HIT Entertainment Digital Newsroom

Roary The Racing Car™ Is Full Speed Ahead In The U.S. With New Master Toy Partner Bandai America Incorporated

Chapman Entertainment, HIT Entertainment and Bandai America to Partner for the First Time to Launch Exclusive New Toy Line at Toys"R"Us in Fall in the U.S.

NEW YORK, NY

UK television production and licensing company, Chapman Entertainment, and HIT Entertainment, a leading provider of quality children's entertainment and the North American representative for Chapman Entertainment's international sensation Roary the Racing Car™, proudly announce a new creative partnership with Bandai America Incorporated to bring a full line of Roarytoys to children in the U.S. The new toy line will be available exclusively at Toys"R"Us stores starting in Fall 2010. This deal marks the first time that Chapman and HIT have teamed up with Bandai America.

As the U.S. master toy licensee for the speed-loving racing car Roary™ and all his friends, Bandai America will offer a full line of Roary toy products in multiple categories including die-cast, push-along and friction cars, remote control vehicles, playsets and more. Three key items - die cast vehicles, friction cars and the remote controlled Roary - will be packaged with a special episode of Roary the Racing Car on DVD. All products will be age-graded 3+ and will range in price from $4.99 to $24.99 SRP at Toys"R"Us.

Narrated in the U.S. by Indy and NASCAR racer Sam Hornish Jr., Roary the Racing Car was launched exclusively in the U.S. on 24-hour preschool television channel Sprout® in fall 2008.

"Roary the Racing Carhas all the ingredientsthat translate into asuccessful toy program: great stories, strong characters and aclassic play pattern," said Gary Krakower, Senior Vice President, U.S. Licensing and & Live Events, HIT Entertainment. "Chapman Entertainment has created an international sensation with this series, and U.S. consumers have been clamoring for products since the show first launched on Sprout. Weare excited to embark onthe race to success with ournewmaster toy partner, Bandai and their full line of imaginative, fun Roary toys."

"Roary the Racing Car has been a successful International brand for years, capturing the hearts of children and adults across the pond," said Mark Schaffner, Executive Vice President, Toys for Bandai America. "We're thrilled to partner with Chapman Entertainment & HIT Entertainment to extend the brand's fan base. Roary represents fresh, heartwarming fun that will certainly inspire today's preschoolers."

Andrew Haydon, Chapman Entertainment's Commercial and Finance Director adds, "There has been a lot of hard work and a lot of fun getting Roary ready for his big debut in the States. We are very excited to bring these products to market with Bandai and HIT, and we hope that they will race off the shelves in America, as they have done throughout the rest of the world. Roary is now broadcast in 140 countries and has sold in excess of 10 million products since launch."

About Roary the Racing Car
Roary the Racing Car is a turbo-charged pre-school series that follows the adventures of Roary™, a bright, loveable and energetic single-seater, and his amazing and diverse group of racing car friends at Silver Hatch race track. Roary's™ enthusiasm and curiosity often leads him into trouble, but he's a novice with a heart of chrome under his hood, always willing to make amends. Children join Roary™ on his journey, learning lessons as they go: how to do the right thing, how to be positive and helpful to others, road safety, the environment, ways to share and communicate, problem-solving and the importance of exercise and healthy living. The series uses a cutting edge combination of CGI, stop frame animation and colorful sets to convey a real sense of speed with all the thrills and spills of the race track. For more information, please visit www.roarytheracingcar.com

About HIT Entertainment
HIT Entertainment is one of the world's leading independent children's entertainment producers and rights-owners. HIT's portfolio includes properties, such as Barney™, Bob the Builder™, Thomas & Friends™, Pingu™, Fireman Sam™, Angelina Ballerina™ and Rainbow Magic™. HIT represents Chapman Entertainment's Fifi and the Flowertots™ and Roary the Racing Car™ in North America, as well as Wallace & Gromit™, Shaun the Sheep™, Timmy Time™ and Aardman Classics from Aardman Animations. HIT also acts as representative for The Wiggles® in the UK. Launched in 1989, HIT's lines of business span television and video production, content distribution, publishing, consumer products licensing and live events and has operations in the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong and Japan. HIT is a part-owner of US-based preschool channel, PBS KIDS SproutSM, and international preschool channel JimJam, (outside of the US, UK and China). For more information, visit www.hitentertainment.com.

About Bandai America Incorporated
A leader in introducing Japanese toy trends to the United States, Bandai America Incorporated is a subsidiary of NAMCO BANDAI Holdings (USA) Inc., an entity that resulted from the integration of Namco Ltd. and Bandai Co. Ltd. of Japan. Global interests encompass four strategic business units: toys and hobby, amusement facilities, game contents & visual and music content. Bandai America Incorporated is the manufacturer and master toy licensee of some of the most popular brands in children's toys and entertainment today, including Power Rangers™, Ben 10™, Dragon Ball Z® , Harumika, and Tamagotchi®. The company is headquartered in Cypress, California and information is available at www.Bandai.com. You can follow us on Twitter @BandaiAmerica.

About Chapman Entertainment
Chapman Entertainment was founded by Managing Director, Greg Lynn, Creative Director, Keith Chapman - the originator of Bob The Builder and Fifi and the Flowertots - and Commercial and Finance Director, Andrew Haydon. It is a rapidly growing company specializing in the creation, production and IP management of original, quality children's and family entertainment properties. Creativity is key to the company which is evident through its first hit series, Fifi and the Flowertots, and there are a raft of other projects already under way including BBC acquisitions Rah Rah the Noisy Lion and Little Charley Bear. For more information, please visit www.chapmanentertainment.co.uk.

To download artwork, please visit www.hitnewsonline.com.