Tualatin, OR - (May 8, 2003) - Oregon Scientific, Inc. today announced it is racing into 2003 with a supercharged line-up of new and upgraded learning products in its licensing agreement with Mattel, Inc. and its Hot Wheels™ brand.
Paced by the powerful new Hot Wheels learning laptop, Oregon Scientific blows away the competition with a new and improved line of Hot Wheels™ electronic learning products. The new products feature a learning station, and an updated model of the classic Hot Wheels Accelerator refueled with new activities. The new additions follow the success of Oregon Scientific's first Hot Wheels™ product, the Hot Wheels Accelerator, which sped straight up hot products charts and won the race for award-winning recognition and product testing honors.
Steve Jackson, Vice President of Sales at Oregon Scientific, said, "We are very pleased with the success of the first Hot Wheels Accelerator, and are really revved up about rolling out the new Hot Wheels™ products. We really enjoy working with the Mattel license, and look forward to continuing the expansion of our Hot Wheels™ and Barbie™ lines of licensed learning products over the next few years."
Designed for top performance, Hot Wheels™ electronic learning products are filled with high impact entertainment and powerful educational value. All of the products in the Oregon Scientific Hot Wheels™ line are consistent with the recognizable, dynamic, colorful, blazing Hot Wheels™ logo and blue and orange colors that immediately imply the respect and high quality standards established by Mattel.
Oregon Scientific steers children in a new direction, putting them on the road to learning in new, fun and exciting ways. Complete with bilingual activities, the new products feature awesome activities that give boys a boost in memory, spelling, logic, math, and vocabulary. The new products include an upgraded Hot Wheels Accelerator and a younger addition Hot Wheels™ learning laptop.
The elements for each new Hot Wheels™ item in the Oregon Scientific line are:
The third generation Hot Wheels Accelerator ($59.99) laptop offers three times the acceleration with cool interactive games and activities. The 50 exciting English activities include spelling, vocabulary, grammar, keyboard skills, math, memory, logic, games, music and tools. Taking learning to a new level, the new Accelerator features 10 Spanish language activities as well. Improved sound delivers high quality sound effects and voice-over-music. The Accelerator sports a new look as a cool car-like case with a pumped up engine, reflectors and a custom plate. Expansion cards are sold separately for more fast-paced fun.
The new Hot Wheels™ Quick Start™ ($39.99) from Oregon Scientific has little racers geared up for a specially designed learning laptop for ages 3 and up. With ten terrific teaching tools that are spread out on a specially designed, large alphabet keypad, that is ideal for small fingers, Oregon Scientific and Hot Wheels™ help children shift through every activity from the alphabet to phonics. Being quick to start learning combined in an easy-to-use selector for games and cool tunes gives every child positive reinforcement and encouragement throughout fast paced learning fun.
In 2000, Oregon Scientific acquired the Barbie™ license from Mattel and introduced the first family of digital learning products based on the Barbie™ franchise. Soon after, Oregon Scientific and Mattel signed a separate agreement with the Hot Wheels license for electronic learning products. Together the Oregon Scientific licensed lines from Mattel provide a choice to consumers in different targets demographics.
"The licenses from Mattel have been a tremendous asset to the success of our electronic learning products for children," Jackson said. "The items have performed so well on the market that we now have more than 15 different Mattel licensed products in our line."
ABOUT OREGON SCIENTIFIC:
Oregon Scientific, Inc. was founded in 1991. It is a division of the Hong Kong listed parent company, IDT International Limited. The company is one of the world's leading designers and marketers of award-winning, upscale personal electronic products, offering five families of products that all incorporate the company's advanced liquid-crystal display (LCD) technology, for use at home, in business, while traveling and during recreational time. Oregon Scientific, Inc. is headquartered in Tualatin, Oregon, with offices in Stamford, CT and Chicago. Oregon Scientific maintains a toll-free consumer assistance center at 1-800-853-8883 to provide product information and available store locations. The website address for further company information is www.oregonscientific.com
BARBIE™, HOT WHEELS™ and associated trademarks are owned by and used under license from Mattel, Inc. © 2002 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Oregon Scientific Hot Wheels Electronic Learning Products do not have storage or on-line capability.
