Nicktoons Network is celebrating the premiere of the Kappa Mikey Karaoke Movie by giving 10 lucky kids their own Kappa Mikey electric guitar! Sweepstakes ends February 17,2008. Open to kids ages 6-14.

Visit the Nicktoons site to enter: http://nicktoonsnetwork.nick.com/

The Kappa Mikey Karaoke Movie airs on Nicktoons Saturday, Feb 16th at 9 pm and Sunday Feb 17th at 10 pm!

For for information, visit: http://newyorkanimefestival.com/

Friday, 12/7, 6-7 pm, Anime Panel Room @ Javitz Center

Voice-Actors Michael Sinterniklaas and Sean Schemmel join the creators of Kappa Mikey from Animation Collective for an inside-look into the making of the hit show. Attendees will have a chance to win prizes, screen never-before-seen footage, and catch a sneak peek of an all new anime series by the creators of Kappa Mikey!

Panelists:
Larry Schwarz, Creator and Executive Producer of Kappa Mikey [MC]
Chris Fauci, EP and Story Editor of Kappa Mikey
Michael Sinterniklaas, Voice of Kappa Mikey
Sean Schemmel, Voice of Gonard
Sergei Aniskov, Director of Kappa Mikey
John Holt, Assistant Director of Kappa Mikey
Henry Hilaire, Assistant Director of Kappa Mikey
Maasa Kuwana, Lead Animator on Kappa Mikey

Day three at NY Comic Con brought back Steve Moverley (voice of Ozu and Kappa Mikey animator) and Jesse Adams (voice of Yes Man). The two spent a few hours chatting with fans and signing autographs. Fans got a kick out of hearing Steve and Jesse speak from time to time in their characters’ voices.

“Yes Man is a yes machine,” said Adams.

“My favorite character is Ozu. He’s a jerk, but doesn’t realize it. Mikey kind of knows he’s a jerk,” said Reid, 29, of New York.

Miguel, 7, said he has been watching Kappa Mikey since it first aired on Nicktoons Network. “Yes Man is the funniest character. It’s so funny how something always goes wrong in the show. What Gonard says is just weird. I don’t think he knows what he’s saying. Lily is my least favorite character because she yells at Mikey too much.”

Guano made two more appearances to pose for pictures with fans.

“My favorite character is Guano. He’s so funny. I love everything about the show,” said Audrey, 10.

David, 13, from New Jersey watches Kappa Mikey with his friends. “The show is really funny. I love that the show is in Japan. It’s awesome.”

Ray Alma, Kappa Mikey storyboard artist, was a former Mad Magazine artist. He found himself searching for a new career in art after September 11th.

The answer was animation and he’s loved it ever since. “I worked on “The Phantom Soundstage” and another episode in the first season that hasn’t aired yet. Working on Kappa Mikey is like working on a comic book. It’s a lot of fun developing the story.”

Joe, 14, of New York says, “A Christmas Mikey is my favorite episode. The ghosts of Christmas past are so bad at their job, it’s really funny.”

The three days of fun at Comic Con 2007 had come to a close all too soon. But fans would take with them keepsakes, photos, and memories that would satisfy their craving for more Kappa Mikey until the next event…

Day two of NY Comic Con at Animation Collective’s booth started off with fans of all ages — dressed as Jedis, comic book and anime heroes, and other fictional characters — lining up to take pictures with Guano. The big, furry, purple guy really knows how to draw a crowd. Everyone wanted to shake his hand and touch his fur. The Animation Collective crew also snapped Polaroids of fans with Guano that they could take home.

The amazing Kappa Mikey animators were back in action on Saturday. Fans had an opportunity to watch the talented artists sketch their favorite characters.

“There are six animators for [Mikey Simon] in total,” said Bob Rutan, a Mikey animator. “The character of Mikey is what drives the animation. The personality developed for Mikey along with the voice acting is really what inspires how I animate the character and how he acts in different situations. It’s the energy and sense of humor of the show that are my favorite parts of animating Mikey.”

For animator Andrew Kaiko, Kappa Mikey is his first animation job and an introduction to how an animated show is made for TV. “I knew it would be a challenge because it’s a show that mixes anime and animation. I enjoy adopting a style that is challenging. My favorite character to animate is Mitsuki because she is the sweetest. She doesn’t move a lot; she’s gentler than the other characters. She’s the most appealing to me. I’m actually working on my own Kappa Mikey fan fiction called ‘Star Spangled Babble.’”

