PUCKER UP! VIRGIN MOBILE HANGS THE WORLD'S LARGEST MISTLETOE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

-     Hundreds gather at Yonge-Dundas Square for The Big Kiss with Degrassi stars

-     Survey shows that half of Canadians haven't been getting any love under the mistletoe

TORONTO, Dec. 2 /CNW/ - Time for some lip action, Canada.  Tonight, Virgin Mobile will string up the world's largest mistletoe over hundreds of Torontonians to kick off the holidays in style. Newmindspace's The Big Kiss is all part of Virgin Mobile's mission to bring the love to more than half of Canadians who haven't been getting it, according to a new Virgin Mobile survey.

Hundreds of lips are expected to come together tonight at Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square to count down to The Big Kiss - a mass make-out event with the most people ever kissing at one time under the world's largest mistletoe, measuring at just under two storeys high.  With the help of event hosts, Degrassi stars Charlotte Arnold and Raymond Ablack, Virgin Mobile is upping the ante by donating $5 for every kiss to Newmindspace's charity of choice, WWF Canada.  

"This is such a cute way to start off the holiday season and raise some cash for an amazing cause at the same time," says Charlotte Arnold, star of the hit series Degrassi.

"We're thrilled that Virgin Mobile invited us to come out and be a part of The Big Kiss," adds Arnold's Degrassi co-star, Raymond Ablack.

"Virgin Mobile's massive mistletoe and holiday cast of characters are really huge this year, literally! Our mistletoe is double the size of anything that the world has seen before," says Nathan Rosenberg, Chief Marketing Officer, Virgin Mobile Canada. "When we heard that Newmindspace was planning The Big Kiss in our winter wonderland, we had to get involved and bring TV's hottest couple, Charlotte and Raymond. Plus, there's no better way to launch the world's biggest mistletoe than with a Big Kiss that brings Torontonians together to share the love and do some good at the same time."

After today's The Big Kiss, the Virgin Mobile mistletoe will head to Yonge and Eglinton in Toronto to spread some cheer for the rest of the holidays. The 20-foot tall holiday nutcrackers and reindeer will be popping up all across the country - including Vancouver's Waterfront Centre, Montréal's Complexe Desjardins and Union Station in Toronto.

Getting Frisky Under The Mistletoe

Virgin Mobile's mistletoe was inspired in part by the results of a recent Angus Reid survey that examined how Canadians are getting frisky for the holidays.  Surprisingly, nearly half of Canadians claim they haven't had the chance to lock lips under mistletoe yet! 

Whether or not it's under the mistletoe, here are a few more of the results:

• Loving lip locks - BlackBerry users (nearly 3 out of 5) are the mostly likely to find their lover under the mistletoe
• Going French - Android users have done the most French kissing under the mistletoe, while iPhone users are the most likely to seek out an ex under the mistletoe.
• Seeking smooches - BlackBerry users are among the most likely to hunt out a kiss under the mistletoe, while only a third of iPhone users and a quarter of Android users are planning a mistletoe make out
• Outta sight… - Android users are the most likely to turn off their GPS and head out on the prowl when they're in a different city than their significant other
• Text dirty to me - Nearly 1 in 5 Canadians aged 18-34 say they've sent a raunchy text to a loved one when they're separated from them.
• A picture is worth a thousand words - While 10% of Canadians have sent a hot pic to their loved one, Android users are making the most out of their camera phones with nearly 1 out of 8 saying they send out one or more sexy snaps a week.

"Canadians are certainly racy, but clearly haven't had the chance to get some added love under the mistletoe in the past, so we're making it easier for them," continues Rosenberg. "If you can't make it under the world's largest mistletoe, you can also text KISS to 847446¹ and we'll send you a mistletoe for your phone.  It's the perfect way to break the ice with that hottie you've been waiting to get close to, all courtesy of Virgin Mobile."

12 Days of Giveaways

While the holiday season may be all about giving, Virgin Mobile is making sure that Canadians are getting a little something for themselves too!  Starting next week, Virgin Mobile is also kicking off its 12 Days giveaway spectacular for the holiday season. Each day from December 6 to 17, Virgin Mobile's Facebook fans can enter to win an awesome prize, ranging from VIA Rail gift cards and Virgin American flights to free poutine for a year from New York Fries.  There's a new prize to win every day… the only thing you won't find is a partridge in a pear tree.

For more details on 12 Days, follow Virgin Mobile at www.facebook.com/virginmobilecan and check out the "Contests" tab. 

About Newmindspace

Newmindspace is interactive public art, creative cultural interventions and urban bliss dissemination based in Toronto and New York City. For the last five years, they have been hosting massive pillow fights, parties on subway cars, large urban games, bubble blowing gatherings, and many more gigantic, fun, irreverent events. Each year, Newmindspace coordinates International Pillow Fight Day, now celebrated in over 150 cities worldwide. Find out more at http://newmindspace.com.

About Virgin Mobile Canada

Virgin Mobile Canada is Canada's #1 mobile youth company delivering the hottest phones on the hottest HSPA+ network.  Virgin Mobile Members also get access to must-see events, global roaming and award-winning customer service. J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Canadian Wireless Customer Satisfaction Study has awarded Virgin Mobile "Highest in Customer Satisfaction With Prepaid Wireless Service, Five Years in a Row"² and it has ranked Virgin Mobile "Highest in Customer Satisfaction With Postpaid Wireless Service"³. 91% of customers would also recommend Virgin Mobile to a friend. 

The Virgin Mobile group of companies has attracted more than 15 million customers worldwide.  Virgin Mobile phones are available at more than 4,000 locations nationally including The Source, Virgin Mobile retail locations and additional retail partners. Virgin Mobile products can also be purchased online at www.virginmobile.ca or by calling 1-888-999-2321. Get personal with Virgin Mobile Canada on Facebook at facebook.com/virginmobilecan and Twitter at twitter.com/virginmobilecan.

__________________________

¹ Standard text message and data rates apply

² J.D. Power and Associates 2005-2009 Canadian Wireless Customer Satisfaction Studies^SM. Study based on 15,207 total responses from consumers with prepaid wireless service, measuring 5 wireless service providers. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in October 2009. www.jdpower.com

³ J.D. Power and Associates 2005-2009 Canadian Wireless Customer Satisfaction Studies^SM. Study based on 15,207 total responses from consumers with postpaid wireless service, measuring 9 wireless service providers. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed in October 2009. www.jdpower.com

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

For further information:

For more information or images, please contact: