Whyville Features Stacie Orrico in Virtual Concert for Tweens

PASADENA, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- December 4, 2006 -- Whyville.net, a leading edu-tainment virtual world for kids 8-15 will present pop/R&B singer Stacie Orrico in a live concert on Saturday, December 9 at 2 PM (Whyville time). The concert will last approximately 45 minutes. This virtual concert experience will allow "citizens" of Whyville to enjoy all of the dynamic activities of an actual concert in a safe online environment. With 3.4 million albums sold by the age of 18, Stacie Orrico (now 20), is well known amongst kids and tweens and will be previewing songs from her upcoming CD, "Beautiful Awakening," which debuts in January 2007 on Virgin Records. Exclusive to this concert, Stacie Orrico will play a special, a capella version of "I'm Not Missing You."

Kids are encouraged to check with their parents and register on Whyville.net no later than December 6, 2006.

Over 6,000 Whyvillians are expected to attend Stacie's performance, which will feature an interactive performance by the "real" Stacie Orrico, who will appear in avatar form inside Whyville. Attending Whyvillians will be able to chat with each other during the performance in Whyville's Greek Theatre, a virtual theater designed to feature a variety of performances and activities. In addition, the virtual "crowd" will be able to show their admiration for Stacie and her music by clapping, chatting and in a virtual world first, purchasing virtual merchandise and souvenirs that users can then keep and use in Whyville.

Using "clams," Whyville's virtual currency, kids will be able to participate in a virtual tailgate party, share their excitement about the concert and even purchase and download Stacie's MP3 tracks and ringtones. Adding to the excitement, kids will be able to submit questions and comments to Stacie during the concert. Selected kids will join Stacie "on stage" and ask their questions, live in front of thousands of their virtual friends.

True to real world concert tradition, Stacie will make several virtual costume changes during the show and auction off these virtual goods on Ebay. Whyville will co-sponsor a Scion owner's activity -- a special "after-party" for kids who own a virtual Scion in Whyville, and their passengers.

"We are thrilled to have Stacie Orrico involved with Whyville. She is a terrifically talented singer and songwriter, who is very well known and loved by Whyville's tween audience. This concert is spot-on with Whyville's goal of edu-taining boys and girls," said Jay Goss, Chief Operating Officer of Numedeon, Whyville's parent company.

Says Melissa Victor of Virgin Records, "Virgin Records is pleased that Stacie is the first artist to kick off the Whyville virtual concert series. Every one of us has a treasured memory of our first concert experience, and it's wonderful that teens and tweens can enjoy a concert in the rich and detailed virtual world of Whyville that has been tailored especially for their needs and enjoyment."

About Whyville

Whyville (http://www.whyville.net) is the leading edu-tainment virtual world for boys and girls, ages 8 to 15. For eight years, the site has successfully created an environment that engages children to learn while having fun. Inside Whyville, "citizens" learn & play, socialize & recreate, govern & earn, write & design, eat & dance, and much, much more. Numedeon, Inc., Whyville's parent company, develops virtual worlds that promote learning through interactivity and engagement. Numedeon's founders are scientists, who combined research expertise in neuroscience with education experience from the internationally recognized Caltech Pre-college Science Initiative to conceive of an innovative way to harness the power of the Internet for the purpose of engagement and education. In formal education parlance, the education in Whyville is designed to be hands-on, inquiry-based and constructivist, embedded within motivational settings among peers.

Contact Information: Contact: Jennifer Fader Terpin Communications Group Tel: (310)922-7507 jfader@terpin.com