Hulabee introduces sports service for kids

SportsSquad.com is a new online sports news service for kids. What makes the news of its launch remarkable is that it’s the first offering from Hulabee Entertainment. Hulabee is the new brainchild of Shelley Day and Ron Gilbert, the team that founded kids software maker Humongous Entertainment. With properties like Putt-Putt, Pajama Sam, Freddi Fish, Spy Fox and others under their belt, Humongous is known and loved by legions of Mac-using kids and parents alike.

Day and Gilbert left Humongous following the company’s acquisition by international software publisher Infogrames. The duo started Hulabee Entertainment in July of last year, and SportsSquad.com is their first public effort to date. Hulabee bills SportsSquad.com as “the most comprehensive sports service for kids on the Internet.”

SportsSquad.com has already been selected by The Sporting News — the nation’s oldest sports publication — as its official kids’ content provider. Hulabee and SportsSquad.com are kicking off an “All-America Baseball Tour” of baseball parks in N.Y., Ill., Wi., Texas, Ariz., Calif. and Wash. through July 10 to introduce kids and parents alike to the new service.

SportsSquad.com features more than 11 categories of college and pro sports news and stats, hosted by a staff of wacky, fictional kid characters who cover sports from a kid’s perspective. Coverage of the pro basketball, baseball, hockey, football, major league soccer, women’s NBA, NCAA basketball and football, pro golf, tennis and auto racing are all part of the mix.

Kids and parents can get a free preview of SportsSquad.com throughout June — subscriptions to the premium service will kick in for US$3.99 a month or $34.99 per year. Folks who sign up before the end of June will get three months free.

In related news, Hulabee announced plans to create adventure games for kids starring new original characters. The games are slated to debut this winter.