ROYAL OAK, Mich., June 1, 2007 – Two lines have been selected from among over 3,000 entries submitted by the public in a line-writing competition for an updated version of the Detroit Zoo’s popular “Zoo Stars” television commercial. 

“Deeeee-troit an-i-mals,” was submitted by both Mark Goldstein of Farmington Hills and Christopher Adams of Clarkston.  “Badgers!  We don’t need no stinking badgers,” was submitted by Russel Woodruff of St. Clair Shores.  The three winners will be featured on Fox 2 News Morning and will receive Breakfast with the Giraffes and a Family Four-Pack of Detroit Zoo tickets.

The Detroit Zoological Society has teamed up with Doner, the Zoo’s advertising agency, broadcast partner Fox 2, and sponsor National City, to recapture the excitement and nostalgia of the original “Zoo Stars” campaign by remaking the popular commercial with the help of the community.   

The public will have its next opportunity to help shape the updated version of the “Zoo Stars” spot by auditioning to voice lines.  A talent search will be held Saturday, June 2, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Zoo’s Ford Education Center.  Regular admission and parking fees apply.

Participants will audition for the opportunity to voice two animals in a remake of the spot, and six semi-finalists will be selected.  Viewers will vote for their two favorite “Zoo Stars” from among the semi-finalists by logging on to www.MyFoxDetroit.com.  The top two vote-getters will participate in a recording session for the new spot.

The original “Zoo Stars” spot, created in 1982 by Doner, features Detroit Zoo animals “talking” as if they were Broadway stars preparing for the day’s opening of the Zoo.  The spot won every national advertising award at the time, including the coveted CLIO, and an adapted version of the spot was used by more than 25 other zoos around the country.

The new “Zoo Stars” campaign, sponsored by National City, will debut on Fox 2 in July with a 30-second commercial.   For complete details on the “Zoo Stars” remake, visit www.MyFOXDetroit.com.

The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo.  Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak.  The Detroit Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October – with extended hours until 8 p.m. Wednesdays during July and August – and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March.  Admission is $11.00 for adults 13 to 61, $9.00 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7.00 for children ages 2 to 12; children under 2 are free.  For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit www.detroitzoo.org.  The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March, and provides educational programming with interpretive staff support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.  For more information, call (313) 852-4056. 

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