Under a licensing agreement arranged by Moxie & Co., RUSS will create a variety of high quality Ziggy gifts, plush, inspirational novelties, and seasonal items for core specialty accounts, where the character has already achieved classic status and inspired fan loyalty, and for specific mass market retail outlets.

"We are thrilled to be working with RUSS, one of the finest plush and gift product manufacturers in the world. We know that RUSS will provide exceptional products that are consistent with the image and standards of the character," said Tom Wilson, Ziggy cartoonist and president of Ziggy & Friends, Inc. "Ziggy is in good hands at RUSS. They are the company and brand that has earned the respect, trust, and superior reputation from consumers and industry professionals through consistent delivery of top quality products."

Specific to its core accounts, RUSS will design an array of Ziggy products including the RUSS 'Heart of Gold' series which will include soft message dolls, figurines, mugs, magnets, plaques, and ornaments for everyday, special occasion, and seasonal giving. These products are designed as three-dimensional greetings reflecting the personality of Ziggy and communicating heartfelt feelings between giver and recipient. For the mass market, RUSS will develop a unique and very different line of Ziggy-related products and implement an in-store point of sales program.

"We are pleased to join with Tom Wilson in developing exciting products that capture the humor and wisdom of Ziggy's enduring cartoon personality," said RUSS President and CEO Andy Gatto. "Ziggy appeals to a very wide audience, from children to their parents and grandparents," Gatto continued. "We have designed a unique product line that will capture the attention of both long time faithful fans of Ziggy, as well as embrace an entirely new generation. We are delighted to add this charismatic character to our family of licensed products beginning in early 2005."

RUSS joins a well-balanced licensing program, which is being established by Moxie & Co. to deliver Ziggy to his longtime, faithful fan base, while introducing the character to younger generations, in very specific, defined categories. By reaching out to various demographics through high quality merchandise and availability in reliable distribution channels, Ziggy is able to show the "everyman" qualities that have made him a popular, cultural character for more than three decades.

With more than a dozen high quality licensees, including RUSS, SaraMax Apparel Group, Casa d'Oro, Andrews McMeel Publishing, Universal Studios, and Incentive Media, Ziggy is extending his boundaries beyond the newspaper comic pages and into mainstream stores.

ABOUT ZIGGY:

Ziggy was created by Tom Wilson in 1971. Wilson created Ziggy & Friends, Inc. as the company that would provide the artistic and creative force behind his kind and charismatic comic character creation. For the past 17 years, Tom Wilson II has been drawing the daily Ziggy comic panel, the Sunday Ziggy comic strip and authoring the collection of Ziggy books in conjunction with his father's creative influence in the company. Though retired from the day-to-day operation of drawing Ziggy & Friends, the senior Wilson's creative influence, humor and wisdom is ongoing and very apparent in Ziggy comics.

The Ziggy comic panel appears weekdays and Sundays in more than 600 newspapers nationwide. Ziggy is the official SpokesCharacter for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, helping to raise awareness and raise funds for research and care to support people afflicted by blood cancers. Ziggy also helps raise environmental awareness, through a partnership with Earth Day Network, and supports the Annual World Hunger Day message.

In September, Andrews McMeel Universal Publishing introduced the latest Ziggy book, Character Matters, the newest in the line of best-selling Ziggy books and collectible literature, that already includes Ziggy Goes Hollywood, The Zen of Ziggy, Ziggy's Friends for Life, a 30th Anniversary Tribute to Zig from All of His Friends, The Ziggy Treasury Collection (1977), and the four-part series of collectible mini books: Ziggy's Little Book of Friendship, Ziggy's Little Book of Heart Thoughts to Cheer You, Ziggy's Little Wish Book for Someone Special, and Ziggy's Little Wish Book for Your Birthday.

ABOUT RUSS BERRIE AND COMPANY, INC.:

Russ Berrie and Company, Inc., a leader in the gift industry, (and its wholly-owned subsidiaries), designs, develops, and distributes more than 8,000 innovative gift products through 41,000+ specialty retail stores worldwide. Known for its teddy bears and other plush animals, the Company's gift line is comprised of a diverse range of everyday, seasonal, and occasion-themed products. Founded in 1963 by the late Russ Berrie from a rented garage in New Jersey, today the Company operates offices, showrooms, and distribution centers throughout the world and trades on the NYSE under the symbol RUS.