ORLANDO, Fla., July 26 -- Action Products International Inc., a leading educational toy company, is today announcing an expansion of the market for its Jay Jay The Jet Plane Wooden Adventure System(TM) and Jay Jay The Jet Plane Die-Cast Metal Collection(TM). The Company expects to finalize a new distribution agreement with London-based Benjamin Toys Ltd. for the exclusive purchase and distribution of Action Products' Jay Jay The Jet Plane (JJJP) product lines into the United Kingdom. Benjamin Toys Ltd. recently signed an agreement with The Partnership, the licensing and merchandising agent for Jay Jay in the United Kingdom, and PorchLight Entertainment, Inc., the producer and worldwide distributor of the highly popular JJJP television series, for the UK license to market and sell JJJP brand toys designed, manufactured, and supplied by Action Products.
With this new agreement, Benjamin Toys becomes the distributor of Jay Jay The Jet Plane wood play sets into the British market. Action Products has been associated with Benjamin Toys in the UK since the introduction of its Space Voyagers® line of authentic space toys in 1999. This was followed in 2001 with the addition of Action Products' very popular EarthLore(TM) "I Dig Dinosaurs®" and "I Dig Treasures®" excavation activity kits to the UK distribution relationship. Founded in 1989, Benjamin Toys supplies quality products from several well-known toy manufacturers into the UK marketplace. Benjamin Toys' customer base includes many well-known specialty and department stores throughout the UK, including Toys R Us, Woolworth's, Mothercare, Index, Hamely's, Harrods, and John Lewis.
"Benjamin Toys is delighted to extend its association with Action Products through the addition of the Jay Jay The Jet Plane brand," stated Gary Conrad, Managing Director of Benjamin Toys. "We are convinced that Jay Jay and his airplane friends will continue to grow in popularity among children in the United Kingdom, further leveraging our success in the distribution of Action Products' portfolio of branded toys." Jay Jay The Jet Plane debuted as a daily television series in the United Kingdom on Channel 5 last fall and on Discovery Kids in January 2002. The United Kingdom is reported to have 60 million citizens.
"Our agreements with Benjamin Toys enhance Action Products' reach into the international marketplace and strengthen the long-term potential of our brands," commented Ron Kaplan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Action Products International, Inc. "We have been very happy with our partnership with Benjamin Toys, and we look forward to an even greater international presence with the Jay Jay The Jet Plane Wooden Adventure System and Die-Cast Metal Collection. Given the size and strength of the market in the United Kingdom, we believe the market has the potential to increase our overall Jay Jay sales by as much as ten percent. The fact that Jay Jay's television audience in the UK continues to expand is even more encouraging."
About Action Products International, Inc.
Action Products International, Inc. is a toy manufacturer emphasizing educational and non-violent products, including Jay Jay The Jet Plane Wooden Adventure System(TM), Earth Lore(TM) "I Dig Dinosaurs®" and "I Dig Treasures®" excavation activity kits, Space Voyagers® ("The most authentic Space Toys on Earth"), Climb@Tron(TM) window-climbing robots, Thomas & Friends(TM) Creative Play arts and crafts kits, Play and Store(TM) play boxes and Drop Zone Extreme(TM) parachute toys. Its products are marketed and sold to toy stores, specialty retailers, Internet retailers, museums, zoos, theme parks, attractions, catalog companies, and educational markets in the United States and worldwide.
About Jay Jay The Jet Plane:
"Jay Jay The Jet Plane," created by Deborah and David Michel, follows the adventures of a perky and curious six-year old jet plane named Jay Jay and his airplane friends who live and play at Tarrytown Airport, "a place where imagination takes flight." The 3-D animated television series remains a successful part of the PBS KIDS prestigious "Ready To Learn" programming block and is seen daily on over 300 PBS stations nationally, reaching virtually all U.S. television households. "Jay Jay The Jet Plane" is produced by PorchLight Entertainment and Modern Cartoons, in association with WonderWings.com Entertainment and Knightscove Entertainment.
About PorchLight Entertainment: (www.Porchlight.com)
PorchLight Entertainment, the worldwide distributor for Jay Jay, is a multi-faceted company focused on production and distribution of high-quality family entertainment. Since its formation in 1995 by veteran entertainment executives Bruce D. Johnson and William T. Baumann, PorchLight has produced eleven feature films including The Trial of Old Drum (Animal Planet), Treehouse Hostage (Disney Channel), Brainiacs.com (Disney Channel), Wild Grizzly, Night of the Twisters (Family Channel) and Stranger in Town (Showtime), in addition to the award-winning animated children's series Adventures from The Book of Virtues (PBS) and animated movies The Night Before Christmas; A Mouse Tale and The Haunted Pumpkin of Sleepy Hollow, as well as documentaries and interactive programming for distribution over the internet.
