Monday June 19, 8:56 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Collectible Concepts Group Signs Licensing Agreement With Publishers of
Chicken Soup For The Soul Book Series
CCGR to Market Collectibles Based On the Best-selling 'Chicken Soup' Series, With 55 Million
Books Sold Worldwide Under 30 Related Titles Many More Set for Release
DOYLESTOWN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 19, 2000-- Collectible Concepts Group, Inc. (OTC: CCGR - news)
has signed a multi-year licensing agreement with Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises, Inc. to market collectibles related to
the inspirational Chicken Soup For The Soul books, the runaway best-selling series that has been one of the most successful
publishing stories of the last decade.
Under the licensing agreement, CCGR will oversee the development of more than two dozen collectibles to be sold in
bookstores and other retail chains. The collectibles will include penholders, nightlights and sports-related items such as tennis
racket covers, all carrying an inspirational phrase from a Chicken Soup book.
The series has been a publishing phenomenon since the mid-1990s when Chicken Soup for the Soul: 101 Stories to Open the
Heart and Rekindle the Spirit became a No. 1 best seller. That book was followed by a number of related sequels, including,
Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul, for the Pet Lover's Soul, for the Teenage Soul, and for the Soul at Work. Chicken
Soup books have been on The New York Times Best Seller list continually since 1994, and there have been many periods
with several Chicken Soup books on various The New York Times best-seller lists simultaneously. The authors are Jack
Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen.
``Signing the Chicken Soup series marks a significant expansion into a new product category that allows us to leverage a high
visibility product with our development and marketing assets,'' notes Collectible Concepts chairman and chief executive
officer Paul Lipschutz. ``This agreement also will expand Collectible Concepts' distribution chain into bookstores with a
property poised for ongoing sales through the release of some 30 new titles in the years ahead.''
Lois N. Sloane, president of SloaneVision Unlimited, Inc., the company that handles licensing for Chicken Soup Enterprises
Inc., said, ``We chose Collectible Concepts because they understand the collectible market so well, maintain high product
standards and can quickly scale up volumes. We are now very excited about the initial product designs.''
The Chicken Soup collection also has been made into a one-hour television anthology series on PAX TV shown Tuesday's at
8:00 p.m. The series includes feature film and television actors as guest stars in interpretations of inspirational stories drawn
from the books.
Other notable achievements of the Chicken Soup series include the following:
Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul was chosen as the ``Favorite
Book`` in the 1999 Nickelodeon's Kid's Choice Awards;
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul was voted No. 1 book in
Seventeen Magazine's 10th Annual Readers' Poll.
CCGR will exploit the books' success with four categories of collectibles as follows: (1) desktop collectibles such as
paperweights, pen and paperclip holders; (2) jewelry, including earrings and pendants; (3) gifts, such as socks, recipe
journals and breakfast trays; and (4) sports-related items, including water bottles and sports bags.
Lipschutz said he expects the first products to be distributed beginning in January 2001. Those first products will be
flowerpots, engraved with inspirational sayings, to accompany Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul, scheduled for release
in February 2001.
More About Collectible Concepts Group, Inc.
Headquartered in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Collectible Concepts Group, Inc., develops and markets
licensed collectible merchandise in the entertainment and sports industries. CCGR is an official licensee of New Line
Productions, Inc., and produces replicas of props for Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and the sequel, Austin
Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me as well as the creation and management of The Official Austin Powers Collector's Club
website at www.powersclub.com. CCGR is also creating collectible merchandise for the Terminator and Terminator 2 motion
pictures and is currently building the Official Terminator Collector's Club at www.terminatorclub.com. CCGR recently
acquired the Mini-V website at www.mini-v.com, which features Austin Powers' star Verne J. Troyer. Currently, CCGR is
developing the X-Men Collector's Club, www.xmenclub.com, and a variety of X-Men products under license from Marvel
Comics. For baseball fans and collectors, CCGR recently launched www.collectbaseball.com, which features authentic
baseball memorabilia. CCGR plans to market Music Arts products to retailers as well as on its own forthcoming website,
www.collectmusicart.com. Stock quotes for CCGR are available at www.bloomberg.com.
Statements about the company's future expectations, including future revenues and earnings, and all other statements in the
press release other than historical facts are ``forward looking statements'' within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors
created thereby. Since these statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, the Company's
actual results could differ materially from expected results.
Contact:
Collectible Concepts Group, Inc.
Paul S. Lipschutz, 215/491-1075
psl@collectibleconcepts.com
www.collectbaseball.com
or
Financial Communications Associates, Inc.
Analyst Contact - Karen Kruza, 610/649-3604
karen@fcair.com
or
Media Contact - Peter Winicov, 610/642-8253
peter@gregcomm.com |
