(AP)Over the weekend, 7-Eleven Inc. turned a dozen stores into Kwik-E-Marts, the fictional convenience stores of “The Simpsons” fame, in the latest example of marketers making life imitate art.

Those stores and most of the 6,000-plus other 7-Elevens in North America will sell items that until now existed only on television: Buzz Cola, KrustyO’s cereal and Squishees, the slushy drink knockoff of Slurpees.

It’s all part of a campaign to hype the July 27 opening of “The Simpsons Movie,” the big-screen debut for the long-running television cartoon, which loves to lampoon 7-Eleven as a store that sells all kinds of unhealthy snacks and is run by a man with a thick Indian accent.

For 20th Century Fox Film Corp. and Homer’s creators at Gracie Films, the stunt is a cheap way to call attention to their movie, since 7-Eleven is bearing all the costs, which executives of the retail chain put at somewhere in the single millions.

At 7-Eleven, they’re hoping it shows the ubiquitous chain has a trait seen in few corporations the ability to laugh at themselves.

“We thought if you really want to do something different, the idea of actually changing stores into Kwik-E-Marts was over the top but a natural,” said Bobbi Merkel, an executive for of 7-Eleven’s advertising agency, FreshWorks, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. “It shows they get the joke.”

(Getty Images)The monthlong promotion has been rumored a long time it’s hard to keep a secret known by so many suppliers and franchisees but 7-Eleven managed to keep the locations of the stores quiet until early Sunday morning. That’s when the exteriors of 11 U.S. stores and one in Canada were flocked in industrial foam and given new signs to replicate the animated look of Kwik-E-Marts.

The U.S. locations where a 7-Eleven store was transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart are New York City; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Burbank, Calif. (whose sign is shown at left); Los Angeles; Henderson, Nev.; Orlando, Fla.; Mountain View, Calif.; Seattle; and Bladensburg, Md.

The idea grew out of conversations between Fox and 7-Eleven’s advertising agency.

“We wanted to make sure the movie stands out as a true cultural event this summer,” said Lisa Licht, a marketing vice president at Fox. “It has to stand out from other summer movies and TV shows.”

The Fox/7-Eleven deal is an example of a practice called reverse product placement. Instead of just putting products prominently in a movie or TV show, fake goods move from the screen to reality.

In some cases, 7-Eleven has contracted with manufacturers of similar products to make their Kwik-E-Mart counterparts. Malt-O-Meal, the Northfield, Minn., cereal maker, will conjure up a recipe for KrustyO’s, for example. In others, existing products will simply be renamed. One flavor of 7-Eleven’s own Slurpee will be sold as “WooHoo! Blue Vanilla” Squishee for the month.

Other recent examples of reverse product placement include Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, which spun out of the Harry Potter books and movies, and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurants, which opened after the movie “Forrest Gump.” 7-Eleven has done other movie-themed promotions, including one this spring for the latest Spiderman installment.

After Fox pitched a 7-Eleven tie-in last year, representatives from the studio, the stores, and Gracie Films including Simpsons creator Matt Groening and executive producer James L. Brooks, met in Los Angeles to kick around ideas. Brooks added one holding a contest to let one fan be drawn into a future episode of the TV show.

7-Eleven executives loved the idea. They had surveys showing a strong overlap between their customers and fans of the show both tend to be young and male. It sounded like cash registers ringing.

“They’ve been looking at Squishees and KrustyO’s and Buzz Cola for years and have never been able to put their hands on it,” said Merkel, the advertising executive.

But they won’t find Duff beer, the brand chugged by Homer Simpson. The movie will be rated PG-13, and selling a Simpson-themed beer “didn’t seem to fit,” said Rita Bargerhuff, a 7-Eleven marketing executive. “That was a tough call, but we want to make sure it’s considered good, responsible fun.”

Bargerhuff predicted extra sales to Simpsons fans will more than offset the cost of the promotion and create new customers for the chain. She also said the chain is prepared for crowds and will have extra security and clerks at the Kwik-E-Marts.

The promotion, however, is not risk-free. The proprietor of Kwik-E-Mart is a man named Apu who speaks in a heavy Indian accent. He is based on a manager Groening encountered while shopping at a 7-Eleven in Los Angeles nearly 20 years ago and plays to stereotypes about convenience-store operators and Asian immigrants.

