PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Nov. 26, 2002 -- Kids around the world have made Hasbro, Inc.'s BEYBLADE line a global hit! From Canada to Australia, kids have discovered the excitement of BEYBLADE, the brand of high performance spinning tops that you build and battle, and they are quickly making it one of the most sought-after toys for this holiday season.
"The popularity of BEYBLADE has been tremendous," said Jim Feldt, President of Merchandising, Toys "R" Us. "Hasbro really has a winner on its hands. BEYBLADE is one of the top ten toys of the year, and we're proud to be part of the excitement."
"BEYBLADE is a hit in the Toys "R" Us International stores as well," added John Barbour, President of Toys "R" Us International. "The buzz this toy has generated around the world is amazing."
First introduced in Japan by Takara Co., Ltd., where it was the number-one toy in 2001, Hasbro brought the BEYBLADE line to the U.S. late last year with rollouts in various other countries throughout 2002. To date, Hasbro has sold more than two million BEYBLADE tops in the U.S. alone.
In addition to the U.S., where BEYBLADE was also recognized by eBay and Terra Lycos as one of the year's hottest toys, BEYBLADE is especially popular in Canada, the U.K., Spain and Australia. Both kids and parents are lining up at toy stores before opening hours to get first dibs on new BEYBLADE shipments, which often sell out within hours.
"We knew BEYBLADE would be a hit with kids around the world based on the great success Takara had with it in Japan," said Brian Goldner, President of Hasbro's U.S. toys group. "Spinning tops were identified early in 2002 as an industry trend and BEYBLADE has emerged as the overwhelming category leader. Kids all over the world love to build, customize, collect and compete, and BEYBLADE has all of those elements."
Each BEYBLADE top comes unassembled and ready for customization. Kids can interchange parts from various tops in their collections for ultimate performance and battle. Then they can strategically choose their BEYBLADE tops and launch them into action in a BEYSTADIUM self-contained arena. LET IT RIP (the ripcord, that is) and the last BEYBLADE top spinning gets the glory. The approximate retail price of BEYBLADE tops, launchers and stadiums range from $6.99-24.99. Kids can also catch more BEYBLADE action and excitement through the animated television series that airs nine times per week on the ABC Family Channel "kids block."
Through d-rights, Inc. and Corus Entertainment's Nelvana, merchandising agent for the BEYBLADE sports entertainment brand, Hasbro has the rights to manufacture tops and other toys in the U.S. and various other countries.
Corus Entertainment is a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is Canada's market leader in both specialty TV and Radio. Corus also owns Nelvana Limited, one of the world's largest international producers and distributors of children's programming and products. The company's other interests include music, television broadcasting and advertising services. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto (CJR.B) and New York (CJR) Exchanges. Corus' Web site can be found at corusentertainment.com.
Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world.
