Prepare to Duel: General Mills Brings Yu-Gi-Oh! to Grocery Store Shelves

Business Wire, Sept 2, 2003

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MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 2, 2003

As the popularity of Yu-Gi-Oh!(TM) continues to soar, General Mills partners with 4Kids Entertainment to bring the excitement of the hit animated TV show and card game to stores nationwide. Starting in September, and continuing through the fall, General Mills will share the fun of Yu-Gi-Oh! with consumers through products and promotions in food categories including cereal, cereal bars, yogurt and fruit snacks.

Topping the list of exclusive Yu-Gi-Oh! products is a limited edition Yu-Gi-Oh! Cereal with metallic and holographic packaging that practically jumps off store shelves. Shaped like triangles to represent Yugi's Millennium Medallion, the honey sweetened corn cereal will have duelists wishing breakfast lasted all day long. In addition, this special edition cereal allows fans access to exclusive monster information available at www.yugioh.com. Fans need only answer the Yu-Gi-Oh! trivia questions on the side of the package to get special code words that will gain them entry to the exclusive site.

"We're thrilled to bring Yu-Gi-Oh! to life through our limited edition Yu-Gi-Oh! Cereal," said Steve Vekich, marketing manager for promotional cereals at General Mills. "We've captured the essence of Yugi and his favorite monsters in both our cereal and its packaging to deliver a product Yu-Gi-Oh! fans will love."

Also in the cereal aisle, fans will find a mail-in offer for an exclusive Yu-Gi-Oh! DVD and one of eight different collectible Yu-Gi-Oh! action medallions free inside packages of specially marked cereals. Each action medallion features a character and two monsters. Participating cereals include Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs, Trix, Honey Nut Cheerios, Cookie Crisp and Reese's Puffs. And, Milk 'n Cereal Bars will feature Yu-Gi-Oh! packaging and special foil wrappers.

"We are delighted to team with General Mills, one of the leading consumer food products companies in the world, in our continuing effort to grow the Yu-Gi-Oh! brand," said Alfred R. Kahn, chairman and chief executive officer of 4Kids Entertainment. "This relationship provides new and exciting opportunities for Yu-Gi-Oh! to be in the hearts and on the breakfast tables of millions of children across the United States."

Go-GURT portable yogurt for kids is also a part of the Yu-Gi-Oh! action. Along with two unique Yu-Gi-Oh! flavors, Berry Blue Magic and Monster Melon, Yu-Gi-Oh! themed Go-GURT tubes will feature exclusive information about four new monsters. In addition, specially marked packages of all Go-GURT flavors will feature an instant win Yu-Gi-Oh! DVD sweepstakes.

And, Yu-Gi-Oh! Fruit Gushers fruit snacks will be available for a limited time featuring four different collectible action medallions. These medallions depict Yu-Gi-Oh! characters and monsters and include the introduction of Yugi's newest monster, Slifer the Sky Dragon. Fans can get all the excitement of Yu-Gi-Oh! and the explosive taste of Fruit Gushers fruit snacks together for the first time.

Moving Yu-Gi-Oh! from the grocery store to the racetrack, the General Mills-sponsored Petty Enterprises No. 43 Dodge will drive home the excitement of Yu-Gi-Oh! with a special paint scheme. The Cheerios/Betty Crocker Yu-Gi-Oh! No. 43 Dodge is scheduled to compete during the NASCAR Winston Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway on Sept. 28.

General Mills, with annual net sales of $10.8 billion, is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products. Its global brand portfolio includes Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Haagen-Dazs, Old El Paso and more. It also has more than 100 U.S. consumer brands, more than 30 of which generate annual retail sales in excess of $100 million. General Mills is also a leading supplier of baking and other food products to the foodservice and commercial baking industries.

Headquartered in New York City with international offices in London, 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:KDE) is a global provider of children's entertainment and merchandise licensing. 4Kids, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, provides domestic and international merchandise licensing; television, film, music and home video production and distribution; media planning and buying; product development; and Web site development. For further information, please visit the company's Web site at www.4KidsEntertainment.com.

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