SpongeBob SquarePants goes mobile

Nickelodeon, a Viacom property, has partnered with child cell phone provider Kajeet to offer content from its popular TV shows. The deal includes distribution of downloadable ring tones, wallpapers and games for SpongeBob SquarePants, The Rugrats, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius and The Fairly OddParents. The Kajeet content will include promotions from upcoming Nickelodeon shows beginning with tie-ins to a special SpongeBob SquarePants episode that will air on April 13 and be released on DVD on April 17. The show, "SpongeBob Friend or Foe?", will include a five-hour interactive marathon and an interactive contest.

Kajeet offers pay-as-you-go cell phones and options like text and instant-messaging services with cost cap controls for parents. Its nationwide coverage is provided by Sprint PCS Network. The phones will be available in April at Limited Too and in May at Best Buy. More than one in four pre-teens own a cell phone, according to Kajeet, a number expected to double over the next three years.