McDonald's® Captures Kids' Imagination and Animal Lovers' Hearts With The Cat™ and The Dog™

This spring, McDonald's is letting The Cat™ and The Dog™ out of the bag with a Happy Meal® and Mighty Kids Meal® event of exaggerated proportions. Beginning April 15 - May 12, 2005, Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals will feature 16 adorable breeds of plush pals inspired by Artlist Collection: The Cat™ and The Dog™. Whether always landing on their feet or rolling over for a treat, these playful pets are sure to leave their paw-prints on America's heart and will be available at participating McDonald's restaurants nationwide, while supplies last.

Officially licensed by 4Kids Entertainment outside of Asia, The Cat and The Dog is a highly successful kitten and puppy photography franchise from Japan. The heart-tugging collection consists of more than 100 different breeds of kittens and puppies photographed with exaggerated proportions where the heads of the animals are charmingly enlarged. The McDonald's Happy Meal toys, modeled after the award-winning photographs, feature the same exaggerated characteristics.

Each member of the Happy Meal and Mighty Kids Meal collection featuring The Cat and The Dog includes a colorful plastic collar that transforms into a clip so youngsters can parade their pals on backpacks, belts or zippers. Each plush toy also includes an exclusive McDonald's authenticated hangtag with a picture of the breed and a checklist, helpful for collecting all 16 pets.

The Cat

Eight frisky felines are purring with excitement for their McDonald's debut. While over 40 breeds of cats are recognized worldwide, the Happy Meal and Mighty Kids Meal collection features some American favorites including: a graceful Somali with emerald-green eyes; a sweet Scottish Fold whose ears are playfully tucked; a rambunctious Russian Blue; a regal Siamese with a two-tone coat; an exotic Bengal; a pretty Persian; a happy Himalayan; and a multi- colored American Shorthair with bright yellow eyes. Although cats generally sleep 16 hours a day, these wide-eyed kittens have their ears perked and are ready to play with McDonald's guests nationwide.

The Dog

Following in the paw-prints of last year's highly popular Artlist Collection: The Dog Happy Meal promotion, man's best friend returns to McDonald's with a tail-wagging collection of eight plush puppies. The different Happy Meal Dogs include: a furry Yorkshire Terrier; a Basset Hound with floppy brown ears; a smart gray Poodle; a loyal Border Collie; a spunky Boxer; a multi-colored Bulldog with deep-brown eyes; a charming Chihuahua; and a Bernese Mountain Dog with a tough, but friendly, face. With more than 36 percent of American households owning a dog, these endearing pets are sure to find good homes with kids and dog lovers who can't resist those puppy-dog eyes.

For high-resolution images of the Happy Meal and Mighty Kids Meal featuring The Cat and The Dog, please visit http://www.mcdepk.com/happymeal .

Young guests now have the opportunity to enjoy additional food choices with their Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals including Apple Dippers (fresh, peeled apple slices) served with low-fat caramel dipping sauce, and beverage choices including 100% pure Minute Maid apple juice and low-fat white and chocolate Milk Jugs, served in child-friendly containers.

McDonald's

McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 30,000 local restaurants serving nearly 50 million people in more than 119 countries each day. Approximately 70 percent of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent, local businessmen and women.

About 4Kids Entertainment, Inc.

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 http://www.4kidsentertainment.com/ .

McDonald's Electronic Press Kit

http://www.mcdepk.com/happymeal

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

SOURCE: McDonald's

CONTACT: Kristin Zanini of JSH&A Public Relations, +1-630-932-9316; or
Shannelle Armstrong of McDonald's, +1-630-623-5508

Web site: http://www.4kidsentertainment.com/
http://www.mcdepk.com/happymeal