McDonald's® Teams With 4Kids Entertainment to Celebrate 25th Birthday of the Happy Meal®

Promotion to Feature The Dog™ at Participating McDonald's Restaurants Nationwide

PRNewswire-FirstCall
OAK BROOK, Ill.
Mar 29, 2004

McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD) and 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: KDE) have teamed to celebrate the 25th birthday of McDonald's® Happy Meal®. The special promotion will feature 12 breeds of the lovable Artlist Collection: The Dog™ inspired plush toys in Happy Meals beginning April 2, 2004 through April 29, 2004, at participating McDonald's restaurants nationwide, while supplies last.

Officially licensed by 4Kids Entertainment outside of Asia, The Dog is a highly successful puppy photography franchise from Japan. The heart-tugging collection consists of more than 70 different breeds of puppies photographed with exaggerated proportions where the heads of the puppies are charmingly enlarged. The McDonald's Happy Meal toys, modeled after the award-winning photographs, feature the same exaggerated characteristics.

"McDonald's is thrilled to bring the most desirable new toys and characters to our young guests as part of our summer-long, happy birthday celebration," said Kathy Pyle, director kids and family marketing. "These toys will capture the hearts and imaginations of kids and delight collectors of all ages. The 25th Happy Birthday Happy Meal celebration marks a milestone in McDonald's history, and we are excited to begin our summertime lineup with the debut of The Dog."

"We are proud to partner with McDonald's in promoting the 25th birthday of the Happy Meal," said Alfred R. Kahn, Chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment. "The inclusion of The Dog in McDonald's Happy Meals is testimony to the growing popularity of this property. McDonald's is one of the top franchises in the world and we look forward to working with the company to celebrate this historic achievement and inspire puppy love for kids, collectors and puppy lovers alike."

Each Happy Meal Dog features colorful plastic collars that transform into clips, so children can walk their favorite dogs on backpacks, belts, zippers or purses. In addition, each dog comes with an exclusive McDonald's authenticated hangtag with a picture of the dog and a checklist, helpful for collecting all twelve breeds. The different Happy Meal Dogs include: a multi- colored Bull Terrier; a plush Golden Retriever; a Beagle with a widened face; a German Shepherd with an elongated snout; a furry, white West Highland Terrier; a petite brown-eyed Dachshund; a Cocker Spaniel with curly, furred ears; a dark Black Labrador; a Siberian Husky with cool-blue eyes; a spotted Dalmatian; a Miniature Schnauzer with plush gray fur; and a Pug with an extra- wrinkly face.

McDonald's Global Packaging

The Dog is the first Happy Meal to be housed in McDonald's new global package design. Featuring the 25 Years of Happiness logo in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the McDonald's Happy Meal, the new Happy Meal box also features The Dog as well as children playing sports and having fun with friends. The new packaging is an extension of McDonald's global packaging effort that first launched in December 2003.

McDonald's

The Happy Meal event will be supported by national television developed by Leo Burnett Co. and Hispanic television advertising by dRM DDB.

More than 30,000 local McDonald's restaurants serve about 47 million customers each day in more than 100 countries. Please visit our newly designed website at www.mcdonalds.com to learn more about the Company.

4Kids Entertainment

Headquartered in New York City with international offices in London, 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: KDE) is a global provider of children's entertainment and merchandise licensing. 4Kids, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, provides domestic and international merchandise licensing; television, film, music and home video production and distribution; media planning and buying; product development; and Web site development. For further information, please visit the Company's Web site at www.4KidsEntertainment.com .

Fact Sheet

McDonald's Happy Meal The Dog Toys Feature:

Golden Retriever -- This plush dog toy is a golden color, sure to be a huge hit with the thousands of children who love their Golden dogs.

Dachshund -- This petite figurine that imitates one of the most popular dogs in the U.S. will delight children with its warm chocolate-colored eyes.

Dalmatian -- Children will fall in love the moment they spot this multi- colored, furry friend.

Pug -- This wrinkly dog toy has an unusually large head and red marks that add the character and personality of real pugs.

Labrador Retriever -- This jet-black pooch has extremely plush fur and an adorable face.

Beagle -- This multi-colored toy imitates real beagles with down-turned ears and brown eyes.

Bull Terrier -- This dog toy has two different colored eyes and a large nose, just like real Bull Terriers.

Cocker Spaniel -- This toy was created with curly-furred ears, similar to the real breed of Cocker Spaniels.

Miniature Schnauzer -- This little toy has white paws and plush gray fur, which adds variety to the Happy Meal The Dog collection.

Siberian Husky -- This blue-eyed toy has a piercing appearance that mimics the actual Siberian Husky breed.

West Highland Terrier -- This breed, known for its snow-white hair, was created with extra-plush fur in its toy form.

German Shepherd -- This dog toy has an unusually elongated snout, adding to the character of the toy.

McDonald's Happy Meal The Dog event will run from April 2, 2004 through April 29, 2004, at participating restaurants nationwide, while supplies last.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040329/CGM004-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040329/CGM004-b
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990916/MCDLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

SOURCE: McDonald's Corporation

CONTACT: Kathy Pyle of McDonald's Corporation, +1-630-623-5589

Web site: http://www.mcdonalds.com/
http://www.4kidsentertainment.com/