JAKKS Pacific Brings Curious George to Life with Tell-A-Story Interactive Books

MALIBU, CA, (NAMC) - JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (Nasdaq:JAKK) announced today a licensing agreement with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group for interactive product related to the new animated Curious George television series. The series, produced by Imagine Entertainment, WGBH Boston and Universal Studios Home Entertainment Family Productions, premieres on PBS Kids in Fall 2006. JAKKS will create a Curious George Tell-A-Story(TM) interactive book that connects directly into a standard TV using Plug & Read(TM) technology, and serves as a fun, introductory reading guide for preschool-aged children.

JAKKS' Tell-A-Story(TM) products create an engaging, interactive reading experience and learning system that will help in the fundamental reading development of young children, while showing them how much fun reading can be. Tell-A-Story interactive books take what children love -- the TV -- and use it to introduce children to the world of reading. The Tell-A-Story system is book-shaped, plugs directly into the A/V jacks of any standard TV, and no DVD player is needed.

Individual "mini-book" cartridges based on popular children's books are inserted into the Tell-A-Story system, so that children can build their own Tell-A-Story libraries and collect their favorite books as they grow and master reading. By pressing the large, colored buttons on each Tell-A-Story unit, kids can interact with the story and make the characters come alive on their TV screen, while also giving them the option to read at their own pace or with assistance.

"No child's library is complete without Curious George," said Jennifer Richmond, senior vice president of licensing and media, JAKKS Pacific, Inc. "It is a classic children's book that parents of today read when they were kids and will want to share with their own children. We are excited to be able to offer parents and children a great product like the interactive and educational Tell-A-Story system, with the best in children's books."

JAKKS plans to launch the Tell-A-Story product line for 2007 at mass and specialty retailers nationwide. The suggested retail price for the Tell-A-Story products will be under $30, with each 2-pack of 'mini-book' cartridges retailing for under $10.

Eight years ago, Universal Studios acquired the rights to Curious George and has transformed the brand into a global franchise. Licensing and promotional opportunities are currently in development in support of the new Curious George entertainment franchise across all categories, including apparel, accessories, interactive games, collectibles, fine art, home furnishings, health and beauty aids, food and beverages, gifts, stationery products and wireless communication devices and accessories.

About the Curious George Books

Originally published in 1941, the book Curious George has never been out of print since. Authors H. A. Rey and his wife Margret, creative partners who fled Europe during the Nazi occupation and settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts, wrote the original seven Curious George tales. In 1998 Houghton-Mifflin began publishing new Curious George adventures and continues to release new titles and formats. Curious George titles have sold more than 27 million copies worldwide and have been published in 17 languages, making the little monkey who left the jungle with The Man with the Yellow Hat one of the best-selling and most enduring characters in children's literature.

Curious George and related characters, created by Margret and H. A. Rey, are copyrighted and trademarked by Houghton Mifflin Company and used under license. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. All rights reserved.

About the Curious George Film

Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment bring Curious George, the original "monkey see, monkey do" chimp, to the screen in an all-new animated adventure based upon the beloved tales that have been enchanting readers for more than 60 years. George, the inquisitive little guy with an insatiable taste for adventure, sets off in a brand new tale for the big screen, where his spunky and fun-loving nature endears him to new friends he meets along the way and (of course) lands him in a series of (mis-) adventures.

Produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Jon Shapiro and David Kirschner, Curious George is directed by Matt O'Callaghan. Will Ferrell (Elf, Old School) lends his voice to The Man with the Yellow Hat. Dick Van Dyke, Drew Barrymore, David Cross, Eugene Levy and Joan Plowright are also among the distinguished cast of voices.

This film has not yet been rated. Please consult www.filmratings.com or www.parentalguide.org for more information.

About the Curious George Television Series

Imagine Entertainment, WGBH Boston and Universal Studios Home Entertainment Family Productions (USHEFP), are producing an animated Curious George preschool television series based on the literary classic. The series airs Monday through Friday on PBS Kids starting Fall 2006. Curious George will use George's insatiable curiosity as a way of acquainting preschoolers with key concepts in math, science and design engineering technology. The series will encourage inquiry and curiosity, promote hands-on exploration, and show parents and caregivers how to support children's science and math-related play. George's memorable misadventures, from dismantling clocks to rounding up errant bunnies, will offer a perfect vehicle for motivating kids to expand their own investigations of the world. William H. Macy will narrate the series.

About Universal Studios Consumer Products Group

Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is responsible for global licensing and retail strategies as well as building brand recognition of the extensive catalogue of NBC Universal properties. Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is a unit of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.

About JAKKS Pacific, Inc.

JAKKS Pacific, Inc. is a multi-brand company that designs and markets a broad range of toys and consumer products. The product categories include: Action Figures, Art Activity Kits, Stationery, Writing Instruments, Performance Kites, Water Toys, Sports Activity Toys, Vehicles, Infant/Pre-School, Plush, Construction Toys, Electronics, Dolls and Pet Toys and Accessories. The products are sold under various brand names including JAKKS Pacific(R), Play Along(R), Flying Colors(R), Road Champs(R), Child Guidance(R), Pentech(R), Trendmasters(R), Toymax(R), Funnoodle(R), Go Fly a Kite(R), Color Workshop(R), JPI(TM) and Plug It In & Play TV Games(TM). JAKKS and THQ are the members of THQ/JAKKS Pacific LLC, which publishes and markets WWE wrestling video games. For further information, visit www.jakkspacific.com or www.tvgames.com.

This press release contains statements that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about JAKKS' business based, in part, on assumptions made by its management. These statements are not guarantees of JAKKS' future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including, but not limited to, those described above and the following: changes in demand for JAKKS' products, product mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries, the impact of competitive products and pricing and difficulties encountered in the integration of acquired businesses. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date on which they are made, and JAKKS does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.