First-Ever Ultimate Toy Awards Show Announces Top Toys of 2004

Business Wire, Dec 4, 2004

NEW YORK -- Celebrity Hosted Family Entertainment Awards Program Names Ultimate Toys in Over 20 Categories; VideoNow Color from Hasbro Receives Top Honor as "Best Toy of 2004"

The Ultimate Toy Awards show, a one-of-a-kind award program celebrating play, family entertainment and the toy industry, today announced the winners of the first-ever Ultimate Toy Awards. Winners were voted by consumers and the American toy press.

Hosted by Keith Carradine, star of the hit sitcom Complete Savages, the Ultimate Toy Awards show featured celebrity appearances by Hilary Duff, Paula Abdul, entertainer and author Debbie Allen, model mom Kathy Ireland and American Dream stars Will Estes and Ethan Dampf. The show also included a very special performance by pop star Jesse McCartney.

Produced by dick clark productions, Inc. and created through a partnership of Toy Wishes Magazine, The Ultimate Guide to Family Entertainment, and DIC Entertainment, a leading independent children's entertainment company, this ground-breaking program honors outstanding toys in twenty different categories including traditional playthings and character entertainment. In addition to the Ultimate Toy category winners, VideoNow Color by Hasbro, Inc., was selected as the 'Best Toy of 2004.'

The Ultimate Toy Awards category winners are as follows:

Action & Adventure            Batman Animated Batcave by Mattel
Activities                    Hersey's S'mores Maker by Spin Master
Construction & Building       Big Air Ball Tower by K'NEX
Dolls & Accessories           Bratz Tokyo-A-Go-Go Dance 'N Skate Club
                                by MGA Entertainment
Educational & Learning        V.Smile by V.Tech
Electronic Entertainment      VideoNow Color by Hasbro, Inc.
Games & Puzzles               Scene it? Jr. DVD Game by Mattel
Girls' Toy                    Dora's Talking House by Fisher-Price
Infant Toys                   Peek-A-Blocks 5-in-1 Incrediblock by
                                Fisher-Price
Make Believe                  Spongebob Squarepants Krabby Patty
                                Station by Wild Planet
Playcenters                   Laugh & Learn Home by Fisher-Price
Preschool                     Little People Discovery Village by
                                Fisher-Price
Radio-Controlled Toys         Polly Pocket Remote Control Limo Kit by
                                Kid Designs
Rideables                     Adventure Series Hummer H2 SUV by Little
                                Tikes
Seasonal                      Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Elves'
                                Toy Shop Playset by RC2/Playing Mantis
Stocking Stuffers             Pocket Pixtar by Fisher-Price
Stuffed Animals               E-L-M-O by Fisher-Price
Tech Toys                     Girl Tech My Photo Booth by Radica
Vehicles                      Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Sights &
                                Sounds Destinations by RC2 Corporation
Video Games & CD-Roms         Ms. Pac-Man TV Games by JAKKS Pacific
World of Sports               ESPN Game Station by Fisher-Price
Movie "Star" of the Year      Shrek
Girl Cartoon "Star" of
  the Year                    Dora The Explorer
Boy Cartoon "Star" of
  the Year                    Spongebob Squarepants
Best Toy of 2004              VideoNow Color by Hasbro

Presented by Toy Wishes Magazine, the Ultimate Toy Awards Show was broadcast earlier today on the NBC Network and will air again tomorrow, Sunday, December 5, on the PAX Network.

About Toy Wishes:

The inaugural issue of Toy Wishes Magazine, The Ultimate Guide to Family Entertainment, hit newsstands in October 1999 and was met with phenomenal success. The first-ever magazine about toys is not only designed to help parents, grandparents - even the kids themselves - wade through the often overwhelming clutter to find the most outstanding toys of the season - the coveted Toy Wishes Hot Dozen - but includes over 500 toy reviews, a comprehensive guide to family entertainment, exciting sweepstakes and informative articles filled with 'how to' tips on shopping, time management and planning family activities. Toy Wishes is available at newsstands everywhere. For more information, check out www.toywishes.com.

About DIC Entertainment:

DIC Entertainment, a leading children's entertainment company, is a full-service studio dedicated to creating, developing, producing, distributing, marketing and merchandising family-based intellectual properties. DIC has distinguished itself by building one of the largest libraries of U.S. animation with more than 3,000 half-hours of renowned programming, including Inspector Gadget(TM), Strawberry Shortcake(TM), Knights of the Zodiac(TM), Sabrina (TM), Madeline(TM), Liberty's Kids(TM), Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?(TM), Sonic The Hedgehog(TM), Super Mario Bros(TM) and Super Duper Sumos(TM). In September 2003, DIC launched the DIC Kid's Network, a unique syndicated programming block designed to meet core FCC requirements and the only network for kids that reaches effectively 100 percent of U.S. households on over 400 stations, airing in every Designated Market Area across the country. As a pre-eminent supplier of kid's programming worldwide, DIC has developed strategic partnerships with key domestic and international broadcast partners throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa and Australia. DIC is headquartered in Burbank, California with international offices in New York, Paris, London and Cologne.