Toys "R" Us and Major League Baseball Team Up to Celebrate 2005 Opening Day
MLB feature shops and player appearances at Toys "R" Us help fans nationwide say "Play ball!"
Toys "R" Us and Major League Baseball Properties have teamed up to celebrate the national pastime and the
opening of the 2005 Major League Baseball season. As part of this partnership, Toys "R" Us stores nationwide
will showcase MLB merchandise in special feature shops and select Toys "R" Us stores around the country will
host a variety of special events including personal appearances by MLB players.
The MLB shops at Toys "R" Us will feature a broad assortment of officially licensed MLB merchandise including
apparel, video games, baseball cards, sporting goods, collectibles and more. In addition, the shops will offer a number
of items exclusive to Toys "R" Us, including a 3" figure of Yankees great Don Mattingly by McFarlane Toys,
a boxed set with 6" figures of Barry Bonds and Willie Mays from McFarlane Toys, a 2005 Opening Day Relic Edition Card
Set featuring an exclusive chrome parallel card from Topps and more (items vary by store/market). On Opening Day in ballparks
around the country, fans will receive a mini-catalog of MLB merchandise available in Toys "R" Us stores. Customers
who purchase $20 or more from the MLB Feature Shop at Toys "R" Us will receive a commemorative MLB Opening Day pin
while supplies last.
"We are very excited to extend our relationship with Toys "R" Us by forming this Opening Day retail
partnership," said Howard Smith, Senior Vice President, Licensing, Major League Baseball Properties. "Opening Day of
the Major League Baseball regular season is a true national sports holiday, and to celebrate Opening Day with feature shops
and merchandise presentations in nearly 700 Toys "R" Us stores nationwide is a fantastic way to extend the excitement
of the 2005 Major League Baseball season."
Fans will have the opportunity to meet many of their favorite players during personal appearances at Toys "R" Us
stores in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and St.
Louis. Other MLB events will include a personal appearance by Todd McFarlane, who will sign MLB McFarlane's Sports Picks
figures at Toys "R" Us Times Square on April 14.
"This partnership with Major League Baseball allows us to expand our team specific offerings to our customers across the
country and provides kids with the opportunity to personally meet their favorite players," said Jim Feldt, President, Merchandising, Toys "R" Us.
A complete list of MLB events scheduled to take place at Toys "R" Us stores nationwide can be found by logging onto www.Toysrusinc.com/MLB. Baseball fans who are unable to visit their local
Toys "R" Us store during the promotion can buy team specific product by logging onto www.sportsrus.com.
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 681 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
218 stores in the U.S. as well as on the Internet at www.babiesrus.com.
About Major League Baseball Properties
The Major League Baseball Clubs formed Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) in 1966 as the Club's agent for marketing and
trademark licensing and protection. Major League Baseball Properties is responsible for managing consumer licensing activities, developing national advertising campaigns, cultivating sponsorship opportunities with major consumer brands and corporations,
growing the game and the business of baseball outside the United States and creating national marketing programs in conjunction
with Clubs, broadcast rights holders and national sponsors. MLBP also operates a full-service video and audio production unit
(Major League Baseball Productions), a publishing division and stock photo licensing agency, and manages logistics for the
All-Star Game and World Series as well as all other special events. For more information on Major League Baseball, log on to www.MLB.com.
Source: Major League Baseball Properties
Date: April 6, 2005
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