Playmates Toys Press Release: Dioramas, Voice Response, Screamers and More!

Simpsons News — Posted 14 Feb, 2003 by MrBurns

PLAYMATES TOYS UNVEILS EXCITING, NEW 'VOICE RECOGNITION' SIMPSONS FIGURES AT 2003 TOY FAIR

COSTA MESA, CA, February 16, 2003--Playmates Toys Inc. unveiled a wide assortment of exciting Simpsons toys - including a new "voice recognition" figure assortment. The products were introduced at the American International Toy Fair that opened today in New York.
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World of Springfield Interactive Figures, Playmates World of Springfield Interactive Figures keeps getting bigger and bigger. With over 130 figures produced, the 5" figures are the ultimate way to collect all the different characters that populate the diverse world of Springfield. In 2003, Playmates will introduce four new waves of 5" interactive figures. Each figure will be highly detailed and dressed in authentic outfits as seen in the TV show and come packaged in a newly designed blister card. The new figures include:

World of Springfield Figures
Assortment - Series 11
Approximate retail price: $5.99
Availability: Available
Blue Haired Lawyer
Kirk Van Houten
Rainier Wolfcastle
Gil
Plow King Barney
Larry Burns (Voiced by Rodney Dangerfield)

World of Springfield Figure Assortment - Series 12
Approximate retail price: $5.99
Available: March 2003
Mr. Plow Homer
Don Vittorio
Mr. Largo
Luann Van Houten
Database
Number 1 (Voiced by Patrick Stewart)
Moe
Mr. Burns

World of Springfield Figure Assortment - Series 13
Approximate retail price: $5.99
Availability: June 2003
Helen Lovejoy
Freddy Quimby
Tuxedo Krusty
Legs
Princess Kashmir
Dr. Stephen Hawking

World of Springfield Figure Assortment - Series 14
Approximate retail price: $5.99
Availability: September 2003
Luigi
Louie
Sarcastic Man
Willie in Kilt
Miss Hoover
Ms. Botz (Voiced by Penny Marshall)

Mail-in Incentive Figure Offer, No Simpsons collection can be complete without the Be Sharp and Stonecutter themed figures. Playmates is offering these figures through a mail-in, incentive figure offer that comes packed in with each series of figures throughout 2003. Simply purchase four figures from the particular series, cut out the proof of purchase symbols and send them along with a check or money order for $5 and receive one in a series of Be Sharp or Stonecutter figures packaged in a highly collectible window box. The promotion runs through December 31, 2003 and the following Be Sharp and Stonecutter figures include:

Series 10 - Be Sharp Homer
Availability: Available

Series 11 - Be Sharp Apu
Availability: Available

Series 12 - Be Sharp Skinner
Availability: March 2003

Series 13 - Be Sharp Barney
Availability: June 2003

Series 14 - Stonecutter Moe
Availability: October 2003

World of Springfield Environments,
Playmates continues its highly successful line of highly detailed Interactive Environments with four new environments planned for 2003. Each environment is a detailed recreation of Springfield's most popular places, comes with an exclusive World of Springfield figure, has several reader ports that identify compatible World of Springfield figures and plays back phrases specific to that character. The environments will be packaged in a redesigned, highly collectible "Try Me" window box package and requires three AA batteries. (Included.) The line up for 2003 includes:

World of Springfield Court Room Environment G with exclusive Judge Snyder figure
Approximate retail value $19.99
Availability: Available

World of Springfield Bart's Treehouse Environment H with exclusive Military Bart figure
Approximate retail value: $19.99
Availability: April 2003

World of Springfield Military Antique Shop Environment I with exclusive Herman figure
Approximate retail value: $19.99
Availability: June 2003

World of Springfield Aztec Theater Environment J with exclusive McBain figure
Approximate retail value: $19.99
Availability: September 2003.

World of Springfield Two-pack figure with Diorama Assortment, Back by popular demand, Playmates is re-launching the original World of Simpsons characters with newly sculpted heads and facial expressions as seen most commonly in the TV show. Each two-pack will come with a sidewalk and backdrop diorama of Springfield's most popular places that connect together enabling a collector to create the entire World of Springfield. The first assortment includes:

Homer, Marge and Maggie with Simpsons House Diorama
Grampa and Apu with Kwik-E-Mart Diorama
Krusty the Clown and Milhouse with Krustylu Studios Diorama

Available in June 2003, each two-pack with diorama comes packaged in a window box and retails for approximately $12.99.

Voice Response Figure Assortment, Ask Homer or Bart for some advice, or ask them to give you a glimpse of the future. They have the answers to all your questions and then some. Using highly accurate voice recognition technology, Homer and Bart come to life with their own unique personality captured in their responses to your pre-determined questions. Ask up to five different questions, multiple random answers allow for lots of fresh response combinations.

Homer and Bart are highly detailed and come sculpted in dynamic action poses fastened to a recliner chair and desk and chair base. Each figure is dressed in their authentic outfits as seen in the popular Simpsons TV show.

Available in July 2003, the Simpsons Voice Response Figure Assortment retails for approximately $14.99. Each figure is packaged in an attractive "try me" window box and requires two AA batteries, included.

World of Springfield 300th Episode Gift Pack, The highly collectible figure and environment is a must for Simpsons collectors. Based on the Simpsons 300th episode entitled "Barting Over," the figure and environment set has several readers that identify compatible Simpsons figures and then play back a random phrase specific to that character. The environment comes with four exclusive figures as seen in the 300th episode. Housed in an attractive "try me" Window Box package, the 300th Episode Gift Pack retails for approximately $29.99 and will be available in August 2003. It operates on three AA batteries (Included).

Simpsons Bobbler Assortment, Krusty the Clown and Homer Simpson's bobble head figures are included in this highly detailed assortment. They come sculptured in an action pose and feature a spring-loaded head that swings and sways with the slightest nudge. The figures are packaged in an attractive window box package and retail for approximately $9.99 and are currently available.

Faces of Springfield nine-inch figure assortment, Any fan of the Simpsons will love this assortment! Each figure - Moe and Barney - is articulated and stands approximately nine inches tall. Authentic accessories are included with every figure and each figure is packed in an exquisite fifth panel window box giving a full biographical description of the character.

The Faces of Springfield nine-inch figure assortment retails for approximately $14.99 and are available.

World of Springfield Screamers Assortment, Appealing to younger Simpsons fans, each Simpsons Screamer, is about seven inches tall and features a soft body torso with soft roto-molded head, arms and feet. Just push the belly of your favorite Simpsons character and hear them scream out one of many random phrases.

The assortment consists of Homer and Bart packaged on a card and display, which will be available in May 2003 and retail for approximately $7.99.

For more information about the Simpsons lineup for 2003 and for more information about Playmates complete line of toys visit www.playmatestoys.com

Playmates Toys Inc. manufactures and distributes a range of girls' and boys' toys, activity and novelty electronic products based upon character-rich licensed entertainment properties. Among the company's best-known brands are the "Amazing" family of interactive dolls and the unique water-filled "Waterbabies" dolls.

Key licensed properties include Disney's Princesses and or classic characters from The Walt Disney Company, Twentieth Century Fox's "The Simpsons," and Mirage Studios' "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." Playmates Toys Inc. is a division of Playmates Holdings Limited, a Hong Kong-based company whose stock is traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.