HIT Entertainment Digital Newsroom

HIT Entertainment Expands Arts & Crafts & Outdoor Play Options For Preschoolers With New Partners And Products For Thomas & Friends™

New York, NY

HIT Entertainment, a leading provider of quality preschool entertainment, is inviting preschoolers all aboard with Thomas & Friends, as the #1 Engine expands into new indoor and play outdoor product categories. Through all-new deals with Mega Brands America (Rose Art), PTI Sports, LLC, Planet Toys and an expanded relationship with Huffy, HIT is taking the Thomas & Friends experience to the arts & crafts table and the great outdoors.

Highlights from these new deals and expanded lines include:

• Mega Brands America (Rose Art) will be offering all-new Thomas & Friends-themed creative play products that will include MagiColor™, a patented color reveal process for Mega Brands Rose Art, and Super Draw Art and Dough products. These new items are now available in stores with a suggested retail price range of $7.99 to $24.99.
• The Huffy Corporation is full steam ahead with the Thomas & Friends-themed 12" sidewalk bike. Boys and girls can explore their neighborhoods with their favorite Island-of-Sodor-adventurer. The bike is now available in mid and mass retailers with a suggested retail price range of $69.99-$79.99.
• PTI Sports, LLC, one of the largest manufacturers of Bicycle & Skate Helmets and Accessories in the US, are all aboard for the first time with a new Thomas & Friends-themed Multi-Protective Pack that includes a helmet, elbow and knee pads. The Thomas & Friends-themed Multi Protective Pack is available now at Toys "R" Us with a suggested retail price of $19.99.
• Planet Toys takes this train. Next stop is to your backyard with the Thomas & Friends-themed Inflatable Bounce Around, with a suggested retail price of $179.99 to $199.99; and the Thomas & Friends-themed Ball Pit, with a suggested retail price of $39.99 to $49.99, which will be making stops at mass retailers in Spring 2007.

About Thomas & Friends

Thomas & Friends invites children to enter a world of imagination through the tracks of a train and the words of a story. Thomas the Tank Engine was created by a father for his son more than 60 years ago. Today, families in more than 145 countries enjoy fun and adventure with their engine friends while experiencing timeless life lessons of discovery, friendship and cooperation. Thomas & Friends is making tracks to great destinations on PBS KIDS® and PBS KIDS Sprout℠. For more information about the world of Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends, please visit www.thomasandfriends.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.