Mattel Provides First-Look At New Warner Bros. Licensed Products At New York Toy Fair 2003

(February 5, 2003 – Burbank, CA) – Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT) is set to take the stage at New York Toy Fair 2003 with an impressive line-up of Warner Bros. franchise properties. As part of its recently expanded relationship with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Mattel will feature toys based on Harry Potter, Looney Tunes, Baby Looney Tunes, Batman, Superman and Justice League. “This year is a first for Warner Bros. Consumer Products. To have these marquis brands represented by Mattel in this all-important category gives us unprecedented presence at Toy Fair,” said Dan Romanelli, President, Warner Bros. Worldwide Consumer Products. “We are working closely with Mattel to capture the individual traits that make each of these properties unique. Whether irreverent, magical or heroic, the products that will debut at Toy Fair will entertain kids of all ages.” “Working closely with Warner Bros. allows us to capture the core essence of each property in our toys in exciting and innovative ways,” said Matt Bousquette, President of Mattel’s Entertainment division. “We will be bringing these first-class characters to life in a way that kids and collectors have never before seen.” Based on Warner Bros. Consumer Products recent success with Mattel on Harry Potter, the company recently extended the relationship to include the development and marketing of vehicles, action figures, play sets, plush toys, games, puzzles, dolls and various other categories for five of Warner Bros. other key franchises, Looney Tunes, Baby Looney Tunes, Batman, Superman and Justice League. Mattel Entertainment’s 2003 Toy Fair line-up of Warner Bros. Consumer Products licensed merchandise includes: “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” The magic continues as Mattel showcases Harry Potter must-haves, such as the following: Hall of Hogwarts™ Board Game: It’s never the same game twice! The Hall of Hogwarts™ Board Game is a unique new game that has ever-changing halls and stairways just like Hogwarts™. Players are challenged to find their way to the classes on their schedules through continually changing pathways. As they go, players turn over tiles to reveal hallways and staircases, which can be positioned to create a path to other classrooms. The first player to reach all the classrooms wins. The board game also includes fun spell cards to add a magical twist to the journey. A.R.P.: $15.99; Age: 8+; Available: Now Mini 3-D Games: This new assortment features portable games that bring “to life" Harry’s experience as a second year student with mini three-dimensional playable environments. Kids will want to collect all the games, which feature their favorite Harry Potter™ characters. The assortment includes: Capture the Pixies Game, where players try to capture the Pixies that have escaped from Professor Lockhart’s classroom at Hogwarts™; and Escape the Dursleys, which challenges players to escape the Dursley house and jump into the Weasley car without being caught by Uncle Vernon. |A.R.P.: $12.99; Age: 8+; Available: Now Iced Pumpkin Drink Maker: Now kids can make their very own iced Pumpkin Drink, just like Harry Potter™ and his friends enjoyed while at Hogwarts™. Kids will feel like wizards as they mix the ingredients to create a magical icy pumpkin drink. First, kids fill the chamber with ice cubes and turn the handle to shave the ice. Then they can sprinkle the shaved ice with Pumpkin Spice Mix and add Wizard Sprinkles Mix, which makes the drink change color and make popping sounds. Kids can eat the flavored ice with a spoon or sip the drink from the cup. The Iced Pumpkin Drink Maker comes with the ice shaver machine, one serving/mixing cup, measuring spoon, one packet of Pumpkin Spice Mix and one packet of Wizard Sprinkles Mix. A.R.P.: $16.99; Age: 7+; Available: Now Web of Aragog Playset: This exciting playset lets kids play out the action of Aragog swooping down from his lair in the forbidden forest and trapping a figure in his super-stretchy web. Designed for play with Harry Potter™ figures, the playset contains the giant spider, web and web frame. Kids can use the giant legs to grab a figure and bring it into the oversized web. The super stretchy web can be stretched over three feet. A.R.P.: $12.99; Age: 5; Available: Now Sword of Gryffindor™: In the battle of good against evil, kids can use the Sword of Gryffindor™ to defeat the dark wizard forces -- just like Harry Potter™ did with the Basilisk. This kid-sized electronic sword makes six different battle sounds, which activate when kids swing it. A.R.P.: $14.99; Age: 5+; Available: Now Action Figures: The Dueling Club theme is extended in Fall 2003 with Dueling Hermione and Ron. Other new figures include Spider Attack Harry and Professor Dumbledore™. Acting out scenes from the Harry Potter™ movies is easy with these articulated figures; each of which has a special feature that lets kids re-create memorable film moments. The figures are carefully sculpted to look just like their movie counterparts. Harry, Lockhart and Malfoy can hold a wand, and they come with a Holo-Tile™ that depicts a scene from the movie when held up to the light. Assortment includes Quidditch™ Harry, Harry Potter™, Tom Riddle™, Dueling Club Harry, Dueling Club Lockhart, Dueling Club Malfoy. A.R.P.: $7.99; Age: 5+; Available: Now Wizard Pets Plush Assortment: This is a fun assortment of wizard pets for girls to collect and display. Each one comes with a cool vinyl potion "bottle” in which kids can store their pet. The potion "bottles" are perfect to pack in a backpack or purse, so girls can take their pets with them everywhere they go. Girls will want to collect all three of these soft, adorable plush pets from the world of Harry Potter™. The assortment includes: Hedwig™, Fawkes™ and Scabbers™. A.R.P.: $9.99; Age: 4+; Available: Now Looney Tunes With the theatrical release of the “Looney Tunes: Back in Action” live-action feature film starring Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Joan Cusack, Heather Locklear and Steve Martin slated to hit movie theaters November 14, 2003, the irreverent Looney Tunes characters will twirl their way into Toy Fair on a variety of products based on the film, including Don’t You Dare Daffy and Twisterz Plush Assortment. Don’t You Dare Daffy: Daffy Duck is forever the instigator of trouble. Turn Daffy on and he will dare kids to try and squash him by repeating a Daffy-like phrase to prompt them. By applying pressure to the top of Daffy’s head, his entire torso will compress. And as he is “squished” he may be heard saying comments like “You’re despicable!” or “All of a sudden I don’t quite feel like myself.” Daffy will waddle away with his arms flapping, once his body is completely compressed. Don’t You Dare Daffy repeats more than 15 different phrases. (Batteries not included.) A.R.P.: $27.99; Age: 4+; Available: September Twisterz Plush Assortment: These small but swift Looney Tunes™ characters will spin their way into kid’ hearts again with a few fast tugs on their pull-string cords. The assortment includes four lovable characters; Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Daffy, and Taz. A.R.P.: $5.99; Age: 4+; Available: September Also included in Mattel’s Looney Tunesline-up at Toy Fair will be beloved characters from the classic Looney Tunes property including Sing and Swing Tweety plush, action figures, games and other toys based on the whimsical Looney Tunes characters such as Bugs Bunny, Taz and Tweety. Baby Looney Tunes Products from Fisher-Price® Cute and cuddly beyond compare, Baby Looney Tunes will appear in a new line-up of merchandise from Fisher Price at this year’s Toy Fair. This beloved group of inimitable cartoon personalities recently made their television debut in Cartoon Network’s newest original animated television series, Baby Looney Tunes. Bunny Dance Bugs: With Bunny Dance Bugs kids can simply press his foot and he moves his ears up and down and dances along. As he moves, he sings his very own bunny dance song so kids can join in the fun! Requires 4 AA alkaline batteries, included. A.R.P.: $24.99; Age: 1+; Available: October 2003 Silly Talking Friends, the zany personalities of Baby Bugs Bunny and Baby Tweety come to life with Silly Talking Friends! Kids just give their bellies a squeeze to hear Baby Bugs and Baby Tweety say phrases with a little bit of attitude and a whole lot of love, just as they do in the new Baby Looney Tunes animated series on Cartoon Network. A.R.P.: $12.99; Age: 1+; Available: August 2003 With My First Plush assortment, children have special memories of their first soft, huggable toy! My First helps to create those memories for babies with Baby Bugs, Baby Tweety, Baby Taz and Baby Lola. Made from a soft and cuddly material, each one has a rattle inside that makes a gentle noise when shaken. A.R.P.: $7.99; Age: All Ages; Available: August 2003 Now kids can have a splashin’ good time in the tub with Bathtime Fun and their cute and cuddly Baby Looney Tunes pals, Baby Bugs and Baby Tweety! Made