Skylanders & Autism Speaks partner for Autism Awareness Month

To support the millions of families affected by autism, Skylanders™, the beloved kids videogame franchise, and Autism Speaks, an organisation dedicated to autism science and advocacy, invites fans to “Light it up Blue” with one-of-a-kind toys. Through this creative collaboration for April’s Autism Awareness Month, Skylanders and Autism Speaks are raising awareness for an important cause – and in true Skylanders fashion, are having fun while doing it.

“It is estimated that 70 million people are affected by autism worldwide. We’re proud to work with Skylanders, an iconic franchise that’s known for bringing joy and magic to kids and families,” said Peter Morton, vice president of Corporate Development at Autism Speaks. “This year’s Light it up Blue campaign for World Autism Awareness Day marks our first alliance with a videogame and toy, and we couldn’t be more excited.”

The new series of Skylanders SuperChargers toys are blue and white to reflect Autism Speaks’ official colours. The “Power Blue” Skylanders SuperChargers feature Splat and Trigger Happy, as well as their SuperCharged vehicles Splatter Splasher and Gold Rusher – all of which appear in-game as their special colours. The toys will be available in the UK from 18th March in all major retail outlets.

“When my son was diagnosed with autism, I felt very alone. From my first Autism Speaks Walk, I felt the power of community, and this partnership with Skylanders will bring awareness and belonging to kids and families in a unique way,” said Matt Asner, director of Corporate Development, Autism Speaks.

“Since the debut of the franchise, we’ve heard from parents that Skylanders plays a special role in the lives of their kids on the autism spectrum,” says Josh Taub, senior vice president of Skylanders Product Management, Activision. “The entire Skylanders team was deeply committed and proud to bring these special toys to life. If they can put a smile on a child’s face, then we know we’ve done our job right.”

In addition to creating the Power Blue Skylanders SuperChargers and bringing them to life in game, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) is launching employee education and employee-donation matching programmes in connection with Autism Awareness Month. Activision is also making donations to non-profits that are making a difference in the autism community.

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