Kids Crooked House, a Portland-based wooden playhouse maker announced its launch into Canada this week, promoting it with a partnership with another kid-favourite – Ferrero Rocher’s Kinder Surprise. Kids can live out their dream of living inside a chocolate egg with a contest to win a custom-made Kinder-shaped playhouse on HaveYouPlayedToday.ca.

The contest, running through October, is promoted on chocolate packages, in-store merch displays and a Facebook campaign that will launch this summer. The partnership is a natural fit because both brands believe in the ‘power of play,’ says Kelly McCarten, VP of client services at Toronto-based Bstreet Communications, the agency that arranged the collaboration on behalf of Kinder.

It came to light for Bstreet’s CCO who saw the playhouse on Jon & Kate Plus 8 – a feature that ranked second in this year’s Nielsen Top 10 most effective product placements survey.

‘This program aims to meet a balance between both reach and engagement, speaking directly to Kinder moms and dads in-store and online,’ McCarten tells MiC.