Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

Nintendo’s promoting its core franchises in interesting ways these days. Today, they unveiled a contest that lets people answer three embarrassingly easy questions via text message on their phone (or hand-written snail mail) about the Zelda franchise in an effort to win one of ten prizes, including a grand prize that prominently features a shopping spree at the Nintendo World Store in Times Square. I’m not going to lie about this, that sounds just ducky to me. I looked over the documentation they provided and it looks like they’re not charging for the text messages. Of course, you need to pay your carrier for the messages as you would any other, but these don’t appear to be something Nintendo’s making money off of, which would be unacceptable in this context.

So what you do is text the word zelda to 20769 and wait for the questions, which will come one at a time. Answer all of them correctly, and you’re in. The on-paper entry seems like such a hassle, but if you want to do it that way, you can see them at the link below, or right here. Note that if you do it via text message, the questions change! I was surprised.

I was also surprised that the system, while quick, was not working properly when I tried. I answered the questions properly, and in the weird way it specified, and yet it would not advance past the second question. What a nuisance.

Question 1: The Zelda series’ heroic main character ranks as one of Nintendo’s most popular characters. What is his name?
Question 2: Name the pretty pirate captain Link seeks to rescue in Phantom Hourglass.
Question 3: In the Legend of Zelda series, what powerful relic is made up of three golden triangles?

Source: Nintendo

UPDATE: Hours after giving me wacky responses to my answers to the questions, the questions suddenly started showing up properly on my phone and I was able to complete entry.

NINTENDO NEWS: TXT ‘ZELDA’ 2 ’20769′ 4 CHANCE 2 WIN TRP 2 NYC, SHPNG SPREE @ N-10-DO WRLD

Sept. 13, 2007

Imagine flying to New York and having the entire Nintendo World® store available for your exclusive shopping pleasure. To mark the Oct. 1 launch of The Legend of Zelda®: Phantom Hourglass for Nintendo DS™, Nintendo is asking contestants to answer three Zelda-related trivia questions for the chance to win an amazing collection of prizes.

To receive the three trivia questions, contestants must text “Zelda” to 20769 or enter by mail by visiting Zelda.com between Sept. 13 and Oct. 26. People who answer all three questions correctly will automatically be entered into the contest.

One First Prize winner will receive a trip for two to New York, two nights at a hotel, a $1,000 closed-door shopping spree at Nintendo World, $500 spending money, a special-edition Nintendo DS and a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Nine Finalists will receive a special-edition gold Nintendo DS and a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Winners of the first prize and their guests must be 18 or older.

Even if you aren’t a Zelda trivia whiz, you can join in the countdown to the launch of one of the most anticipated titles of the year by downloading your own Zelda hourglass countdown widget to your favorite social networking site or even your desktop. Available on Zelda.com, the Zelda hourglass widget will mark the seemingly endless days until the launch of the game and provide exclusive information, tips and tricks via a weekly RSS feed.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass marks the classic series’ debut on the portable Nintendo DS. It follows the visual style of the hit The Legend of Zelda¬Æ: The Wind Waker‚Ñ¢ and takes Nintendo DS to new heights, both in terms of the graphical abilities and game-play mechanics. It’s a classic Zelda experience that can be controlled entirely using the stylus on the DS touch screen. Two players can even compete wirelessly, either across the room or across great distances using Nintendo¬Æ Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo’s wireless gaming service.

For more information about The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, the contest and the widget, please visit www.Zelda.com.