HIT Entertainment Digital Newsroom

HIT Entertainment Unveils Dino-mite Plans For Barney™'s 20th Anniversary Celebration

National Bus Tour, New Non-Profit Partner, New Toy Line and DVD Kick-Off 20 Years Of Imagining, Dancing And Learning

06/19/2007

NEW YORK

When one of the biggest stars on the planet celebrates a birthday, it is big news. When your name is Barney, everyone's favorite purple dinosaur, it becomes a super-dee-duper, dinosaurus-sized extravaganza. HIT Entertainment announces colossal plans for its beloved dinosaur's 20th birthday celebration. The extravaganza will kick-off this September with a 20-city national Purple Bus Tour, sponsored by JAKKS Pacific and in partnership with Toys "R" Us and Children's Miracle Network (CMN). The tour will begin on the west coast and visit top markets across the country through next spring. Other activities tied to the birthday celebration include the retail launch of the all-new Barney preschool toy line from master toy licensee, JAKKS Pacific, as well as the new, birthday-themed DVD, Barney: Dino-Mite Birthday, from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

"Barney is one of the most iconic preschool properties in the world, and over the last 20 years, he has demonstrated sharing and caring and encouraged imagining, dancing and learning," said Jamie Cygielman, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Consumer Products, HIT Entertainment, North America. "This fall marks the kickoff of a year-long birthday celebration that gives fans - both past and present - an opportunity to celebrate with Barney."

Barney 20th Anniversary National Purple Bus Tour:

The 20-city nationwide tour is Barney's way of giving back to all the children that have loved him for so many years. At each three-day stop, Barney, along with a local celebrity, will first visit children at local Children's Miracle Network hospitals where Barney will perform a birthday Sing-Along, take pictures and donate toys and DVDs to the children's ward. The celebrity will also present Barney with a special gift, and when the tour ends, all the gifts collected throughout the journey will be auctioned off, with all proceeds benefiting Children's Miracle Network.

On the second and third day of each local stop, he will host a meet-and-greet birthday party at Toys R" Us stores. Children will have the opportunity to present Barney with a super-dee-duper birthday card that they design and create right at the Toys "R" Us store!

Barney Birthday DVD From Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment:

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is joining in on the birthday celebration as it presents Barney: Dino-Mite Birthday, debuting on DVD September 11th, 2007. In the DVD, Barney's friends, BJ, Baby Bop and Riff are preparing to throw him a SUPER-DEE-DUPER surprise birthday party! Join in on the fun and celebrate Barney's special day! Barney: Dino-Mite Birthday will include coloring and activity sheet inserts and will be available for the suggested retail price of $14.98.

Musical And Interactive Barney Toys From JAKKS Pacific:

Also this fall, timed to the kick off of the birthday celebration, Barney toys from JAKKS Pacific's Child Guidance® Preschool Division will debut at retail. With an emphasis on active play among preschoolers, these musical and interactive toys help to broaden the minds of young children while also awakening their musical abilities. The new Barney toy line will include an assortment of plush, musical instruments, interactive toys like cell phones and laptops, push and go vehicles and bath toys.

The new toy line will be supported with an on-pack Barney Be A Star Sweepstakes, inviting children to submit their own music videos for a chance to win a walk-on role on one of the Barney shows.

20 Years of Barney:

Created in 1987 by Sheryl Leach, a former teacher and mother, Barney has become a staple in preschoolers lives, led by phenomenal success on television. Barney & Friends changed the face of children's television, and the series continues to be one of the top-rated preschool shows on television. The series added its first new dino in 13 years in the fall of 2006, when Riff, the 6 year-old Hadrasaur was introduced, bringing with him a new music curriculum. The 11th season of Barney & Friends™ will premiere on PBS KIDS September 3, 2007.

About HIT Entertainment

HIT Entertainment, owned by private equity investment group Apax Partners since June 2005, is one of the world’s leading independent children’s entertainment producers and rights-owners. HIT’s portfolio includes internationally renowned children’s properties, such as Bob the Builder™, Barney™, Thomas & Friends™, Pingu™, Rubbadubbers™ and Angelina Ballerina™. HIT acts as a representative for The Wiggles® in the UK, US and Canada and as worldwide representative for The Jim Henson Company’s library of classic family brands, including Fraggle Rock™. HIT also owns the Guinness World Records™ publishing and television property and Fireman Sam™, a joint venture with S4C. Launched in 1989, HIT’s lines of business span television and video production (including studios in the US and the UK), publishing, consumer products licensing and live events. With a catalog of more than 1,000 hours of young children’s programming, HIT sells its shows to more than 240 countries worldwide, in more than 40 different languages and has operations in the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan. In 2005, the Company joined Comcast Corporation, PBS and Sesame Workshop to launch PBS KIDS Sprout℠, a 24-hour digital cable channel and VOD service for preschoolers. For more information, visit www.hitentertainment.com.

About Twentieth Century Fox

A recognized global industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC (TCFHE) is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD) as well as acquisitions and original productions. The company also releases all products around the globe for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets—from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce - throughout the world. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company.

About JAKKS Pacific, Inc.

JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) is a multi-brand company that designs and markets a broad range of toys and consumer products. The product categories include: Action Figures, Art Activity Kits, Stationery, Writing Instruments, Performance Kites, Water Toys, Sports Activity Toys, Vehicles, Infant/Pre-School, Plush, Construction Toys, Electronics, Dolls, Dress-Up, Role Play, and Pet Toys and Accessories. The products are sold under various brand names including JAKKS Pacific®, Play Along®, Flying Colors®, Creative Designs International™, Road Champs®, Child Guidance®, Pentech®, Trendmasters®, Toymax®, Funnoodle®, Go Fly a Kite®, Color Workshop®, JPI™ and Plug It In & Play TV Games™. JAKKS and THQ Inc. participate in a joint venture that has worldwide rights to publish and market World Wrestling Entertainment video games. For further information, visit www.jakkspacific.com.