BOLINGBROOK, Ill., Jan. 6, 2004 -- Building upon the success of the officially-licensed John Deere Ertl line, RC2 Corporation announces plans to take farm and construction play full speed ahead into the future with the introduction of its John Deere Full Throttle vehicle line. These unique, die-cast collectibles combine time-honored "boy" farm and construction vehicle play patterns with the hot, tuner car craze of the new millennium. RC2's John Deere Full Throttle will be the only officially-licensed John Deere farming and construction tuner vehicle line on the market when the Company introduces its first product in January 2004.
The initial release of John Deere Full Throttle Vehicles will include
die-cast "Barn Burners," highly-stylized John Deere Farm Vehicles, and "Earth Shakers," sleek, contemporary John Deere Construction Vehicles. All John Deere Full Throttle products feature low profile tires, ground effects, chrome stacks, custom wheels, die-cast bodies and nitrous oxide tanks. Each vehicle will also have its own unique style number to enhance collectibility.
"The John Deere Full Throttle Vehicles are the ultimate dream machines for today's young kids," states Peter Henseler, President of RC2 Corporation. "This innovative concept successfully fuses the timeless, popular worlds of big machine equipment with the ultra-hip and cool tuner market. We are pleased to be working with John Deere once again on products that will appeal to kids' imaginations with this exciting new category of toys."
Additionally, Curt Stoelting, CEO of RC2 Corporation, comments that John Deere Full Throttle will add to the success and growth rate of this classic property that has been a part of RC2 Corporation's Ertl(R) brand for nearly 60 years. "Recent trends in the toy industry show that kids are looking for toys that 'tune' themselves," Stoelting says. "We've seen this trend illustrated first-hand with the success of our top-selling The Fast and the Furious and 2 Fast 2 Furious die-cast toys and the increasing popularity of tuner licenses such as our newly-acquired American Chopper(R) property. Combining the concepts of traditional farm and construction collectibles with the new craze in tuner toys makes this a win-win innovation for retailers, as well as today's consumers."
About RC2 Corporation
RC2 ( www.rc2corp.com ) is a leading producer and marketer of high quality, innovative collectibles and toys targeted at adult collectors and children, as measured by sales and brand recognition. The Company's diverse product offerings include: agricultural, construction and outdoor sports vehicle replicas; automotive, high performance and racing vehicle replicas; traditional children's toys; sports trading cards and racing apparel and souvenirs; and collectible figures. These products are sold under the Company's market-focused brand names, including Racing Champions(R), Ertl(R), Ertl Collectibles(R), Learning Curve(TM), American Muscle(TM), AMT(R), W. Britain(R), Press Pass(R), Eden(TM), Feltkids(R) and JoyRide Studios(R). The Company supports its brands and enhances the authenticity of its products by linking them with highly recognized licensed properties from John Deere, Harley-Davidson, HIT Entertainment, Lamaze, Case, Polaris, Honda, Caterpillar, Ford, GM, DaimlerChrysler, NASCAR, NHRA, Texaco, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, DIC Entertainment, Nintendo, Sega, Electronic Arts and Microsoft. The Company's products are marketed through multiple channels of distribution, including chain retailers, specialty and hobby wholesalers and retailers, OEM dealers, corporate accounts for promotional purposes and direct to consumers. The Company sells through more than 20,000 retail outlets located in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
