Kmart Bows 'Boxer Boogie' Game

NEW YORK Kmart has launched an interactive game featuring the man who made famous the "boxer boogie" in the discount retailer's Joe Boxer commercials.

The game stars an animated version of Vaughn Lowery, the high-energy, boxer-wearing dancer seen in some of the company's recent ads from TBWA\Chiat\Day in New York.

Called the "Boxer Boogie Breakdown," the game (www.kmartboxers.com) lets players control the dance steps of Lowery by clicking on moves such as "Spazz," "Jump Rope" and "Puppy Dog." The game also has hidden features, including a modest reaction if a user clicks on an immodest part of Lowery's body.

The game was developed by YaYa, a Los Angeles company that creates customized branding projects for advertisers.

The experience creates an "interactive brand-building experience that brings the commercials to life and allows fans to actually control the Joe Boxer guy's dance moves," said Kmart svp of marketing Steve Feuling.

This is the second online program from Kmart that features the dancing Joe Boxer character. Last December, the Troy, Mich.-based retailer created a holiday card that let users customize Lowery's Santa-style boxers by selecting color, incorporating candy canes, ribbons, holly and other yuletide flair, and adding a message like "Yo, Ho, Ho" or "Naughty" [IQ Daily Briefing, Dec. 11, 2002].