EL SEGUNDO, CA, November 7, 2001 - In the '70s, American's were wearing gaucho pants and watching The Six Million Dollar Man. The '80s had Toto at the top of the music charts and skinny ties were all the rage. When the '90s rolled around it was time for cargo pants and Beverly Hills 90210. One might wonder what all of these have to do with each other and the answer is...absolutely nothing. But through it all, UNO(R) has been a thread of pop culture that has run through three decades of trends as America's favorite fun-filled, fast-paced game. From top supermodels playing UNO at parties to popular singing group *NSYNC taking the game along with them on tour, UNO has been an integral and exciting part of family vacations, slumber parties, friendly gatherings and road trips. To celebrate three decades of fun Mattel Games is releasing a collectible UNO(R) 30th Anniversary Edition and hosting a celebrity playoff for amfAR this evening in New York City.
Hosted by Jamie-Lynn Sigler (The Sopranos) and Bobby Cannavale (100 Centre Street), the event pairs celebrities with New Yorkers to see who exactly is the numero UNO card player. Dealing out the cards will be David Alan Grier, supermodel Emme, Jason Cerbone (The Sopranos), Miss Universe Denise Quinones, New York Yankee David Justice, Marg Helgenberger (CSI), singer Faith Evans, George Wallace (Politically Incorrect), Brian McFaden (MTV), recording artist Pink and the hot new band LMNT.
"We couldn't be more excited about celebrating the release of the UNO 30th Anniversary Collector Edition with our celebrity playoff for charity in New York City," says Phil Jackson, vice president of Games & Puzzles Marketing for Mattel, Inc. "The event pays tribute to one of the most popular card games of all time, while benefiting such a worthy cause."
"We are very happy to be participating in this star-studded event celebrating 30 years of UNO," says Jerome J. Radwin, CEO of amfAR. "The generous support of Mattel will enable us to continue our research in the fight against HIV and AIDS."
UNO was created in 1971 by Merle Robbins, an Ohio barbershop owner who loved to play cards. He and his family decided to pool together $8,000, and had 5,000 games made. Since then, more than 150 million UNO games have been sold worldwide, in more than 20 different languages. There is an expansive line of UNO games with such hits as UNO STACKO(TM), UNO(R) attack!(TM) and UNO BLITZO(TM).
UNO is a classic fast-paced card game that both kids and adults love because it's easy to learn and fun to play. UNO is played by two or more players, and the first to score 500 points wins the game. Points are earned when the first player uses all of the cards in their hand. The points gained are based on the cards that the opponents are left holding. The game comes with 110 cards in four bright colors and five suits. It might sound easy, but a "Draw Two," "Skip" or "Draw Four Wild" card can move a player at the top of the game to the bottom of the deck. This special UNO game celebrates its milestone anniversary with a collectible edition featuring metallic edged cards and a jeweler's style hinged collector's case for storage.
The UNO 30th Anniversary Edition is available now at an approximate retail price of $9.99.
The American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) is the leading U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of AIDS research, AIDS prevention, treatment, education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy. Since 1985, amfAR has invested nearly $190 million in support for its programs and awarded grants to over 1,900 research teams worldwide.
Mattel, Inc.'s Boys/Entertainment division's portfolio of global brands includes some of the most popular products in the toy industry today. The division is comprised of three segments, which include Wheels, Entertainment and Games and Puzzles. The Wheels segment includes Hot Wheels(R), the No.1 selling toy vehicle across all categories in the toy industry, Matchbox(R) and Tyco(R) R/C. Mattel Wheels appeals to guys ages two to 92 with toys, consumer products and collectibles. Mattel's exciting entertainment-inspired toy lines include Harry Potter(TM), Nickelodeon's Rugrats(TM), Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius(TM), Rocket Power(TM), The Wild Thornberry's(TM), SpongeBob SquarePants(TM), as well as Mattel Action brands; Rock 'em Sock 'em(TM) Robots, Masters of the Universe(R) and Max Steel(TM). Mattel's Games and Puzzles include favorite classics such as UNO(R), Magic 8 Ball(R), Skip Bo(R), Ker Plunk(R), Toss Across(R), Fisher-Price(R), Disney Games and outside North America, Scrabble(R).
UNO and associated trademarks are owned by Mattel, Inc.
Hot Wheels(R), Matchbox(R), Tyco(R), Rock 'em Sock 'em(TM), Masters of the Universe(R), Max Steel(TM), Magic 8 Ball(R), Skip Bo(R), Ker Plunk!(R), Toss Across(R), and Fisher-Price(R), are trademarks owned by Mattel, Inc., El Segundo, CA, USA.
