Lycos, togglethis Launch Ad-Backed Game

togglethis and Lycos launched a new toggled email-based series called “Superheroes and Sidekicks,” an ad-backed, interactive game show.

The series stars Lycos the Dog, the Lycos mascot featured in the company’s brand campaign. Consumers can find “Superheroes and Sidekicks” here on Lycos and on the togglethis site.

toggled shows, which are interactive email-based content, are designed to deliver marketing and advertising campaigns along with new forms of entertainment directly to desktops. They combine the visual experience of watching TV with the interactivity of the Web. Spending on the promotion was not disclosed.

Volkswagen has already signed up to sponsor four episodes of the series.

“We developed a toggled series because we wanted to create a fun, entertaining show to support our branding effort, capture our audience’s attention, and generate high click-through rates. Through the show, we establish Lycos the Dog as a superhero who possesses the power to retrieve any type of information for consumers from the Internet,” said Jan Horsfall, vice president of marketing for Lycos.

As Lycos’ sidekick, viewers must help Lycos answer the trivia questions posed by game show host and retired super villain, Blink Foolery. At the conclusion of each show, contestants can enter into a Lycos sweepstakes for prizes.