HIT Entertainment Digital Newsroom

Bob The Builder™ Gets The Job Done At Toy Fair 2007 With Introduction Of Brand New Toys And Entertainment Offerings For Aspiring Builders

02/12/2007

NEW YORK

HIT Entertainment and Learning Curve are hard at work for this year's Toy Fair as they unveil the new toys for everyone's favorite foreman - Bob the Builder. The new line builds upon popular favorites with new remote control vehicles, ride-ons and playsets, laying the foundation for plenty of construction fun with Bob the Builder and his Can-Do Crew. New DVD's, special appearances at the Day Out With Thomas™ 2007: Come Ride the Rails Tour and more stops for the first-ever Bob the Builder - Project: Build It Traveling Museum Exhibit will keep Bob the Builder busier than ever. All this activity leads up to the highly-anticipated fall season of Bob the Builder - Project: Build It on PBS KIDS®, introducing new vehicles and new building destinations.

Can You Play With It? Yes You Can!

Learning Curve® is making sure that Bob the Builder fans have all the tools they need to watch along and build along to help Bob get the job done! The innovative line of toys includes a range of products from preschool toys to battery-operated ride-ons and more. A key item for this fall, the remote controlled Bob the Builder Super Stunt Scrambler inspires hours of fun play for ages 3+ featuring exciting wheelie-tricks such as the wheelie spin & riding wheelie. Kids can also make Wheelie Scrambler spin, drive, talk and play music with use its simple remote control. Additionally, the Bob the Builder's Power Dough Construction Site is the newest addition to the popular Take Along line of products. Featuring brand new Building Dough for endless fun and creativity, this Take Along set encourages kids to use their imaginations and their vehicles to mix, mold and build with the dough, creating different shapes and tools.

Bob the Builder On The Road

Bob the Builder will be on the road as never before, with visits to the popular Day Out With Thomas 2007: All Aboard Tour and new dates for his critically-acclaimed museum tour. In a 20-minute performance, at the Day Out With Thomas Tour, Bob the Builder will ask for the help of aspiring Can-Do Crew members to build a shed for Thomas to sleep in while he's visiting the railroad. The Day Out With Thomas 2007: All Aboard Tour is an annual fun-filled event that offers preschoolers and their families the opportunity to take a ride on a 15-ton replica of Thomas the Tank Engine, and enjoy lots of additional Thomas-themed entertainment.

In June 2006, the first-ever hands-on Bob the Builder - Project: Build It Traveling Museum Exhibit debuted at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Inspired by the top rated television series, Bob the Builder - Project: Build It, the exhibit replicates elements from Bob the Builder's world in Sunflower Valley inviting exploration, inspiring teamwork and bringing building themes to life for children and families. With visits to 30 major markets in North America through 2011, the 2,000 square-foot exhibit will reach more than 2 million children and families. The Bob the Builder - Project: Build It Traveling Museum Exhibit is currently at the Minnesota Children's Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota until April 22, 2007 and the Children's Museum of Seattle until May 21, 2007.

Bob the Builder At Home

In addition to Bob the Builder's busy schedule on the road at Day Out With Thomas 2007 and children's museums nationwide, everyone's favorite builder will also star in two new DVD releases from HIT Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. In Bob the Builder: New to the Crew, currently available on DVD for the suggested retail price of $14.98, newcomers Sumsy and Packer join the Can-Do Crew to hammer out a solution to build a bridge, a barn, a school and more. Additionally, the always hard at work Bob is finishing his workshop and building a new school and a visitor center in the all-new Bob the Builder: Bob's Top Team, available on DVD on March 13th. When Bob must build different houses for everyone, he realizes his Can-Do Crew really can do anything because they are Bob's Top Team!

About Bob the Builder™

Bob the Builder and his machine team are ready to tackle any project. As they hammer out the solutions that lead to a job well done, Bob and the Can-Do Crew demonstrate the power of positive thinking, problem-solving, teamwork and follow-through. Most importantly, from start to finish, the team always shows that The Fun Is In Getting It Done! Bob the Builder is produced at HOT Animation and can be seen building, digging and hauling on PBS KIDS® and PBS KIDS Sprout℠. For more information about Bob the Builder, and the Can-Do Crew please visit www.bobthebuilder.com.

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 RC2 Corporation

RC2 Corporation ( w w w.rc2.com ) is a leading designer, producer and marketer of innovative, high-quality toys, collectibles, and infant care products that are targeted to consumers of all ages. RC2's infant, toddler and preschool products are marketed under its Learning Curve® ( w w w.learningcurve.co m ) family of brands which includes The First Years® by Learning Curve and Lamaze brands as well as popular and classic licensed properties such as Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, Winnie the Pooh, John Deere, Nickelodeon and Sesame Street. RC2 markets its boys' toys and collectible products under the Johnny Lightning® ( w w w.johnnylightning.com ) and Ertl®, ( w w w.ertl.co m ) brands. RC2 reaches its target consumers through multiple channels of distribution supporting more than 25,000 retail outlets throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia Pacific.