• January 11, 2008

Alltel Wireless will sponsor a new series of animated shorts on USA Network's "The Big Adventures of Little Shawn and Gus," based on the cable network's prime-time show "Psych."

The animated vignettes featuring childhood versions of the show's characters will air during the second break of each episode of "Psych," which kicks off its new season on Jan. 11.

The six animations were created by J.J. Sedelmaier Productions, known for "Beavis & Butt-Head" and animated shorts appearing on "Saturday Night Live."

The "Little Shawn and Gus" clips will also appear on usanetwork.com and will be syndicated on other outlets such as Hulu.com and mobile platforms. If that weren't enough, USA has also created a pair of Flash-based games derived from the animated series that will launch on the section of its Web site promoting "Psych."

--Mark Walsh