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News: Herschend and Big Ideas New Ventures

By Alex W

Jul. 5th, 2007 -- ATLANTA --Officials from Atlanta-based Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE) and Nashville-based Big Idea, Inc. announced a new five-year agreement between the two companies that provides for future development of additional entertainment featuring the popular VeggieTales characters at all HFE properties.

“The family-oriented values and virtues shared by both HFE and Big Idea make it possible for us to combine our creative efforts to produce even more wholesome entertainment with a positive message for our guests at each of our parks,” said Joel Manby, HFE Chief Executive Officer.

“The HFE properties are the ideal place for our VeggieTales family to further our company’s commitment to enhancing the spiritual and moral fabric of our society through creative media,” said Terry Pefanis, Big Idea, Inc. Chief Operating Officer. “We look forward to spreading our message of ‘Sunday morning values, Saturday morning fun’ with the millions of folks who visit HFE’s various parks.”

The VeggieTales brand has an established presence at three HFE properties. At the Pigeon Forge-based Dollywood family adventure park, VeggieTales LIVE is one of the featured shows during the park’s summer-long KidsFest celebration. In addition, the park’s 2005 Country Fair expansion included the addition of the VeggieTales Sideshow Spin kids’ coaster. VeggieTales characters Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber will make a series of special appearances at Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta and Celebration City in Branson, Mo.

About HFE:

HFE owns, operates or partners in 18 properties in 7 states. Properties include Branson, Missouri’s Silver Dollar City theme park, Showboat Branson Belle lake attraction, White Water water park, Talking Rocks Cavern, The Wilderness at Silver Dollar City campground and Celebration City theme park. HFE is an operating partner with Dolly Parton in the Dollywood Company, which owns the Dollywood theme park and Dollywood’s Splash Country water park, both in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

The Dollywood Company is also the largest shareholder in the Dixie Stampede dinner attractions located in Branson, Pigeon Forge, Myrtle Beach and Orlando. In Georgia, HFE operates Atlanta’s Stone Mountain Park in conjunction with the State of Georgia. HFE owns Ride The Ducks amphibious tours in Branson, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Memphis, and Ride The Ducks is also an attraction at Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta. Since the company was founded in the early 1960s, the many properties have been internationally awarded numerous times for excellence in theme, presentation and operations, including the worldwide Applause Award for excellence and the THEA Award (Themed Entertainment Association).

About Big Idea, Inc.

Big Idea, Inc., an Entertainment Rights group company, is committed to providing entertaining stories that help parents teach children important life lessons in a delightfully wacky way. Big Idea is best known for its award-winning VeggieTales animated series, which has sold over 50 million videos and seven million albums of chart-topping audio since 1993. In addition to an extensive presence in the licensing, publishing and live entertainment arenas, Big Idea is currently in production on its second feature film, "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything-A VeggieTales Movie," to be released by Universal Pictures this winter. Big Idea's "VeggieTales," "321 Penguins!" and "LarryBoy Adventures" are the top-rated series on the "qubo" Saturday morning programming block, which currently airs on NBC, Telemundo and ION and reaches 110+ million American homes. Big Idea is recognized as the leading producer and creator of values-based product reflecting a Judeo-Christian worldview in the family entertainment industry. For more information on Big Idea, visit www.bigidea.com.