SmarterKids.com Selected as 'Forbes.com's Favorite' in the Toy Category

Business Wire, August 28, 2000

Business/Technology Editors

NEEDHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 28, 2000

SmarterKids.com (NASDAQ: SKDS), the leading online education store and resource for parents, is recognized in Forbes.com's "Best of the Web" round-up as the "Forbes Favorite" in the toy category. Only one Web site is identified as the favorite in each of the 45 categories.

The "Best of the Web's" staff surfed thousands of Web sites in search of the "best of the best," resulting in a list of 300 superior sites. Forbes then narrowed down the field even further to pick their favorites. The winning Web sites are available on Forbes.com through new scanning technology that allows readers to connect directly to the "Forbes Favorites" without typing URLs.

According to SmarterKids.com's President and CEO David Blohm, "SmarterKids.com works very hard to ensure a superior shopping experience, which is coupled with unique content. We are constantly evolving our site based on customer feedback, and I am delighted that all of our efforts are being rewarded by industry leaders such as Forbes.com as well as consumers."

Under "The Best" features for SmarterKids.com, the Forbes.com's reviewers highlighted "My Kid's Store" where customers can create a learning profile of their child that allows them to develop a private, personalized store. The products in this "store" are mapped to the child's learning needs and goals through patent-pending technology. According to the review of SmarterKids.com on Forbes.com, "Educational toys reign at this content-rich site. Shop by child's age (up to 15), favorite character (Elmo, Arthur, Curious George), theme (knights, dinosaurs) or subject (math, geography). All products are rated and reviewed by site staff and teachers. The selection of items for middle-schoolers ranged from books and word games to electronic handheld Yahtzee...."

About SmarterKids.com, Inc.

SmarterKids.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:SKDS), the leading online education store and resource, is dedicated to helping parents help their children learn, discover, and grow. The site offers one of the most personalized shopping experiences, matching a child's learning style and needs with teacher-reviewed toys, games, books, software, music, and videos. The Company features specialty centers for special needs and gifted children, the Grade Expectations! guide to education standards, and thousands of educational products and services for children ages infant through 15. Together with its partners, ChildU, Education World, Homeroom.com, Lightspan (NASDAQ:LSPN), National Computer Systems (NASDAQ:NLCS ), and Real Time Learning, SmarterKids.com offers leading educational resources and exceptional online tutoring services to parents, children, and educators. SmarterKids.com was rated the #1 educational toy site according to Gomez Advisors and was found by Forrester's PowerRankings(TM) to be the easiest-to-use site in the Toys and Games category. SmarterKids.com is headquartered in Needham, Mass. More information on the Company can be found at www.smarterkids.com.