Candid Camera's ''Green Kid'' Reaches Over 450 Schools with Classroom Tolerance Project

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif.--March 11, 2004--

Peter Funt's Unique Conversations with Youngsters Score High Marks After First Year of Classroom Use

Candid Camera, television's longest-running entertainment series, has completed the first year of a unique classroom tolerance project known as "The Green Kid," with over 450 schools participating.

The project began in March 2003 with a Candid Camera broadcast in which host Peter Funt questioned youngsters -- using hidden camera and microphone -- about a new student who was to join their class: a boy with green skin. Since then, tapes of the segment have been provided at no charge to educators across the U.S. Teachers are reporting remarkable results.

"We had no idea what we were getting into," explained Funt. "It turns out hundreds of schools are using our material to stimulate classroom discussion about tolerance. The tapes are being used at all grade levels, including college."

"The kids were mesmerized by the video," stated Kelly Hutcheson, a teacher at Naples Park Elementary School in Florida. "They could really relate with what the students were saying. I saw an immediate impact on how they treated each other afterwards."

"As educators, we deal with peer pressure and discrimination on a much-too frequent basis," noted social studies teacher Debra J. Crossett at the Frankfort-Schuyler School District in New York. "However, it seems that no matter how prejudiced or troubled adolescents may be, they all identify with and are touched by little ones."

Candid Camera is marking the first anniversary of the project with a follow-up segment on Sunday, March 14, at 7 p.m. ET on the PAX Network. Students at Boulder Creek Elementary School in Arizona are shown watching the video and discussing the issues raised with their third grade teacher.

"I've spoken with thousands of kids for our shows," said Peter Funt. "But this particular piece really hit a nerve.

"It's especially gratifying at a time when most TV -- particularly in the 'reality' field -- contributes so little to our social awareness, that Candid Camera was able to achieve such success with 'The Green Kid.'"

About Candid Camera, Inc.:

Candid Camera has been a television institution since its creation by Allen Funt in 1948. It is currently broadcast weekly on the PAX Network, with hosts Peter Funt and Dina Eastwood.