It's no secret that fans of Nintendo's Wii system love their Mii characters -- those adorably cartoonish caricatures of friends and family members that can be used in games like Wii Sports. Some of the more artistic fans have even taken it upon themselves to make Miis of celebrities, politicians and fictional characters. Nintendo supports consumers' creative spirit with the Nov. 11 evening launch of the Check Mii Out Channel. This free new channel can be downloaded from the WiiWare section of the Wii Shop Channel by people who have their Wii systems connected to the Internet.

"The Check Mii Out Channel lets people show off their Mii creations and vote on those created by others," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "It's yet another way that we're building fun, interactive communities of Wii owners without charging them extra for the privilege."

In the Posting Plaza, users can submit, exchange or just browse Miis posted by others in their region or worldwide. The channel offers the ability to look at a random selection of 1,000 Miis or to see just the current or all-time favorites. Players have a variety of ways to search for specific Miis, including by the name of its creator or by a number specific to each Mii. Once users have found that "special Mii," they can even tag their favorites or import them to their own Wii systems.

The contest section of the Check Mii Out Channel challenges users to submit Mii creations to represent a specific person, character or theme. These could include historical figures (Abraham Lincoln or Vincent Van Gogh), fictional characters (the Tooth Fairy or the New Year's Baby) or descriptive themes ("the biggest bully ever" or "the overbearing boss"). Users can then vote on Miis submitted by others to determine the Mii that best fits the challenge. Each contest will generally last two weeks: one for creating and submitting Miis, and the second week for people to vote on the results.

The Check Mii Out Channel is the latest addition to other fun, interactive informational channels, such as the News Channel, Everybody Votes Channel and Forecast Channel. Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access.

For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.