Universal animators are producing a "hip" version of Woody Woodpecker that will appear in a new television series this fall. Modified laugh, vivid colors, updated feather style and expression will help the character to appeal to a whole new generation. A big as life version of our feathered friend will also be appearing at Universal Theme Parks in California, Florida and Japan.

The character combines the new Woody look and laugh with the help of Mackenzie Laboratories, Inc. A speaker in the bird's beak is fed audio from Mackenzie's DMR-Px solid state digital audio playback system. The battery powered DMR-Px stores Woody's laugh in EPROM memory and may be initiated via pushbutton at the operators discretion. This method of producing audio allows the experience to be consistent to all Woody fans independent of individual operators. The solid state design of the DMR-Px offers high reliability and durability as well as excellent fidelity.

The collaboration between Universal and Mackenzie is the latest in a long line of successful OEM relationships for the firm. Since 1954 Mackenzie has continued to revolutionize the messaging industry through the firms' message-on-hold, remote download, page stacker/feedback eliminator and message repeater product lines.