA GAME

By Sharing Favorite PEANUTS Videos, Quotes, Pictures and More,
Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and Foursquare Users Can Commemorate

The 60^th Anniversary of the World’s Most Beloved Comic Strip

And Earn Points Toward a Special PEANUTS iPad—and a Chance at $25,000!

Maybe it’s Linus waiting in the pumpkin patch for the appearance of the Great Pumpkin. Or Charlie Brown looking in his trick-or-treat bag and saying, “I got a rock.” Or Snoopy in his Halloween costume as the World War I Flying Ace. Everyone has a favorite PEANUTS Halloween memory.

No wonder, since Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, Lucy and the gang have been celebrating the holiday for 60 years—ever since Charles Schulz published his first PEANUTS comic strip on October 2, 1950. That’s six decades in which to gather a treasure trove of great memories—which grow even richer when you share them with your friends.

That’s exactly the fun of the brand-new “Countdown to the Great Pumpkin” social media game running through October 31. PEANUTS fans can share their favorite PEANUTS quotes, videos, pictures, news and more via their social media accounts—and in the process, earn points toward a custom PEANUTS pre-loaded iPad! The winner will then have a chance to win an additional $25,000. Weekly winners will receive prizes throughout the contest includingThe PEANUTS Collection from Little, Brown and Co.; Snoopy Flying Ace Xbox game from Smart Bomb Interactive; It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown from Running Press; and the Deluxe Holiday Collection 3-pack DVD set from Warner Home Video.

Members of the Schulz family—including Charles Schulz’s son Craig, daughter Jill, and widow, Jeannie—will be playing along, offering their own PEANUTS memories and suggesting some of the daily to-dos.

“One of the things that has always given me the most pleasure about PEANUTS is the way it creates a joyful bond between people,” says Craig Schulz. “Using social media is an excellent way to share your love of those classic PEANUTS moments that have been a part of your life for so long—and what could be better than the fact that now you can get rewarded for it, too!”

From now through October 31, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare and MySpace users can visit www.greatpumpkincountdown.com and register their accounts to participate in the “Countdown to the Great Pumpkin” game. Players will earn points by completing the “Daily To-Do”—a different PEANUTS-themed task each day.

Among the “To-Dos” are special activities linked to new PEANUTS-themed exhibits at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., and at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California. On October 1, a special photograph of Charles Schulz by famed photographer Yousuf Karsh will be unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery. Game participants will be asked to update their status to announce the induction, and to “Like” the Charles M. Schulz Museum’s Facebook page.

“It’s a tribute to Sparky’s great genius that his portrait will hang in the National Portrait Galleryand that he has an entire museum devoted to his work,” says Jeanne Schulz, widow of Charles “Sparky” Schulz. “We wanted to be sure and include these museum events as part of the Countdown to the Great Pumpkin, so that everyone knows they can enjoy the art of PEANUTS any time of year.”

Other “To-Dos” include:

• updating your status with special PEANUTS Halloween quotes
• changing your profile picture to a PEANUTS character
• sharing a favorite PEANUTS video or comic strip
• posting pictures of PEANUTS characters in their original 1950s look

The player with the most points at the end of the game will win a specially customized Apple iPad that comes pre-loaded with a variety of classic PEANUTS comic strips, books, and videos—including, of course, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!). Each week, the player who earns the most points will receive a special PEANUTS gift package worth at least $75—so it pays to keep playing the Countdown all week long.

The grand prize winner will then have a chance at an additional $25,000 prize if he or she picks the correct two out of fifteen sealed envelopes.

“Needless to say, Halloween was always a great time at our house when Craig and I were growing up—though of course we had a variety of ‘characters’ living with us all year long!" says Jill Schulz, daughter of Charles Schulz. “This year the holiday will have special meaning for me, for my own children—and for PEANUTS fans of all ages. I can see people bonding over shared memories as they start PEANUTS-related conversations with their old and new friends during Countdown to the Great Pumpkin.”

PEANUTS Worldwide

The PEANUTS characters and related intellectual property are owned by Peanuts Worldwide LLC, a joint venture owned 80% by Iconix Brand Group, Inc. and 20% by members of the Charles M. Schulz family. Iconix Brand Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: ICON) owns, licenses and markets a growing portfolio of consumer brands including CANDIE'S (R), BONGO (R), BADGLEY MISCHKA (R), JOE BOXER (R), RAMPAGE (R), MUDD (R), LONDON FOG (R), MOSSIMO (R), OCEAN PACIFIC(R), DANSKIN (R), ROCA WEAR(R), CANNON (R), ROYAL VELVET (R), FIELDCREST (R), CHARISMA (R), STARTER (R) and WAVERLY (R). In addition, Iconix owns an interest in the ARTFUL DODGER (R), ED HARDY (R), ECKO (R), MARC ECKO (R), ZOO YORK (R), MATERIAL GIRL(TM), and PEANUTS brands. The Company licenses its brands to a network of leading retailers and manufacturers that touch every major segment of retail distribution from the luxury market to the mass market in both the U.S. and worldwide. Through its in-house business development, merchandising, advertising and public relations departments Iconix manages its brands to drive greater consumer awareness and equity.