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Non-Tech : MAT - Mattel - toysRthem -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Scott Pedigo who wrote (78)	1/21/1999 11:38:00 PM
From: Neil H	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 706

Future Income should be good from this. The girls my daughters age love these twins. Wednesday January 20 8:19 PM ET Mattel finds famous friends for Barbie By Sue Zeidler LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Now that Barbie's almost 40, the world's most popular doll has started to hang out with the rich and famous. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the 12-year-old twin actresses appearing in the TV shows ''Full House'' and ''Two of a Kind,'' said Wednesday they signed a deal with Barbie's maker Mattel Inc. (NYSE:MAT - news) to launch next year dolls in their likenesses as celebrity friends of Barbie. Mattel spokeswoman Lisa McKendall said the company is also unveiling next month a Rosie O'Donnell friend of Barbie doll at the Toy Fair in New York, the industry's annual showcase. ''We're always looking for celebrity alliances,'' McKendall said. ''We're very excited about the Olsens. They're the No. 1 one child celebrities and most popular with core Barbie consumers, ages 3 to 8,'' she said. The Olsen agreement was signed by Mattel and Dualstar Consumer Products, the merchandise licensing division of Mary-Kate and Ashley's Dualstar Entertainment Group. Meanwhile, Mattel is preparing to kick off the year-long, American 40th anniversary celebration of Barbie on Feb. 7 in New York -- the eve of Toy Fair. Barbie's actual 40th birthday is March 9, according to Mattel, but festivities to mark the occasion have already begun cropping up around the world. On Wednesday, Mattel launched a huge exhibition of Barbies in Milan, Italy. ''We call it a celebration of Barbie's 40th anniversary, not her birthday...because ladies don't talk about their age,'' Lisa Prada, Barbie Marketing Manager Italy, told Reuters. In Los Angeles Thursday, Austrian Consul General Werner Brandstatter is holding a reception to introduce Austrian Barbie, the newest collectible doll in the ''Dolls of the World'' collection, Mattel said. Barbie made her debut in 1959 at the New York Toy Fair to initial skepticism. When the dolls hit the shops they were snapped up like hot cakes and Mattel has sold over 1 billion. Sold in more than 140 countries, Mattel estimates two dolls are bought every second. Over the years since 1959, Barbie has been produced in over 500 variations, has embarked on 75 professions and represented 45 nationalities. California-based Mattel, with nearly $5 billion in annual revenues, also includes among its brands Fisher-Price, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Tyco, Disney and Cabbage Patch Kids. Neil