FEATURE/Pogo Sticks Spring Back Into Action Everywhere; Sport Fun Predicts More Than Just a Passing Fad; Category Sales Soar

Business Wire, August 1, 2001

Business Editors/Sports & Lifestyle Editors

FEATURE....

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 1, 2001

Put away your scooters, pack up your in-line skates and get ready to pogo.

That's right, pogo. And, while the extreme variety will appeal to anyone looking to jump to the nth degree, basic pogo sticks - dating back to 1919 - remain a constant among kids of all ages who love the freedom of bouncing through the air.

"Everyone identifies with pogo sticks," says Karen Myers, president of Sport Fun, Inc., the country's largest manufacturer with more than 80% market share. "And, despite flashier toys and games, pogos are a proven commodity."

Sales of pogos started to spike in the mid 90s, according to Myers, attributing the resurgence to more contemporary graphics boasting neon and fluorescent colors.

"The basic premise of the pogo stick has remained the same," explained Myers. "Our one-piece, patented construction injection-molded frame keeps it durable."

"As with every toy category," she continued, "when you add some bells and whistles or a new feature, there's always piqued interest."

`But, when you get right down to it," Myers says, "it's the simplicity of the pogo that has made it an American tradition since World War I."

Sport Fun added sound and jump-counters to its line of pogos in 1998 and sales doubled, according to Myers. And, while she welcomes competition from newcomers, she believes the category will remain a strong staple in the toy and sporting goods industries.

"If a particular segment within the category becomes red hot," Myers explained, "the entire category benefits because everyone wants a piece of the action."

"And with any `extreme' product," she says, "from scooters to pogos, there are going to be kids left out because some are too young to handle it."

"We have a pogo for everyone," Myers said. "So, if you're four year old wants a pogo experience, they can have a safe one and forty-year-olds can pogo and not look silly."

Myers predicts that 2001 will be a big one for pogos. "Retailers like Toys `r Us, Kmart, Wal-Mart and Target are prepared for the onslaught of pogo enthusiasts," she says.

"After making pogos for more than 20 years, we're equipped to put a pogo into everybody's hands," she concluded.

Los Angeles-based Sport Fun is a leading innovator in the design, manufacture and marketing of outdoor toys, children's sports equipment, and high-quality sporting goods.

Founded in 1960, Sport Fun is recognized as the industry-leading pogo stick manufacturer, longest continuous producer of skateboards, and maker of the best-selling line of radio controlled pitching machines.

The products in the Sport Fun portfolio are available in toy, sporting goods, specialty, mass merchandise and department stores nationwide, as well as through several on-line retailers. For more information on Sport Fun, please call 800/423-2597 or visit the company's website at www.sportfun.com.