4Kids Ramps Up Licensing Program for Dinosaur King

NEW YORK, July 24: A trio
of new licensees have signed on for the launch of a worldwide licensing program
for 4Kids Entertainment’s Dinosaur King: Playmates, Upper Deck and SEGA.

The property’s master toy
licensee, Playmates Toys, is prepping a product line, including dinosaur
figures and role-play items, for release in spring 2009. Playmates will distribute
the range throughout North America and Eastern Europe, with one or more
distribution partners to cover the remaining territories outside of Asia and
the Middle East.

Upper Deck is launching a
new trading-card game, slated for release in October. The game will feature
dinosaur art, easy-to-learn gameplay and real dinosaur facts on every card. Dinosaur
King trading cards will also be
included with the Playmates Toys’ figures. The 130-plus collectible card set
includes more than 80 dinosaurs, featuring three different foil technologies.

In September, SEGA is set
to release a kid-friendly video game inspired by the series for the Nintendo DS
console. Players can excavate, battle and trade items in a quest to save the
dinosaurs from extinction.

Dinosaur King, based on an international arcade and collectable
card game from SEGA, is currently airing in its first season on Saturday
mornings on 4Kids TV in the U.S. Additional broadcasters include YTV in Canada,
TV2 in Denmark, TV4 in Sweden, Mediaset in Italy, RTL2 in Germany, France 3 and
Canal J in France and Jetix in the U.K., Scandinavia, Spain and Latin America.

“With Dinosaur King growing in popularity, we are delighted to be
partnering with such world-class organizations as SEGA, Playmates and Upper Deck,”
said Alfred R. Kahn, the chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment.
“Each is a leader in their respective categories, and we believe that their
compelling product lines will further enhance the brand experience for children
around the world.”

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski