Saban
Consumer Products and Fox Kids Worldwide hop into
retail across the country as Easter hits,
providing a fun collection of
"Digimon"-branded merchandise at
retail.
Kids
and parents are picking up their favorite items
such as the popular "Digimon" Sticker
Eggs, the 6-inch Digi-Pal Bean Bag Plush and the
collectible line of Digivolving action figure
toys that evolve to Eggs of Friendship,
Sincerity, Courage, Love and Knowledge.
Kids
will love sending their friends their very own
"Digi"-Pal Bean Bag Plush (SRP $4.99)
from Bandai America or Digi-Collectible Toy Eggs
of Friendship, Sincerity, Courage, Love and
Knowledge (SRP $7.99) that Digivolve -- i.e.
Raidramon to Digi-Egg of Friendship or Syurimon
to Digi-Egg of Sincerity. Mello Smello has
created the "Digimon" Sticker Egg (SRP
$1.99), providing a fabulous activity gift with
60 colorful stickers included for decorating the
outside of the eggs. All are perfect "basket
stuffers" for the kid-favorite holiday.
"With
the immense popularity of `Digimon,' our
licensees have provided consumers with tremendous
value and extended play for the Easter
season," stated Elie Dekel, president, Saban
Consumer Products. "We continually work with
our licensees in creating innovative seasonal
merchandise for retail that will appeal to both
parents and kids alike. Retailers anticipate a
jump in sales at this time of the year, and our
brands help contribute to the popularity of
Easter items."
According
to the annual Easter shopping survey taken by the
International Mass Retail Association,
"Consumers will spend an average of $107.00
this Easter season."
It
is no wonder that toy stores across the nation
will be bracing themselves for what promises to
be a "hopping" Easter shopping blitz.
In addition, and according to the survey,
"kids will benefit most from the holiday
this year with nearly seven in ten Easter
shoppers planning to buy presents for their
children".
Along
with the distinction of being a top-10-selling
action toy for 2000, "Digimon" is the
most popular kids show today with children 6-11,
and the Digimon World Sony PlayStation game is
one of the year's top kids action video game
titles. Additionally, "Digimon"
routinely beats "Pokemon" in TV
ratings. All that and FoxKids.com, the home of
Digimon online, is the No. 1 Web site for kids
(No. 1 in "stickiness," or time spent
viewing the site for Kids 2-11).
Since
its debut in 1990, Fox Kids Network has
maintained a dominant position among key kid
demographics. Its 14 hours of weekly
(Monday-Saturday) programming is seen by 25
million kids and teens each month and by 20
million viewers aged 18 years and older.
Saban
Consumer Products leads the industry in
delivering innovative properties to market in all
forms of consumer products and promotions. From
classic brands to breakthrough successes, the
company's innovation and marketing drive have
resulted in creating some of the most successful
brands in the kids licensing industry.
Bandai
Co. Ltd. is the third-largest toy company in the
world. It has 53 subsidiaries in 18 countries
worldwide. Global interests include toys and
children's entertainment, video game software,
multimedia, music, full-length feature films,
vending machines, trading cards, candies and
licensed apparel.
Mello
Smello continues to be a leading innovator in the
world of stickers. The company not only produces
scratch-and-smell stickers but also other special
feature stickers like prismatic stickers, glitter
stickers, foil stickers and glow-in-the-dark
stickers. The Minneapolis-based Mello Smello just
introduced a full line of "Body Decor"
stickers featuring Body Stickers for clothing and
skin, Fashion Stickers for nails and skin and
temporary tattoos.