of material that is perfect for the water and dressed in their swimming trunks with floaties on their arms, Baby Bugs and Baby Tweety are ready to hit the water with kids. They even have a loop so they can be hung to dry. A.R.P.: $7.99; Age: 1+; Available: August 2003 Soft Melody Babies are all dressed up in their onesies, the Looney Tunes “small-fries” such as Baby Taz who carries his favorite blanket, are ready to share their love with baby. Simply give their bellies a squeeze and they play a soothing melody. Each has a strap on the back of the toy so they can be easily carried around. A.R.P.: $4.99; Age: All Ages; Available: August 2003 Additional Baby Looney Tunes products available are large plush with some of the favorite characters including Baby Bugs, Baby Lola and Baby Tweety. A.R.P.: $19.99; Age: 1+; Available: August 2003 Justice League When global catastrophe strikes it’s too great a menace for a single hero and only a team of the World’s Greatest Super Heroes can meet the challenge. Even with different backgrounds and diverse methods Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl band together to form the Justice League to fight for truth, justice and freedom. Mattel is enlisting these world famous DC Comics characters based on the Cartoon Network animated series for a new toy line to entertain super hero fans with: Justice League™ Basic Figures: Introduced to the world in comic book form in 1960, and followed by two cartoon series, the members of Justice League™ have been battling their foes for nearly half a century. They are longtime favorites who are having their first-time action figure debut. Standing 4≤-inches (approximately) tall, the articulated figures are based on the animated Justice League™ television series. The assortment includes Superman™, Batman™, Wonder Woman™, The Flash™, Green Lantern™, Martian Manhunter™, and Hawkgirl™. Each figure comes with a unique figure base and a lenticular collectible card with two action shots. Collect all the figures and snap the bases together to spell out "Justice League." A.R.P.: $5.99; Age: 4+; Available: Now Javelin 7 Space Jet Vehicle: The Javelin 7 Space Jet vehicle, a replica of the vehicle from the Justice League™ television series, is the ultimate accessory for any Justice League™ fan. The Javelin 7 Space Jet vehicle transforms into two separate ships, with room for one Justice League™ figure in each. A “missile” is loaded into the nose of each ship, making it ready for action. Comes with an exclusive Batman™ figure. A.R.P.: $19.99; Age: 4+; Available: Now Batman Gotham City’s Caped Crusader is back and even better. The Dark Knight is not only the ultimate crime fighter, but has mesmerized fans of all ages with imaginative adventures for decades. Mattel will be launching their new Batman product line in 2003, with a fresh, new look inspired by the dynamic action of Batman in DC comic books. The figures will have highly sculpted features to bring this world famous character to life. The line will include new action figures, vehicles, playsets and games and brand new excitement for one of the top 10 toy properties of all time. These products include: Batmobile: It’s classic yet contemporary. The new Batmobile styling is an original designed inspired by the DC Comics series, featuring tandem seating that allows Batman™ and Robin™ to cruise side-by-side. Robin’s seat actually ejects from the Batmobile and transforms into a stand-alone motorcycle with spring-loaded wings that pop out on each side. The Batmobile’s rear wing detaches to become Batman’s personal Jetpack. A.R.P.: $26.99; Age: 4+; Available: July Batman™ Deluxe Figures: These figures are highly detailed comic book-inspired sculpts, each with unique crime fighting accessories that make this cool superhero the world’s greatest detective. Approximately six-inches high, the assortment includes Stealth Wing Armor Batman, Night Patrol Armor Batman™, and Crime Patrol Batman™. A.R.P.: $10.99 Age: 4+; Available: August Warner Bros. Consumer Products is a division of Warner Bros., an AOL Time Warner Company, and is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world. Mattel, Inc. is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products. The company's best-selling brands include Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price® and American Girl®. With headquarters in El Segundo, California, Mattel has offices and facilities in 36 countries and sells its product in more than 150 nations throughout the world. The company's website can be found at www.mattel.com. # # #