VERNON HILLS, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 17, 1999-- Tiger Electronics, maker of the worldwide toy phenomenon Furby, announced a major partnership with Sound Bites, the no. 1 selling toy candy in America. Under the agreement, Tiger will co-develop and market the Sound Bites brand as it expands into new cutting edge electronic applications using it's patented denta-mandibular technology.
Tiger's first wave of new technology, Pop Radio, will debut at the National Confectioners Association's All Candy Expo in Chicago June 22-24. Pop Radio, is a real FM radio that lets you listen to your favorite radio station inside your head. Like the original Sound Bites, Pop Radio sends safe sound vibrations through a standard lollipop. When a person bites down on the lollipop that has been inserted into a Sound Bites holder, sound vibrations travel through the teeth to the inner ear, where they are heard just like normal sounds. Audible primarily to the eater, the effect is the magic of hearing sounds inside your head.
Pop Radio can be used over and over again by simply inserting a new lollipop or one of the special ``bite bars'' that are provided for long term, sugar free listening pleasure. In addition, an external speaker is also included to amplify sound outside of your head.
Sound Bites took the confection industry by storm since it's launch in 1998. In limited distribution, Sound Bites has already become a top seller at many national retail chains. Industry experts predict that Sound Bites is now poised to transcend beyond candy into the next toy mega-hit.
According to Roger Shiffman, President of Tiger, ``Sound Bites is an evergreen line with a stable of incredible new innovations in the personal electronic field. Tiger will provide experience in product development, manufacturing, and the kind of promotional support that will take the concept of `sound inside your head' to a whole new level.''
``Sound Bites is our no. 1 selling candy product chainwide,'' says Fred Hurly, Vice-President of Toys R Us. ``I believe it's going to revolutionize the personal electronics category''.
According to Jeff Rubin, Vice-President of FAO Schwarz, ``Consumer response has been phenomenal. Sound Bites has been our no. 1 selling candy item by a landslide since it was introduced last fall.''
The launch of Pop Radio, this fall, will be accompanied by a massive joint promotion with Atlantic Records, one of the largest recording labels in the world. The product will be supported by a national TV ad campaign featuring Grammy award winning artists Hootie and the Blowfish, Sugar Ray, and Brandy.
According to Bob Weinberg, Senior Vice-President of Toys R Us, ``Sound Bites has been a tremendous success at Toys R Us. They are some of the most innovative and exciting products I've seen in a long time, especially the Pop Radio which could be one of the hottest products of the year''.
Tiger Electronics, Ltd., a division of Hasbro, Inc., is the leading manufacturer of innovative electronic toys and games for the whole family. Tiger's core products and brands include: Sports Feel(TM) Games, Furby®, game.com®.pocket pro(TM) portable video gaming system, Lazer Tag®, Talkboy(TM) sound novelty toys, and a complete line of electronic family games such as Brain Shift®, Brain Warp®, Wheel of Fortune(TM) and Jeopardy!(TM) Tiger is a leader in licensed electronic favorites, featuring such titles as Star Wars, A Bugs Life, Rugrats, Winnie the Pooh and many more.
Hasbro (ASE:HAS - news) is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys, games, interactive software, puzzles and infant products. Both internationally and in the U.S., its Playskool® , Kenner®, Tonka®, OddzOn®, Super Soaker®, Milton Bradley®, Parker Brothers®, Tiger(TM) and Hasbro Interactive(TM) products, provide children and families with the highest quality and most recognizable toys and games in the world.
Transparencies & Interviews Available
TIGER ELECTRONICS, LTD
Lana Simon/Marc Rosenberg/Paul Christou
847/913-8100
Preserved here on Mystic Fortress' server to avoid a bad link in the furture.
Article is quoted from Yahoo News and is not edited in any way.
Back to Furby News
Back to Furby Main
Back to Mystic Fortress