Slated to hit 3,000 cartoon lovers in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai in May this year, Super Size Cinema will screen Cartoon Network specials on 35 foot inflatable `Power Puff Girls' movie screens.

Mattel Toys will tie up the promotion of the event with the sales of its miniature car brand `Hot Wheels.' The brand is one of Mattel's two biggest money spinners worldwide -- contributing about $ 1 billion to Mattel Inc 's turnover. The other of course, is Barbie.

Although the details are not finalised yet, `Super Size Cinema' will be used to support a fresh product introduction under the Hot Wheels umbrella. Entries to the `Super Size Cinema' will be made available along with the purchase of Hot Wheel toys. A few months before the event, Mattel Toys will announce a contest in the mass media inviting entries from across the country. Winners will be invited to participate in the event by Mattel Toys.

On its part, Cartoon Network will publicise the event with the help of commercials on the channel and an outdoor ad campaign in the three cities.Super Size Cinema is part of a host of integrated marketing events created around the Cartoon Network brand. Two such events -- Toon Cricket and Smash Tennis -- have already been organised in the Indian market. ``Events such as Toon Cricket and Super Size Cinema lead to increased viewer interaction with the brand.

They are also an effective tool for our partners (advertisers) to reach out to target audiences relevant to them,'' says vice-president, off-channel commerce, Cartoon Network, Christine Fellowes. For instance, during the `Toon Cricket' organised early last year, title sponsor Coca-Cola got the benefit of reaching out to a target audience base of 24,000 kids who attended the event. As part of the promotional license arrangement with Cartoon Network, Coca-Cola sold 1.5 million PET bottles of Coke bearing the contest details.

While Cartoon Network is only involved in promotional licensing and events in the Indian market currently, internationally, the channel offers other brand building activities such as product licensing, retail, publishing, theme parks and e-commerce.

The channel is currently in talks with toy and apparel manufacturers and publishers in the Indian market with the intention of expanding its off-channel initiatives in the market. ``Once we enter areas like retail and publishing, these non traditional sources should generate revenues equal to the channel's advertising sales -- if not more,'' informs Fellowes.

Currently, the channels revenue stream is a mix of subscription fee and advertising revenues. TNT and Cartoon Network has reported an increase in advertising revenue of 170 per cent in 1998-99. The channel reaches out to more than 8.5 million homes in the Indian market currently.