Many of 7-Eleven’s franchisees are Indian, company officials say, although they say they don’t track exact numbers. Bargerhuff said they were “overwhelmingly positive” after hearing of the Kwik-E-Mart idea, but “it was not a 100 percent endorsement.”

“There was definitely a concern of offending people,” she said. “But they seemed to understand that ‘The Simpsons’ makes fun of everybody. The vast majority saw this as a great opportunity.”

That’s the case for Kumar Assandas, a 28-year-old franchisee whose parents immigrated from India. His store in suburban Las Vegas is one of the temporary Kwik-E-Marts.

“I know it’s a stereotype, but it doesn’t bother me. Everybody knows it’s a joke,” Assandas said. “I’m a big Simpsons fan myself, and maybe subconsciously it even inspired me to become a 7-Eleven owner.”

(CBS/AP)Head restraints in dozens of sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks and minivans provided only poor or marginal protection from neck injuries in simulated rear-impact crashes conducted by the insurance industry.

The test results, released Tuesday, found several SUVs had improved protections against whiplash injuries, but gave poor marks to vehicles made by several leading automakers, including BMW AG, DaimlerChrysler AG, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp.

The «www.iihs.org» said the simulated rear crashes at 20 miles per hour showed that many large vehicles fall short in protecting against neck injuries, which lead to 2 million insurance claims a year costing at least $8.5 billion.

“In stop-and-go commuter traffic, you’re more likely to get in a rear-end collision than any other crash type,” said Institute vice president David Zuby. “It’s not a major feat of engineering to design seats and head restraints that afford good protection in these common crashes.”

The institute evaluated 87 current vehicle models based on the geometric measurements of the head restraints and their performance in a crash simulation sled. Fifty-four of the vehicles were rated marginal or poor, the two lowest rankings, while a dozen received the second-highest score of acceptable. Twenty-one received the best rating of good.

Automakers said there were many ways to evaluate rear crash protection and their vehicles were designed to provide a high degree of safety.

“We feel our test procedures are good predictors of how well our seat/head restraints will protect occupants from neck injuries in the event of a rear impact,” said Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong in an e-mail.

Several SUVs made progress 17 of 59 SUVs from the 2007 model year received top ratings in the testing, compared with six of 44 SUVs tested in 2006.

“We’re seeing some improvement, but it’s not across the board,” the institute’s Adrian Lund told Early Show consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen.”We still have a lot of vehicles out there that we rate as marginal poor. In fact, 59 percent of the SUVs and pickups and minivans that we evaluated we gave marginal or poor rating for their whiplash protection.”

The best performers among 2007 SUVs included: Acura MDX and RDX; Lincoln MKX, Ford Edge and Ford Freestyle; Honda CR-V, Element and Pilot; Hyundai Santa Fe; Jeep Grand Cherokee; Kia Sorento; Land Rover LR3; Mercedes M Class; Mitsubishi Outlander; Subaru B9 Tribeca and Forester, and Volvo XC90.

For the complete test results, «www.cbsnews.com».

SUVs from the 2007 model year rated poorly were: BMW X3 and X5; Buick Rainier, Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy and Isuzu Ascender; Cadillac SRX; Chrysler Pacifica; Dodge Nitro; Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer; Mitsubishi Endeavor; Hummer H3; Hyundai Tucson; Jeep Liberty; Kia Sportage; Lexus GX470 and RX; Nissan Xterra; Saab 9-7X; Suzuki XL7; Toyota 4Runner and Highlander.

In other vehicle categories, the 2007 Toyota Tundra was the only pickup to receive the top score. Three minivans received the highest marks: Ford Freestar, Hyundai Entourage and the Kia Sedona.

For pickups, the institute gave poor ratings to Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Classic and the GMC Sierra 1500 Classic; Dodge Ram 1500; Ford Ranger and Mazda B Series; Nissan Frontier and certain versions of Ford F-150, Dodge Dakota and Mitsubishi Raider.

Minivans scoring poorly were the Buick Terraza, Chevrolet Uplander and Saturn Relay; some versions of the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Caravan; and the Toyota Sienna.

Another group of SUVs, pickups and minivans received either the second-lowest score of marginal or the second-highest rating of acceptable.

Washington will require better front-seat head restraints in all vehicles made after September 2010, Koeppen pointed out.

But for now, Lund says, the key to better protection is making sure your head restraint is in the proper position.

“You want to adjust that head restraint so that it’s at least as high as the top of your ears, and you want it as close to the back of your head as possible,” Lund explained. “You don’t want to be able to put more than your fist between the back of your head and the head restraint.”

