Hasbro's National F.A.S.T. Yo Yo All Stars Tour 'Walks the Dog' fro

    Business Editors

    PAWTUCKET, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 17, 2005--

    Kick-Off Event at Toys "R" Us Times Square Featuring a World Record Attempt by Guinness World Record Holder Hans "YoHans" Van Dan Elzen

    Yo-yos are making a comeback and Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) is leading the way with the launch of the F.A.S.T. 201 SERIES, an exciting and innovative yo-yo product line. To celebrate its foray into the yo-yo category, Hasbro will inaugurate the national F.A.S.T. Yo Yo All Stars Tour. Guinness World Record Holder Hans "YoHans" Van Dan Elzen and the F.A.S.T. Yo Yo All Stars - a talented team of yo-yo professionals - will kick off the tour with the introduction of the revolutionary F.A.S.T. 201 SERIES YO YO at Toys "R" Us Times Square, The Center of the Toy Universe(TM) on Saturday, February 19 at 1 p.m.
    "The yo-yo is a great classic toy that kids everywhere have enjoyed throughout the ages," said Fred Fortier, vice president, divisional merchandise manager, Toys "R" Us. "We are excited to offer the latest version of this popular plaything from Hasbro to a new generation of our customers nationwide."
    During the event, Hans "YoHans" Van Dan Elzen and the F.A.S.T. Yo Yo All Stars will be on-hand to introduce Hasbro's new F.A.S.T. 201 SERIES YO YO with an amazing 45-minute yo-yo show. Immediately afterward, YoHans will attempt to break his own Guinness World Record of 51 yo-yo tricks in one minute using the F.A.S.T. 201 SERIES YO YO. Customers are then invited to learn several tricks from the Official F.A.S.T. Challenge trick book at an exciting F.A.S.T. 201 YO YO clinic.
    Following the kick-off, the national F.A.S.T. Yo Yo All Stars Tour will travel to three cities across the country this spring encouraging kids to take the F.A.S.T. Challenge. At F.A.S.T. Challenge Events in each city kids will get a chance to learn yo-yo tricks from professional demonstrators. Once they are able to execute the 10 tricks in the F.A.S.T. Challenge kids are invited to 'lace up' and participate in the F.A.S.T. Challenge Regional Championship. One winner in each of the three competing age brackets in each city will be named the F.A.S.T. Challenge Regional Champion.
    Yo-yo fans of all ages will enjoy the F.A.S.T. 201 SERIES YO YO - it's adjustable so kids can set it from beginner to advanced and learn popular tricks, such as "Walk the Dog," "The Break-Away," and "The Skyrocket." Each F.A.S.T. 201 SERIES YO YO comes complete with the Official F.A.S.T. Challenge trick book - 10 exciting, fun-to-learn tricks kids can master and then race against the clock or against their friends to see who can finish first.
    The F.A.S.T. 201 gets its name from the technology behind it--Fully Active Starburst Technology(TM), a patented return system. All F.A.S.T. 201 yo yos have a starburst inside that allows kids to adjust the yo-yo to their own skill level - players can set the yo-yo for quick response so it returns easily to their hand or adjust it for long smooth spins that allow kids to learn more advanced tricks.
    The F.A.S.T. 201 SERIES YO YO (ages 8 and up) is available nationwide for an approximate retail price of $9.99. More information about the F.A.S.T. Challenge and the F.A.S.T. 201 is located at www.fastyoyo.com.
    "Yo-yos have been around for hundreds of years and Hasbro's innovative new line takes classic yo-yo play to a whole new level," said Kevin Fortey, Hasbro vice president of marketing for the company's Big Kids group. "The unique and innovative starburst technology of the F.A.S.T. 201 allows kids to adjust the yo-yo to their own skill level to learn cool tricks."

    About Hasbro

    Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world.

    About Toys "R" Us

    Toys "R" Us is one of the leading specialty toy retailers in the world. Currently it sells merchandise through more than 1,200 stores, including 676 toy stores in the U.S. and 601 international toy stores, including licensed and franchise stores as well as through its Internet sites at www.toysrus.com, www.imaginarium.com and www.sportsrus.com. Babies "R" Us is the largest baby product specialty store chain in the world and a leader in the juvenile industry, and sells merchandise through 217 stores in the U.S. as well as on the Internet at www.babiesrus.com.

    PLEASE NOTE: B-roll footage of Hans "YoHans" Van Dan Elzen and the F.A.S.T. Yo Yo All Stars as they host the launch of Hasbro's F.A.S.T. 201 SERIES YO YO at Toys "R" Us Times Square can be found as follows:

B-ROLL FEED SATELLITE COORDINATES

Saturday, February 19th 6-6:15pm ET (DEDICATED WINDOW) IA6/ Transponder 15 C-band Downlink: 4000 Vertical

Sunday, February 20th 11:00-11:15am ET (DEDICATED WINDOW) IA6/ Transponder 15 C-band Downlink: 4000 Vertical

Monday February 21, 2005 10-10:30AM ET (Daily window) IA5/ Transponder 19 C-band Downlink: 4080 Vertical

    Produced for Hasbro

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CONTACT: Litzky Public Relations Josslynne Lingard/Marni Goldberg, 201-222-9118, ext. 13 jlingard@litzkypr.com mgoldberg@litzkypr.com

KEYWORD: RHODE ISLAND INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ENTERTAINMENT RETAIL CONSUMER/HOUSEHOLD PRODUCT SOURCE: Hasbro

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