Hasbro's Tiger Electronics Brand Bringing Tweens Back to the Toy Aisle in '03; Innovative Technology Adds New Excitement To Entertainment & Lifestyle-based Play

Business Wire, Feb 11, 2003

Entertainment Editors/Business Editors

PAWTUCKET, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 11, 2003

Hasbro, Inc.'s (NYSE:HAS) Tiger Electronics brand has long been known as the place where technology comes to play. In 2003, Tiger will also be the place for tweens to play.

There's first-of-a-kind lifestyle products under the new THIN-TRONIX brand, with groundbreaking technologies that bring ultra-thin, hard-to-believe items like a Poster Phone and Poster Radio to fully-functioning life. With Tiger's VIDEO NOW, kids this fall can have their very own personal video player to take with them anytime, anywhere, offering the hottest names in kids entertainment through the VideoNow proprietary video discs.

Hot on the heels (make that paws) of holiday breakout hit FURREAL FRIENDS Cats and kittens comes FURREAL FRIENDS GO GO MY SO REAL WALKIN' PUP. With more than 45 million account registrations and even more virtual pets floating in cyberspace, NEOPETS(R) is among the fastest growing on-line youth communities - through neopets.com - in the world. Tiger's incredible, action-packed POCKET NEOPET(TM) gives kids a way to enjoy their virtual pets everywhere they go. And there's much, much more.

"Tiger unveils an incredibly innovative array of lifestyle and entertainment brands using the latest technologies at this year's Toy Fair," said Duncan Billing, General Manager for the Tiger Electronics brand. "One of Tiger's missions is to bring tweens back to the toy aisle, and brands like VIDEONOW, THIN-TRONIX and NeoPets offer the type of innovation and cool features this age group demands. And, we are confident that our newest addition to the FURREAL FRIENDS brand - GO GO MY SO REAL WALKIN' PUP - will be a big hit this Fall!"

Highlights from Hasbro's Tiger Electronics brand's 2003 line include:

THIN-TRONIX

In 2003, "thin will be in" as Hasbro's Tiger Electronics brand introduces THIN-TRONIX - a revolutionary new line of fun, ultra-thin products sure to be a hit with tweens and teens alike.

Feature items include:

Poster Phone

This is a radical twist on the standard wall phone. It's a real working speakerphone that's just over 1 inch thick and meant to be hung on a wall or door. The Poster Phone makes group calls easy and fun. The eye-catching design comes in two colors. You can program up to five numbers into the Speed Dial memory and write those names in the erasable spaces on the poster. It's battery operated and comes with all accessories included. Just plug it into any existing phone line and dial away for endless hours of hands-free talk time. (Available: Spring '03; Approximate retail price: $24.99)

Poster Radio

Listening to our favorite radio station just got a little cooler with this tunable analog FM stereo that's just over 1 inch thick. Kids can decorate their rooms with it by hanging it on any door or wall. Comes with adjustable volume control and is battery operated. (Available: Spring '03; Approximate retail price: $24.99)

VideoNow

The first-ever kid friendly, portable and affordable personal video player!

The VideoNow player is not only portable, it's pocket-size. Each personal video player measures approximately four by six inches, making it perfect for little hands and kids on the go. This little package packs a big punch - its black and white LCD screen features sixteen levels of greyscale, contains 80 by 80 pixels and measures 1.7 by 1.3 inches, resulting in a great, quality picture!

The VideoNow line is 100% "kid friendly." To use the VideoNow personal video player, simply pop in a VideoNow Disc and press play. Each circular, three-inch VideoNow Disc contains up to thirty minutes of uninterrupted content. VideoNow Discs feature a special proprietary format and will not fit into or play on other media players.

VideoNow Disc titles will include the hottest names in children's entertainment and more - with 24 titles scheduled to be available this Fall as VideoNow products hit the shelves.

The VideoNow personal video player will be available in two stylish colors: titanium and cobalt. And, each VideoNow player will come complete with a special sampler VideoNow Disc featuring over a half dozen excerpts from today's most popular programs. (Ages 6 years and up; Available: Fall '03; Approximate retail price: $49.99, Single Disc $7.99, Disc Three Pack $14.99)

HITCLIPS

HITCLIPS Micro Music System continues to 'climb the charts' as the 'must have' music accessory for today's pop music aficionados. To keep its popular, portable music system at the top of the charts in 2003 Tiger offers an assortment of innovative and stylish new HITCLIPS players as well as an array of fresh Micro Music Clips featuring today's hottest recording artists.

HITCLIPS THEMED DELUXE PERSONAL PLAYER ASSORTMENT

The fun and funky HITCLIPS Themed Deluxe Player Assortment is a hip, new way to listen to your favorite HITCLIPS Micro Music Clips! With twelve fashionable styles to choose from it's easy to stay cool and color coordinated while you're rockin' out! Make a fashion statement - choose from The Cat, The Butterfly, The Cell Phone, The Heart with Wings, The Guitar and many more! Each stylin' player comes with a Micro Music Clip and a fashion accessory, like a neck cord, wrist strap or keychain, to match your likes and lifestyle! (Ages 5 years and up; Available: Now; Approximate retail price: $9.99)