Several automakers defended their methods of testing for rear crash protection.

DaimlerChrysler noted that many of the vehicles were designed before the Institute began conducting the tests. General Motors said head restraints are designed for a variety of driver sizes and the restraints “are part of the integrated approach to occupant protection in all GM vehicles.”

Nissan said in a statement that it designs “all of our products to provide a high level of occupant safety in a wide range of real-world crashes, including rear-impact collisions.”

The crash simulation sled replicates the forces in a stationary vehicle that is struck in the rear by a similar vehicle at 20 mph. Vehicles got a higher rating if the head restraint contacted the dummy’s head quickly and the forces on the dummy’s neck and the acceleration of the torso were low.

The tests also consider the height of the restraint and its horizontal distance behind the back of the head of an average-sized man.

(CBS)More than 6 million homes are broken into in the United States each year, often when their owners are away on vacation.

But your house doesn’t have to be one of them. Experts say there’s plenty you can do to make it tougher for burglars to make off with your possessions.

On The Early Show Tuesday, Kris Connell of Real Simple magazine (www.realsimple.com) shared a few smart moves homeowners can make inside and outside the house to keep a burglar out, or at least minimize his haul!

Seventy percent of burglars are amateurs, opportunists who break in on impulse and steal low-risk items, such as petty-cash boxes and jewelry, according to the «www.burglaryprevention.org». Another 28 percent are semiprofessionals: They’ll observe a home, watch daily routines, or wait until you’re away on a trip before striking. Typically, these thieves plan their crime a week or so in advance. Only about 2 percent of burglars are pros who carefully plan, focusing on high-end homes.

The 10 items thieves are usually after, the council says, are TVs, computers (especially laptops) and printers, DVD players and DVDs, stereo equipment, weapons, jewelry and watches, tools, cameras, credit cards and sports equipment, such as golf clubs.

Connell advises that the best defense against a break-in is good neighbors. A trusted neighbor will keep an eye on things while you’re away. You can also ask this person to park a car in your driveway on occasion so that it looks like people are coming and going, to shovel your walk if it snows, and pick up your mail. A pile of newspapers on your driveway or front porch is a dead giveaway to anyone passing your house that nobody is at home.

OTHER STEPS TO TAKE OUTSIDE YOUR HOME

- Make Sure It Is Well-Lit: Every exterior door should be illuminated with at least a 40-watt bulb. Experts recommend easy-to-install motion-detecting light sensors (starting at about $20 each at home-improvement stores) as well. If a thief is illuminated the minute he walks onto your property, he’ll keep moving. You can buy attractive motion-sensing lights that look appropriate next to a front door, as well as more utilitarian models.

- Advertise An Alarm System, Even If You Don’t Have One: While it’s best to have the real deal, merely posting a lawn sign or a sticker might make a thief think twice about breaking into your home. Try to get one from a friend or neighbor who has an alarm; experienced thieves can spot a fake.

- Close Most Shades: If a thief can’t see inside, he won’t know if there’s anything worth stealing. But keep a few shades open on the second floor to make it look as if someone is home.

- Put Your Street Number, Not Your Name, On The Mailbox: Why put more information out there than necessary, Connell asks. With that piece of knowledge, thieves can dial directory information with your name and street address, then call to see if anyone’s home.

- Censor Your Trash: The box that new flat-screen TV came in announces that you have stuff worth stealing. Cut the carton up and tie the pieces together before you put them out on the curb.

STEPS TO TAKE INSIDE YOUR HOME

- Put Lights And A Radio Or TV On A Timer: People who leave the lights on all day “might as well put out a sign in their front yard saying they’re out of town,” says Ann Lindstrom of ADT Security Services. Look for the type of timer that can be set for random on and off times. Otherwise, it’s too easy for crooks to get wise to the fact that your lights are coming on at the same time every night.

- Keep Two Jewelry Boxes And Lock Up Your Valuables: It may sound obvious, but thieves know we all like to hide our most important things under the bed, in a coffee tin, or behind a bookcase. So keep passports, Social Security cards, and the like in a bank safe-deposit box or in a heavy-duty combination safe you can bolt to the floor in a closet. Real Simple also suggests tricking thieves by essentially having two jewelry boxes: Store inexpensive pieces in the nice-looking case on your dresser. Stash the good bits in a safe. A thief may be fooled by the “cheap box” and not bother looking for more.