Vivid Imaginations builds TV-inspired board game

Golden%20ballsTV company Endemol has teamed up with toy manufacturer Vivid Imaginations to create an electronic board game for its new ITV1 gameshow Goldenballs.

The deal, agreed last week, gives Vivid exclusive rights to produce the game based on the same format as the TV show. Goldenballs will give players the chance to win a substantial amount of money by finding the ‘golden balls’ carrying cash, while avoiding the ‘killer balls’ that will in essence bankrupt them. Comedian Jasper Carrott is believed to be hosting the 60-minute episodes of the 40-programme TV series.

The electronic board game will be launched in October. It will be sold for £19.99 and supported by an extensive PR and marketing campaign created by Nortons PR agency.

Vivid’s marketing and licensing director Emma Sherski says: "With a forecast of 80,000 units across the UK and Eire, Golden Balls will hopefully give retailers an additional boost in games sales following in the footsteps of last year’s hit Deal or No Deal."

Goldenballs is produced by Initial, an Endemol company that produces prime-time entertainment specialising in different genres, and will go on air on ITV1 in summer 2007.

Vivid Imaginations was founded in 1992 when it launched the successful Captain Scarlett toy range.