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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Calling All Kids: Wild Planet Combs the Country for Kid Inventors Kid
Inventor Challenge Turns Kids' Ideas into Real Toys!

(SAN FRANCISCO, May 2003) - No one knows more about toys than kids do -
it's their area of expertise! Which is why every year, Wild Planet goes
straight to the source of toy ingenuity with Kid Inventor Challenge, the
contest that invites kids across the country to submit their ideas for
the coolest, most innovative playthings imaginable.

Kid Inventor Challenge is open to kids ages 6-12 and has an annual
deadline of October 31- Halloween. Kids enter by drawing, naming and
describing their toy idea and sending it to Wild Planet with their
parent or guardian's approval. Whether entries arrive as part of a
class project, or as a solo submission, kids have the chance to win
great prizes and possibly have their idea turned into a real toy.

One hundred winners will become Wild Planet toy consultants for one
year. This honor includes the responsibilities of being among the first
kids to play with new toys and receiving secret sneak peeks at products
before they are available to the public. Kids get to keep all the toys
they review and are given other special Wild Planet prizes as initiation
to the Kid Inventor Team.

The top 10 finalists are showered with the full range of Wild Planet
toys, and also act as kid consultants. One of the top 10 winners will
earn the ultimate prize of having his or her idea turned into a real
toy, and will collect royalty checks for every unit sold for the life of
the product!

Kid Inventor Challenge is Wild Planet's way of championing kids and
exemplifying that kids' ideas are important and their opinions matter -
especially when it comes to toys! By engaging kids in the "how-to"
process of toy development, from brainstorming and design to prototypes
and promotion, kids get to see how a toy grows from an idea into a
product. They dabble in mathematics, problem solving, and writing along
the way and learn that subjects such as geography, science and language
are involved in the making of toys.

Accompanied by a corresponding curriculum that helps educators and
parents guide kids through each step of toy invention, Kid Inventor
Challenge is a hands-on tool for learning, teaching and inventing at
home or in school. Plus, it's tons of fun!

Wild Planet received thousands of entries in last year's Kid Inventor
Challenge, and is expecting an increase in submissions for the 2003
contest. Beginning July 15, entry forms (and curriculum) can be
downloaded for free
at www.kidinventorchallenge.com. All entries must be mailed by Friday,
October 31, 2003, to:

Wild Planet's Kid Inventor ChallengeT 2003
PO Box 194087
San Francisco, CA 94119-4087

Wild Planet's kid-invented and other products are available nationwide
at more than 8,000 toy, specialty, on-line, mail-order and department
stores,including: Toys 'R' Us, Target, Zany Brainy, FAO Schwarz,
Learning Express,and toysrus.com. For more information on Kid Inventor
Challenge, please visit www.kidinventorchallenge.com, or call the Kid
Inventor Challenge hotline at 1-800-247-6570 x183.

About Wild Planet Toys
Founded in 1993 in San Francisco, Wild Planet Toys creates innovative
products that appeal to both parents and kids. Wild Planet focuses on
fun without relying on violence, and involves kids in the creation
process of all of its toys. Through monthly Toy Opinion Panels and an
annual Kid Inventor Challenge contest, Wild Planet connects with kids
and turns their ideas into real toys -- toys that encourage active
imaginations and dynamic play. For more information on Wild Planet and
its Spy GearT, Undercover GirlT, Room GearT, Off the MapT, WaterballT
and Outdoor AnticsT brands, please visit www.wildplanet.com.

Contact:
Kim Bratcher
(415) 705-8300 x139
bratcher@...


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