All Aboard The Big, Big Dinosaur Sweepstakes As Amtrak And The Jim Henson Company Join Forces For A Big Big DINOSAUR TRAIN Promotion Throughout August 2012

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- All aboard the Big Big Dinosaur Sweepstakes, the new national summer promotion for the critically acclaimed animated preschool series DINOSAUR TRAIN which airs daily on PBS KIDS®.   The Jim Henson Company, a leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and producers of the DINOSAUR TRAIN series, have joined forces with Amtrak for a second year to present a fun and engaging summertime promotion that will award one lucky family with an Amtrak vacation. The promotion and renewed partnership with Amtrak was announced today by Melissa Segal, Senior Vice President of Global Consumer Products for The Jim Henson Company.

Following on the success of the previous DINOSAUR TRAIN promotion with Amtrak, last summer's Dinosaur Train: Dinosaur Big City; Amtrak will launch the Big Big Dinosaur Sweepstakes beginning in August 2012.  Families can enter the sweepstakes by logging onto www.henson.com/Dtsweepstakes and following the entry directions for a chance to win a vacation to Chicago and Washington, DC where you'll have the opportunity to visit the National Museum of Natural History with exhibits featuring dinosaurs. 

As part of the national summer promotion, Amtrak will distribute over 65,000 free DINOSAUR TRAIN themed activity booklets to young travelers and 1 million Amtrak DINOSAUR TRAIN ticket jackets to passengers, as well as 20,000 DINOSAUR TRAIN placemats for use in Amtrak's dining cars. Amtrak will also promote the Big Big Dinosaur Sweepstakes and entry details through counter cards and seatbacks in over 100 Amtrak stations nationwide.  Sweepstakes details will be posted on the websites of Amtrak, The Jim Henson Company and TOMY.  TOMY is the master toy licensee for DINOSAUR TRAIN in the U.S.

"Last summer's promotion with Amtrak was both fun and rewarding for all of our DINOSAUR TRAIN fans and their families," said Segal. "Parents know that with Amtrak, traveling to the family summer vacation destination is all part of the experience. Partnering with Amtrak again allowed us to offer this fabulous sweepstakes with great activities for everyone!"

DINOSAUR TRAIN embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains while encouraging basic scientific thinking and skills. Each episode includes animated segments with live-action sequences featuring a paleontologist who brings to life the show's natural science and natural history curriculum for preschoolers, giving specific facts about dinosaurs and comparing their features to animals of today.

Created by Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!), DINOSAUR TRAIN is an Emmy®-nominated TV series and its accompanying website received a Parents' Choice Silver Award and a prestigious 2010 Prix Jeunesse Award. PBSKIDS.org/dinosaurtrain welcomes more than 2 million visits each month, offering engaging content designed to continue dinosaur exploration beyond the television series, including printables, games, and a dinosaur field guide. DINOSAUR TRAIN is produced by The Jim Henson Company and co-produced with Singapore animation company Sparky Animation with participation and assistance of the Singapore Media Development Authority. U.K. production and financial support is provided by Ingenious Media.

About Amtrak®:
Amtrak is America's Railroad®, the nation's intercity passenger rail service and its high-speed rail operator.  A record 30.2 million passengers traveled on Amtrak in FY 2011 on more than 300 daily trains – at speeds up to 150 mph (241 kph) – that connect 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian Provinces. Amtrak operates intercity trains in partnership with 15 states and contracts with 13 commuter rail agencies to provide a variety of services.  Enjoy the journey® at Amtrak.com or call 800-USA-RAIL for schedules, fares and more information.  Join us on facebook.com/Amtrak and follow us at twitter.com/Amtrak.

About The Jim Henson Company:
The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include the Emmy® nominated "Sid the Science Kid," "Dinosaur Train," "Wilson & Ditch: Digging America" and "Pajanimals." Features include "The Dark Crystal," "Labyrinth," "MirrorMask," and "Unstable Fables" and television productions include "Fraggle Rock" and the sci-fi cult series "Farscape."

With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities. Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson's Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry's top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of-the-art and vintage equipment. The Company's Henson Alternative brand has recently launched the national tour of "Stuffed and Unstrung," a live puppet improvisational show named one of the top 10 "Best Stage Shows of 2010" by Entertainment Weekly. www.henson.com  www.facebook.com/hensoncompany www.twitter.com/hensonparents

SOURCE The Jim Henson Company