Ring in the New Year With Cool New Hot Wheels Phone Faceplates

Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- More than ever Americans appreciate the fundamental value of the cell phone, and industry experts agree that cell phones and their accessories will be among the most sought-after items this holiday season. Now, just in time to grab something for those "hard-to-buy-for" people on shopping lists everywhere and shift the holiday season into high gear, Mattel, Inc.'s Boys/Entertainment New Media group today announced it has signed a licensing agreement with Shmaze Industries, a Nokia OK manufacturer, to produce Hot Wheels(TM) branded cell phone faceplates. The faceplates will be available exclusively on www.hotwheelscollector.com beginning November 28 for approximately $29.99. "We are very excited that Hot Wheels fans and collectors will be able to show their passion for Hot Wheels with these new specialized cell phone faceplates," said Amy Boylan, Senior Vice President, Boys/Entertainment New Media. "At a time when cell phone use is more popular than ever, this is an fun way to put the attitude of the Hot Wheels brand into the hands of our fans everywhere."

The new Hot Wheels faceplates will be available for the Nokia 5100 series of mobile phones this holiday, while additional faceplates will be developed to include limited run, special edition models throughout the remainder of 2002.

About Mattel's Boys/Entertainment
Mattel'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: Wheels, Entertainment and Games. The Wheels segment includes Hot Wheels(R), the No.1 selling toy vehicle toy industry, Matchbox(R) and Tyco(R) R/C. Mattel Wheels appeals to guy's 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 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(TM).

Mattel, Inc. is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of family products. With headquarters in El Segundo, California, Mattel has offices and facilities in 36 countries and sells its products in more than 150 nations around the world.

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SOURCE Mattel, Inc.