Ziggy Celebrates 35 Years of Making People Smile Autograph Signing at Book Expo 2006 (Booth #3825)

Washington, DC – (May 18, 2006) – A Little Character Goes A Long Way is the very appropriate title of the new must-have book by Tom Wilson featuring the animated loveable little man, Ziggy, who celebrates his 35th Anniversary this year.

The new commemorative collection of Ziggy comic panels arrives from Andrews McMeel Publishing LLC ($19.95) in its debut at Book Expo America 2006, the annual premiere book publishing event, which is held this year in Washington DC, at the Washington Convention Center from May 19th -21st .

At this year’s show, Wilson will be kicking off the yearlong birthday celebration for Ziggy with a birthday party and an exclusive autograph signing of a limited-edition 35th Anniversary commemorative Ziggy lithograph.

Ziggy’s birthday party will be held in the Andrews McMeel Publishing booth #3825 as the costume character Ziggy and Tom Wilson will be on hand for a birthday cake and a meet and greet appearance with attendees. The autograph signings of the lithograph will take place at the Andrews McMeel booth on Saturday from 1:00 – 2:00PM, and as part of the “Meet The Cartoonists” group autograph session on Saturday from 3:30 – 5:00PM in the Main Hall Tables 29-32.

“Book Expo is the event to officially begin our year long celebration of Ziggy’s 35th Anniversary. The new A Little Character Goes A Long Way book, which debuts to the public at Book Expo, will hit stores shelves nationwide on June 1st,” Wilson said. “We are so excited for Ziggy and the new book. It is a milestone year for the character and we have several special plans for Ziggy throughout 2006.”

This year, Ziggy was selected as the 2006 SpokesCharacter for the National Foster Parent Association (NFPA) and National Foster Care Awareness Month (May). Ziggy's inspiring message extends to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, where he serves as the full-time official SpokesCharacter, and to World Food Day, where Wilson creates special-edition comic panels to support the cause.

Licensees that have joined in for Ziggy’s 35th Anniversary and Ziggy merchandise include Planet Sox, Top Heavy, Casa D' Oro, Russ Berrie & Co., Sara Max, Mighty Fine, Arrow International, and BFS Entertainment & Multimedia Limited, which markets the “Ziggy's Gift” DVD. The animated holiday special earned an Emmy Award in its only TV broadcast and recently won the Family Magazine Group’s Family Choice Award and the National Parenting Center Seal of Approval.

Ziggy first appeared in newspapers in June 1971. Tom Wilson of Cincinnati, Ohio, has drawn and written Ziggy since 1987, after the retirement of his father, the senior Tom Wilson, who first created Ziggy as a greeting card character. Now distributed through Universal Press Syndicate, a division of Andrews McMeel Universal, Ziggy is published in more than 600 newspapers, reaching 75 million readers daily, and maintains an online presence through www.Ziggyzone.com and www.uclick.com.

A Little Character Goes A Long Way joins Ziggy books and collectible literature, which includes Ziggy's Gift: A Holiday Collection, Ziggy's Character Matters, Ziggy Goes Hollywood, Zen of Ziggy, Ziggy's Friends for Life, a 30th Anniversary Tribute to Ziggy from All of His Friends, The Ziggy Treasury Collection (1977), and the four-part collectible mini-book series: Ziggy’s Little Book of Friendship, Ziggy’s Little Book of Heart Thoughts to Cheer You, Ziggy’s Little Wish Book for Someone Special, and Ziggy’s Little Wish Book for Your Birthday.
Book Expo America (BEA) is the pre-eminent event designed to meet the needs of the book industry. It is a showcase of books in every format, sideline merchandise, and technology products & services that supports the buyers and sellers of books, both internationally and domestically. For more information or to attend Book Expo, please visit www.bookexpoamerica.com
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For Ziggy Book Publicity Information, Contact:
Tammie Barker – Andrews McMeel Publishing, 4520 Main St., Kansas City, MO 64111-7701; T: (816) 360-6921; E-Mail: tbarker@amuniversal.com