It never fails to amaze me that there very popular kid's shows out there -- complete with extensive merchandising -- that I've never heard of (though I write about entertainment for a living). Nickelodeon's iCarly is one of those shows.

I wouldn't know an episode of iCarly if one sideswiped me in LA traffic, but no one at the network nor anyone associated with the show could give a chimp since the series comes packed with an extensive following, cross-media popularity for star Miranda Cosgrove, Emmy nominations and a wide variety of product tie-ins -- including two new video games from Activision.

In a world full of games inviting me to kill zombies, take on Nazi Panzer divisions and out-scheme NFL masterminds, I couldn't imagine where to begin a game about a plucky early teen who creates a web series with her perky friends. But Activision's game designers came up with successful new titles for the Wii and Nintendo DS.

The games are not just Nickelodeon and Activision teaming up to give girls something to do with their game consoles. It's part of an ongoing effort to bring female teenagers into a video game market that's clearly dominated by boys.

If such an effort is underway, there would be worse TV franchises to buy into than iCarly and its positive image of young girls. For $40 and $30 respectively, the Wii and DS titles are great ideas for any girl you know who holds interest in games that wander from the gore and violence found in many male-oriented games.