Cartoon House Comes to Life; Kaufman & Broad Unveiled The Simpsons House to Fans, Contest Hopefuls

    HENDERSON, Nev., Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Demonstrating that life truly
 does imitate art, a replica of the home popularized by the hit cartoon show
 "The Simpsons" was unveiled here today by Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation
 (NYSE:   KBH).  The house will be given away to one lucky winner of a nationwide
 contest in partnership with Kaufman & Broad, FOX, Fox Interactive and Pepsi-
 Cola.
     Flanked by the home's architect and construction supervisor, live Simpsons
 characters -- Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa -- were on hand to accept the keys
 to their new home and place the "now open" sign on the front lawn.  Fans of
 the show, contest hopefuls, media and special guests were given tours of the
 new home, capturing for the first time the exquisite attention to detail
 throughout the home.  Painted inside and out in 25 vivid primary colors, the
 four bedroom, 2,200 square foot home features Marge's signature corn-cob
 curtains, eclectic furniture, built-in mouse holes, and extra-high arches and
 wide doorways to accommodate Marge's hair and Homer's hips, respectively.
     "During our 40-year history, we've put more than 300,000 families into
 Kaufman and Broad homes, but we've done nothing like this until now," said
 Manny Gonzalez, director of architecture, Kaufman and Broad.  "But then, The
 Simpsons are a unique family, and it was a creative challenge to build a home
 that knows no boundaries while remaining within strict building code
 standards."
 
     Making a House a Home
     Kaufman and Broad architects faced numerous challenges in creating the
 one-of-a-kind home.  "There were no blueprints or plans of any kind," said
 Manny Gonzalez, director of architecture.  "We had to watch over 100 episodes
 of "The Simpsons" before putting pencil to paper.  There's also a mystery door
 -- you can see it on the cartoon, but no one goes in and no one comes out.  We
 built a true replica."
     Kaufman and Broad designers reviewed approximately 7,200 color swatches to
 come up with the interior and exterior colors for the home, narrowing the
 choice down to 25.  Colors include Power Orange, Generator Green, Jazz Age
 Coral and Pink Flamingo.
     The house is fully decorated with Simpson-replica furniture, clothing and
 eclectic clutter -- even Marge's signature corn-cob kitchen curtains.  The
 floors of the house were painted a brilliant yellow or baby blue, then multi-
 colored throw rugs were painted on top.  Outside, Bart's swing set and Homer's
 barbeque are in the backyard, and the driveway already has a "true-to-life"
 oil stain from Homer's car.
 
     Springfield in Nevada
     The Simpsons giveaway home is located in Kaufman and Broad's Springfield
 community -- named after The Simpson's television home town.  Kaufman and
 Broad's Springfield community is in Henderson, just outside Las Vegas.  In
 addition to The Simpsons home, Kaufman and Broad is building 151 affordably
 priced homes in Springfield, featuring three to five bedrooms with floor
 plans.
     "This location was ideal for this unique home," said Gonzalez.  "Where
 else but in Vegas call you have a Pyramid, a replica of the New York skyline,
 and now, The Simpsons home?"
 
     One Lucky Winner
     Kaufman and Broad built the one-of-a-kind home as part of a nationwide
 sweepstakes promotion with Fox Television and Pepsi-Cola.  Contestants enter
 the sweepstakes and receive game pieces by visiting any Kaufman and Broad
 community, or by buying specially marked Pepsi products.  The winning number
 will be announced during the September season premiere of The Simpsons.
 Contestants may also mail in game pieces for a random drawing sweepstakes to
 win Pepsi-Cola and Simpsons products.
 
     The Builder
     Founded in 1957, Kaufman and Broad now moves more than 10,000 families
 into new homes each year.  This is the first time a home builder has taken a
 cartoon and turned it into a reality.
     The Simpson Home is also the latest in a line of highly creative
 promotional marketing opportunities and customer service initiatives developed
 by Kaufman and Broad.  Twenty years ago, the company built a model home on the
 roof of the largest shopping mall in Paris, France, which received nearly a
 half million visitors.  Kaufman and Broad was also the first in its industry
 to create its own mortgage company, use a celebrity spokesperson in its
 television advertising, and to offer home buyers "zero-down" financing and
 "lease to own" programs.
     Los Angeles-based Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation (NYSE:   KBH) is the
 largest home builder in the western United States, with 15 operating divisions
 in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Utah, Mexico and
 France.
 
 

SOURCE  Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation