Extreme
Winnie-the-Pooh UNO!
ESPN to
Expand Winnie-the-Pooh UNO Programming
As the UNO craze sweeps the country, ESPN wants a bigger piece of the action.
The upcoming ToddlersÕ World Series of Winnie-the-Pooh UNO will be held in Scarsdale, New York, this July. ÒWinnie-the-Pooh UNO Blast Smack Down!Ó was a hit for the sports network last year, when the seriesÕ 22 episodes averaged a 1.7 rating.
A 1.7 Nielsen rating equates to approximately 39 unemployed people watching in the middle of the night.
The Winnie-the-Pooh version of UNO has helped spur public interest in the game, along with the Travel Channel's "World Winnie-the-Pooh UNO Tour," Bravo's "Celebrity Winnie-the-Pooh UNO Showdown," and ESPN's ÒWinnie-the-Pooh UNO Blast Smack Down!Ó.
Celebrities fascinated by the game include SpongeBob SquarePants, Elmo, and Ben Affleck.
Points are not kept in Winnie-the-Pooh UNO, and the dreaded Wild Draw 4 has been removed from the deck—but now the cards feature not only eye-catching colors and numbers, but also images of Pooh Bear cavorting with his friends Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore.
ÒWe expect the drama to come from the personalities of the players,Ó said ESPN Executive Producer Gary Lansky. ÒWhen you see Kylie, Ali K., Brian, and the Other Brian sit down at the train table for a tournament, you know a dramatic tantrum is coming faster than you can say Ôpass the chicken nuggetsÕ.Ó
Kylie Williams is a particularly aggressive player, known for her inventive Draw 2 play; she and Affleck are said to be bitter rivals.
ÒBenÕs nice,Ó Miss Williams said today, adding, ÒWe had pretzels for snack.Ó
Other versions of the card game include UNO Blast; Electronic UNO; UNO Deluxe; the Dog Artist UNO; and the Simpsons, Care Bears, Barbie, Hello Kitty, Coca-Cola, Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, Muppets, and National Parks UNO editions.
In fact, nationwide retailer Target is planning a Michael Gravesª Edition Winnie-the-Pooh UNO set, which will include two decks of Michael Gravesª designed Winnie-the-Pooh UNO cards in a cherry-stained hardwood and veneer carrying case, lined with what the company calls ÒluxuriousÓ blue felt. The set will be priced at $49.99.
Players bring their own sets to tournaments, to ensure fairness and avoid heartbreaking tussles and cries of ÒMINE!Ó
Christopher Robin Milne III, great-grandson of Winnie-the-Pooh creator A. A. Milne, is himself an aficionado of the game, although the Winnie-the-Pooh character rights were long ago sold to Disney in a deal disadvantageous to the family. ÒItÕs still fun to yell UNO! when someone forgets heÕs down to his last card,Ó he said when asked about the situation. ÒSilly old corporate malfeasance.Ó
No game in recent memory has caught on with the public the way Winnie-the-Pooh UNO has. Some colleges are considering banning the game, worried that all-night Winnie-the-Pooh UNO tournaments could distract students from their studies.
ÒIÕm still trying to master the strategy,Ó Adam Cohn, a physics major at Columbia University, said. ÒComplex variables donÕt seem that interesting when youÕve been up all night staring a Wild Tigger in the face.Ó
ESPN, seeking to feed the publicÕs seemingly insatiable hunger for UNO programming, is also planning a Winnie-the-Pooh UNO related dramatic series, ÒOne.Ó ÒOneÓ is English for ÒUNO,Ó and the reality-based series will revolve around the lives of 4-year-olds Sophie Friedman, Rupert Regal, and Julia Crystal-Rosenberg as they fight for the World Series of Winnie-the-Pooh UNO title while navigating the tempestuous world of play dates, birthday parties, and clean-up time.
ÒDonÕt call me ÔSophieÕ,Ó Miss Friedman said when asked whether she was excited about the series. ÒIÕm Mommy Shih-Tzu right now.Ó
©2005 by Kiersten Conner-Sax
From Ò50 TriesÓ at kiersten.connersax.com