Ryan Green has just started to animate for Kappa Mikey after working on Ellen’s Acres. “I liked that I got to use the same characters over and over instead of getting random characters to animate. Ellen’s Acres is a really well-designed show. The characters are stylized and the score is pretty advanced depending on where she travels.”

A fan named Rachel, 12, said, “My favorite character is Mitsuki because she’s the most sensible, but the funniest character is Gonard.”

Sean Schemmel (voice of Gonard) stopped by the booth. Later that night, he was going to be a presenter at the first ever American Anime Awards at Comic Con. Michael Sinterniklaas (voice of Mikey Simon) was also on his way to the awards show and dropped by the booth to take pictures with fans. A few lucky people got “Sushi Paloozi” CD’s and Kappa Mikey post cards signed by Michael.

“Gonard is my favorite character. It’s funny how he’s two characters. He’s really interesting. Mikey is really crazy and Gonard says the funniest things,” said Michael, 12, of New York City.

Fans also had their first chance to meet and get autographs signed by Jesse Adams (voice of Yes Man) and Steve Moverley (voice of Ozu and Kappa Mikey animator).

Assistant director Henry Hilaire shared why he thinks Kappa Mikey has become a breakout hit on Nicktoons and Nickelodeon.

“You have to have a good script and storyboard. Kappa Mikey is a great show for adults too because if you quote ‘Casablanca,’ kids won’t get it, but adults will. There’s something in it for everyone,” said Hilaire. “I like the characters a lot. They make a good mix. They work well both together and apart and are very interesting. In the first season episode, ‘With Fans Like These,’ I was one of those people holding a knife and fork trying to eat Lily and Gonard. Larry Schwarz even has a small cameo appearance in a season two episode.”

Guano ended the evening by making his last appearance of the day, but there was still one more awesome day left at Comic Con for Kappa Mikey fans.

At New York Comic Con 2007 at the Jacob Javits Center, Animation Collective’s booth was brilliant with color banners of Kappa Mikey and Ellen’s Acres http://www.ellensacres.com, an adorable animated series about a 5-year old girl named Ellen who uses her extraordinary imagination to go on amazing adventures. Check out a free episode now at Cartoon Network’s website!

Throughout the weekend, fans had a blast grabbing lots of cool, free stuff including a limited edition interactive CD, “Sushi Paloozi,” featuring Kappa Mikey games, clips, soundboards, buddy icons, and wallpaper. Fans also picked up Kappa Mikey post cards, t-shirts and Ellen’s Acres coloring pages and key chains. Episodes of both shows played on a big screen at the booth.

Today, Kappa Mikey fans had their first opportunity of the weekend to take pictures with Guano and meet show creator Larry Schwarz and executive producer Chris Fauci. Assistant director John M. Holt also signed postcards and greeted fans.

“I like the speed,” Holt said. “Even though it’s a show for kids, it could also be for adults. It’s the kind of show you want to watch over and over again to get all the little things. Almost every character has its own rules and styles that mesh together for it to all work.”

The super talented animators of Kappa Mikey made their first visit on Friday night. Fouridine Ang and Anthony Dallaryan drew Guano and Mitsuki in minutes, handing their sketches to excited fans. They drew characters in pencil, pen, colored pencils, markers, and mixed mediums too.

“I enjoy working on more than one character. I really like the concept of the show,” said Ang.

Guano by Anthony Dallaryan

“Mikey and Mitsuki are my favorite characters. They’re so cute because they have a crush on one another,” said Krystle Keiser, 21, of Maryland and moderator of the Kappa Mikey Live Journal blog. “I created the site for Kappa Mikey fans to meet and talk about the show.”

James, 29, of New Jersey has watched Kappa Mikey since it debuted. “It’s tongue and cheek and covers so much ground. It’s totally off the wall. You don’t know what’s going to happen next.”

As the evening closed out, artists presented their portfolios for review in hopes of becoming the newest addition to Animation Collective’s team. They would have several more opportunities throughout the weekend to present their work for review. The first day of fun had ended, but fans had a lot more to anticipate. Day two of Comic Con promised to be awesome with appearances from Steve Moverley (voice of Ozu) and Jesse Adams (voice of Yes Man) to sign autographs. Guano would be back along with more Kappa Mikey animators and directors. Day two looked, as Mikey would say “sweet.”