AT&T is recycling Turner and bringing back Captain Planet for Earth Day.
Captain Planet, the green superhero co-created by Ted Turner, is featured in a new mobile game called Captain Planet: Gaia Guardians.
In the game, players restore trees and for every tree restored from Earth Day (April 22) through Arbor Day (April 26) AT&T will donate $1, up to $100,000, to the Captain Planet Foundation’s Project Learning Garden, which creates gardens in schoolyards for student projects.
AT&T acquired Turner last year when it bought Time Warner for $85 billion. Earlier this year, the Turner brand largely disappeared in a reorganization of what is now called WarnerMedia.
Ted Turner, who is rarely seen and last year revealed his has Lewy body dementia, appears in brief videos promoting the new Captain Planet project.
In 1996, Turner sold Turner Broadcasting to Time Warner and was pushed out of the company in 2001 after it was acquired by AOL. AOL’s stock tanked afterwards, costing Turner a good chunk of his fortune.
Captain Planet, was created by Ted Turner and Barbara Pyle and was first broadcast on Turner’s TBS from 1990 to 1992 and supports environmentalism. A second Captain Planet series ran from 1993 to 1996 in syndication.
The Captain Planet Foundation was set up in 1991 and in 2007 acquired rights to show Captain Planet episodes.
In its announcement, AT&T said the new game was being published by Turner’s Adult Swim Games as part of the Hope Island Recovery Challenge. In the game, available as a free download, players work with the Captain Planet’s Planeteers to restore polluted trees on Hope Island.
“This Earth Day, AT&T is making it easy and fun for everyone to make a difference,” said Charlene Lake, senior VP, corporate social responsibility and chief sustainability officer, at AT&T. “Through the Hope Island Recovery Challenge, we’re turning in-game actions into real-world contributions to the Captain Planet Foundation to create more outdoor learning spaces at schools.”
Donations generated by players will go towards the foundation’s Project Learning Garden program, which helps teachers teach hands on lessons in school gardens, connecting students to nature and fresh food.
“Gardens in the schoolyard help students learn and develop a love for the planet,” said Leesa Carter-Jones, president & CEO, Captain Planet Foundation. “With support from AT&T, gamers can help bring more gardens to our schools and inspire a new generation of Planeteers.”
