7-Eleven Donates Larger-than-Life Simpsons Characters, 'Kwik-E-Mart' Signs,

[yousaf naseer]

Icing on the Donut!

7-Eleven Donates Larger-than-Life Simpsons Characters, ‘Kwik-E-Mart’ Signs, Yellow Walls to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--They came with their cameras, posing with characters and giggling at the signs posted at the 11 U.S. 7-Eleven® stores turned “Kwik-E-Marts” for the month of July. Convenience-store customers and Simpsons fans alike made the life-size Simpsons characters, product signage and faux store fronts, which appeared overnight at 11 select 7-Eleven stores across the U.S. a month ago, hugely popular. So much so, that people would drive across state lines to walk inside their nearest Kwik-E-Mart.

Now these pieces of animated fun will bring smiles to hospitalized children and dollars to local non-profit coffers. Today 7-Eleven deconstructs the cartoon image of its “Kwik-E-Mart” stores and donates the yellow “brick,” the polystyrene renditions of some of The Simpsons Movie cast and the interior and exterior marketing signs that tickled many a funny bone.

As part of the campaign to promote The Simpsons Movie, the yellow “brick” Kwik-E-Marts drew enthusiastic, around-the-clock crowds that bought countless Sprinklicious donuts, boxes of Krusty O’s Cereal, six-packs of Buzz Cola and Radioactive Man comic books. The products and other licensed Simpsons merchandise will be available at participating stores through August while supplies last, and the popular, bright pink donut from the movie’s logo will continue to be offered because it was developed by 7-Eleven and its bakery partners and can be made fresh and delivered daily to stores.

Some fans drove hours to visit the cartoon-like stores, while others went so far as to plan vacation trips around a Kwik-E-Mart visit to see the cartoon come to life. The Simpsons Movie set new first-weekend attendance records for an animated movie, garnering a total of $71.9 million in the first three days.

While scores of customers offered money for the Homer, Bart, Marge, Apu, Comic Book Man and other Simpsons characters found hanging out at the Kwik-E-Marts, 7-Eleven decided instead to spread the goodwill and fun by donating all Kwik-E-Mart “sets” to Children’s Miracle Network-affiliated hospitals for them to raise funds and/or entertain patients. All recipient hospitals are located in the same major metropolitan areas as the Kwik-E-Mart stores. The Chief Wiggum character has been requested by some police departments, who plan to use his likeness at community events.

Two Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals – Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and Children’s Hospital of Denver – have radio-thons planned in which items will be auctioned off to listeners. Others plan to display the characters in hospital play areas.

“We have left it up to the hospitals to use the Kwik-E-Marts where they believe they will do the most good or bring the most joy,” said Nancy Lear, 7-Eleven community relations director. “Our employees and customers have had a lot of fun this month, and we hope that, by passing the Kwik-E-Marts along to Children’s Miracle Network hospitals, we can help raise much-needed funds for these hospitals while continuing to bring laughter to people.”

Metropolitan-area hospitals benefiting from the 7-Eleven donation of Kwik-E-Mart items are:

·     Chicago – Children’s Memorial Hospital

·     Dallas – Children’s Medical Center

·     Denver – The Children’s Hospital (Chief Wiggum to Denver Police Department)

·     Las Vegas – St. Rose Dominican Hospitals - Pediatric Care Unit

·     Los Angeles (two Kwik-E-Mart locations) – Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (Chief Wiggum to Burbank Police Department)

·     Manhattan – Children’s Miracle Network-Metro New York (representing Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, NJ; Schneider Children’s Hospital/North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System in New Hyde Park, NY; Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, NJ; Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in New York City; Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY

·     Orlando – Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children

·     San Francisco – Children’s Hospital and Research Center Oakland

·     Seattle – Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center

·     Washington, D.C. – Children’s National Medical Center

Children's Miracle Network is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children’s hospitals across North America.