McDonald's® Debuts LEGO BIONICLE™ and Mattel's DIVA STARZ™ September 7

McDonald's® (NYSE: MCD) is dishing up a sizzling selection of Happy Meal® toys expected to generate intense excitement with kids around the country. Miniature versions of the LEGO Company's popular new toy BIONICLE™, the company's biggest product launch ever, and Mattel's DIVA STARZ™, the number-one selling electronic doll last year, will be available in McDonald's Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals™ at participating restaurants nationwide, beginning September 7.

"McDonald's is known for delivering fun, high-end toys that are on the cutting edge," said R.J. Milano, vice president, McDonald's U.S. marketing. "We're especially pleased to partner with toy industry leaders the LEGO Company and Mattel to bring these tremendously popular toys to the millions of kids who come to our restaurants."

BIONICLE fans will be able to collect six tribal villager figures called "Tohungas," a brand-new collectible line available exclusively in McDonald's Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals. In true LEGO® style, elements from the individual figures can be taken apart and re-assembled in a variety of combinations to build different-sized creations. Using their imaginations, collectors of all six figures also can combine the parts to create even larger super-structures.

The BIONICLE villager heroes each come from a different mythical island village and possess different personalities, talents and skills. According to legend, the villagers hold the power to summon the mighty Toa heroes to save the island of Mata Nui. Every character also comes complete with a mask that imparts a unique power, such as the ability to glide in the air, see through walls, breathe underwater and see great distances in the blink of an eye. To add to the storytelling value of the toys, McDonald's also will provide children with a BIONICLE DC Comic book with the purchase of each Happy Meal or Mighty Kids Meal for a limited time only, while supplies last.

Launched by the LEGO Company in June, BIONICLE tells the story of biomechanical action heroes from the imaginary island of Mata Nui. Based on an epic tale of good and evil, the BIONICLE characters encourage fantasy and role-playing with a story line that is extended through similarly themed Internet games, software titles and a trading card game.

In addition to this fantasy legend promotion, McDonald's also will feature some of the toy industry's latest technology with mini-versions of the trendy DIVA STARZ fashion dolls. Introduced by Mattel in the fall of 2000, the incredibly popular Diva Starz are interactive, "teen-talking" electronic dolls that live in a world of fashion, shopping, sports and friends.

A variety of miniature DIVA STARZ figures, with various snap-on outfits, and an assortment of must-have, "glam-a-licious" accessories combine to make 32 different variations of the DIVA STARZ toys featured in McDonald's Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals. In keeping with McDonald's success with other electronic toys, such as Tiger Electronics' Furby™ and Robo-Chi Pets™, several versions of the DIVA STARZ dolls and accessories will feature electronic chips that allow them to talk or play music.

  The DIVA STARZ line-up is:
  ALEXA™ - The glam gal, she loves fashion and glamour.
  TIA™ - Techno-girl TIA is into music and hi-tech gadgets.
  NIKKI™ - Sporty girl NIKKI likes her sports on the extreme side.
  SUMMER™ - Earthy girl SUMMER digs the nature scene.

Some of the DIVA STARZ figures will be available with colorful braids or curly ponytails, while others talk -- with quotes like, "Glam-a-licious," or "Cute-a-rama". Certain DIVA STARZ figures even play snippets of their favorite CD tunes. But that's not all ... DIVA STARZ Happy Meal accessories also will include a flip-open hidden mirror, a DIVA STARZ clip-on digital watch, a musical comb, and a matching clip-on purse.

As with all their Happy Meal promotions, McDonald's will offer "toddler toys" (in this case a LEGO DUPLO® building blocks set) appropriate for ages 4 and under.

The BIONICLE and DIVA STARZ Happy Meals promotion will be supported by national television advertising developed by Leo Burnett Co., Hispanic television and print advertising by del Rivero Messiano Advertising in Miami, and African-American radio and print advertising by Burrell Advertising - Chicago.

McDonald's is the world's largest foodservice retailer, with more than 29,000 restaurants serving over 45 million people each day in 121 countries. Approximately 80 percent of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent, local businessmen and women.

About the LEGO Company

LEGO Systems, Inc. (LSI) is the Americas (North America and Latin America) division of the LEGO Company, a privately-held firm based in Billund, Denmark. The LEGO Company is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities, and its employees are guided by the motto adopted in the 1930s by founder Ole Kirk Christiansen: "Only the best is good enough." For more information, visit http://www.lego.com/ or http://www.bionicle.com/ .

About Mattel Girls Division

Since her creation in 1959 as a paper-doll-inspired friend, the Barbie® doll has firmly established herself as the most popular fashion doll ever. For more than four decades, Mattel has maintained that title by adapting the Barbie® doll's look, lifestyle and fashions to meet the changing times while evolving her world into an overall lifestyle Brand for girls. While the Barbie® Brand represents Mattel's initial roots in girls' toys, the girls division now dominates the market with several best-selling brands including American Girl®, Diva Starz™ and Polly Pocket!®. Headquartered in El Segundo, California, Mattel has offices and facilities in 36 countries and markets its products in more than 150 nations throughout the world.

Mattel, Barbie, American Girl, Diva Starz, and associated trademarks are trademarks owned by and used under license from Mattel, Inc. © 2001 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Polly Pocket! Under license from Origin Products Ltd. And Bluebird Toys (UK) Ltd. © 2001 Origin Products Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

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SOURCE: McDonald's Corporation

Contact: Julie Monzo of McDonald's, +1-630-623-6049, McDonald's Media
Website, http://www.media.mcdonald/'s.com , or Ann Morris of JSH&A, +1-630-932-9318 ,
for McDonald's, or Mike McNally of LEGO Co., +1-860-763-7825, or Julia Jensen
of Mattel, Inc., +1-310-252-4592

Website: http://www.mcdonalds.com/
http://www.lego.com/
http://www.bionicle.com/