togglethis Launches New Ad-Backed Show

New York City-based togglethis is launching its latest toggled show, “Hurt Herman: The Freak Who Feels No Pain,” sponsored by New York-based Bigfoot and Flooz.com, and the Sci Fi Channel.

The show, a six-part series that will launch in March, will be available on the togglethis Web site and on the togglethis channel on Lycos.

toggled shows, which are interactive email-based content, deliver advertising campaigns and new forms of entertainment directly to consumers’ desktops. They combine the visual experience of watching TV with the interactivity of the Web, the company said.

“toggled shows help advertisers communicate their messages to a demographically targeted audience,” said Paul Maya, CEO of togglethis. “Also, toggled shows allow marketers to be more creative with their ads in terms of length and content.”

“Hurt Herman,” also called “The Freaks” series, is a virtual sideshow that takes place on the viewer’s desktop. The main character of the show, Herman, is a freak of nature who can withstand severe pain. Barker Bob, the ring leader, encourages the viewer to interact with Herman, using various weapons to inflict pain on him, while Herman demonstrates his tolerance by reciting mundane trivia.

Directory site Bigfoot offers consumers free lifetime e- mail addresses and markets a suite of server-based products for email users. Flooz.com, co-founded by Robert Levitan, a cofounder of iVillage.com, has developed an online gift giving application allowing customers to send digital gift certificates redeemable online at certain stores.