MONTREAL: The American Diary Association (ADA) is underwriting a portion of the production costs of the preschool television series Wimzie’s House, produced by Montreal-based Cinar Films in partnership with Maryland Public Television (MPT) and broadcast in the U.S. on PBS.

ADA’s buy gives it the right to an animated 15-second opening and closing credit for 260 program exhibitions. In addition to the logo appearance and underwriting credit, ADA’s logo also appears on all press and printed materials distributed to parents and caregivers connected with the series, says Jan Wilson, senior vice president of marketing and development for MPT. ADA’s sponsorship is for the `98-99 season only, although Wilson says prospects for a two-year renewal look promising.

Interest in Wimzie’s House stems from ADA’s desire to communicate a wholesome nutrition message, especially to pre-schoolers, says Wilson. ‘[ADA was] looking for a property to truly lift their marketing message about nutrition. While they have a spokescharacter for marketing and nutrition that they use for school-age children, they didn’t have a character to adequately communicate to preschoolers,’ says Wilson.