Firing up Nittany Lions fans early

Can you say,

Go Nittany Lions

?

Enthusiastic - all right, rabid - fans dying for their little ones to catch the fever and babble allegiance to Penn State have a new recruitment tool.

Baby Nittany Lion, a 35-minute pep rally of a DVD out just in time for the university's Sept. 1 football kickoff, teaches the basics of Happy Valley insanity to the birth-to- 5-year-old set. The $19.95 disc is the first title in Team Baby Entertainment's licensed sports line geared to the tri-state area.

"You talk about getting them young? We're getting them young," said Lee Corso, an analyst with ESPN's College GameDay, who lends his grandfatherly voice to Baby Nittany Lion.

"The difference between college and professional football is the passion and tradition," Corso said. "This is perfect to pass that tradition on."

Through repetition of simple words, phrases and images, Sesame Street-style, the Houston company - bought last summer by Michael Eisner, former head of the Walt Disney entertainment empire - promises to "raise tomorrow's fan today" by exposing infants and toddlers to team mascots, songs, colors and more.

"This is blue," Corso intones slo-o-wly on the disc. Blue pom-poms twirl. "This is white." A sea of white-clad Penn Staters chants.

The university already has The Village at Penn State, a State College retirement community for diehards who can't get enough of the alma mater. Baby Nittany Lion begins that rah-rah lifestyle in the cradle.

"This is a fun way for alumni to share their enthusiasm," said Alumni Association spokeswoman Kate Delano, who hadn't viewed the DVD but sees the possibilities. Their babies can learn numbers and colors "the Penn State way."

The disc will be available beginning Tuesday at retailers such as Borders, Best Buy and Target. Sales have begun online and will soon reach campus. Penn State will collect royalties, according to the company.

On the DVD, toddlers in PSU gear - a few are kids of alumni - play with school-themed plush toys and balls plastered with paw prints. A marching band segment alternates between the Blue Band's half-time act and babies banging tambourines.

Center stage goes to alpha-sport football, with close-ups of eager fans in Beaver Stadium and a split second of coach Joe Paterno.

But tots also get a peek at men's and women's basketball, soccer, gymnastics, even tennis. A tour of the Creamery, Nittany Lion Shrine, and other campus landmarks rounds out the experience.

Team Baby capitalizes on college spirit, and Penn State has plenty. In June, more than 21,500 student season tickets ($190 each) sold out online in 59 minutes. Tickets are being resold on the Web, with bids in the thousands.

In the last year, Penn State fans outpaced those from everywhere but Ohio State in requesting their own DVD, said Team Baby founder Greg Scheinman, who launched the privately held company's line with the University of Texas, followed by Midwestern schools.

The former TV and production guy got the Team Baby idea when he couldn't find a product to instill a love of University of Michigan sports in his toddler.

Now, Scheinman said, "my son has a tremendous identity crisis." The 4-year-old has watched Baby Wolverine - and the company's 21 other collegiate titles - and made cameos in several. Mostly, Scheinman said, he's just "captivated by mascots and marching bands."

In the era of jump-started children, it makes sense that a line exploiting college-sports mania would join Baby Einstein, atheleticBaby and other "edutainment" videos designed to teach the youngest kids the ABCs of anything.

A new study, however, has found that videos to boost babies' vocabulary offer little advantage. They can even cause delays if TV watching replaces parent time.

Even if benefits to baby aren't a touchdown, Scheinman said, he believes parents will stay his biggest cheerleaders.

"I don't want to watch a big purple dinosaur all the time," he said. "But I don't get tired of watching Michigan highlights."

Scheinman sees no end in sight as Team Baby works its way through the Big Ten, looks to strike an NFL licensing deal, and aims to sell 150,000 DVDs this year.

For now, Notre Dame's Fighting Irish, the Texas Longhorns, and the Michigan Wolverines are his top titles. But those Nittany Lions may just win out, he said.

Can you say, Penn State forever?