Polaroid and Kodak plan to battle it out this spring with campaigns featuring boy bands and TV spots promoting low-cost cameras to Gen Y girls. Kodak will sponsor a 30-city mall tour with Disney teen group Youngstown, to kick off March 23, and a TV campaign starting in May. Polaroid will roll out its own boy band mall tour (band not yet named), and is looking to entice younger consumers with hot new silver-colored and translucent i-Zone and JoyCam instant cameras. Kodak and Polaroid are gearing their campaigns primarily towards girls because studies show they are more likely to buy than boys.

To ensure European import Action Man takes North America by storm, Hasbro is mailing out promotional CD-ROM samplers to over three million households pushing 12-inch figures this summer. The CDs, which contain Action Man games, will support an Action Man sneak preview on Fox Kids in May, an ad campaign in August and retail promos designed to propel the figures to top-of-mind among the six to 10 set by the time the series debuts this fall.

Cartoon Network and Bandai are joining forces for a sweeps supporting Gundam Wing’s highly anticipated touch-down in the Toonami block this month. On-air spots pushing the contest will start March 20 and run until the series debut on March 24. Prizes include a grand prize trip and 100 Gundam Wing model spaceships from Bandai.

Web media company MaMaMedia is partnering up with Coca-Cola’s Hi-C brand for the fruit drink’s first major Internet initiative. Starting this May, 100 million Hi-C drink boxes will hit shelves, each advertising MaMaMedia.com activities for kids. In turn, Hi-C brand advertising will appear in MaMaMedia’s Internet magazine for kids. Last month, MaMaMedia.com began featuring 12 sports-themed activities in its new MaMaMedia Power-Up Club. The on-line play area is sponsored exclusively by Hi-C and features new club activities monthly.

Kids like Play-Doh, and Play-Doh wants to know what colors kids like best. Hasbro recently launched Colorful Campaign 2000 to let kids vote on their four favorite Play-Doh colors. Votes may be cast at www.hasbro.com from now until June 30, 2000. Whether it’s Hot Lava Pink or Party Hat Purple, the most popular colors will be included in a special Play-Doh Kids Favorites Four-Pack. The winning colors will be announced on National Play-Doh Day this September, and the Four-Pack will be available in retail stores by spring 2001.