First Lady Michelle Obama had the honor of turning off Nickelodeon Saturday as part of the cable network's "Worldwide Day of Play," then made a surprise appearance at the event.
Nickelodeon brought 30 of the channel's stars to the National Mall for its biggest play date ever, an event in partnership with "NFL Play 60," among others.
As part of the initiative to get kids off the couch and onto playing fields and playgrounds in D.C. and other cities, Nickelodeon channels and websites went dark from noon to 3 p.m.
It was the first time Washington hosted Nick's annual Worldwide Day of Play. Let's Move, the First Lady's campaign against childhood obesity, which puts an emphasis on diet and exercise, was among Nick's partners for the event. Other included Major League Baseball, the PGA, the National Park Foundation/National Park Service
Childhood obesity threatens to become the nation's biggest health problem, with predictions this could be the first generation that lives longer and in poorer health than the preceding one.
"I'm so proud of all the kids and families who rose to the challenge and got active this year," said the First Lady, who was also celebrating the success of the President's Presidential Active Lifestyle Award challenge (1.7 million people have earned their PALA stripes by exercising at least 60 minutes per day.
Nickelodeon was among a handful of companies saluted for recruiting at least 100,000 of those 1.7 million.
