Curious George® publisher and Birthday Express team with eBay for "The Greatest Gift of All"

Seattle, WA (December 11, 2001) – Birthday Express, a leading provider of party supplies and services, today announced their participation in eBay’s "The Greatest Gift of All" charity event.
Partnering with Houghton Mifflin, publisher of the Curious George® books, Birthday Express is making a "Curious George Birthday Party package for 20" available for bidding. The winning bidder can celebrate their child’s birthday in style with 19 of their most curious friends. The package also includes the free rental of an adult-sized Curious George® costume, party favors for 20 (including 20 original hardcover Curious George books), decorations, plates and everything necessary for a fun, action-packed party. Proceeds benefit the New York children’s charity, Kids In Distressed Situations, Inc. (K.I.D.S.), a national charity of leading retailers and manufacturers of children's products committed to helping children in need.
The Curious George® product line, which includes invitations, plates, cups, napkins, placemats, centerpiece, and thank-you notes, is designed, manufactured and distributed by Birthday Express and is a featured selection within the company’s other exclusive creations such as Madeline, Raggedy Ann & Raggedy Andy, Rainbow Fish and *NSync.
“We are honored to participate in eBay’s ‘Greatest Gift of All’ charity event which benefits selected charities throughout America,” said Jan Jewell, Birthday Express founder and Co-CEO and director of K.I.D.S. “By partnering with Houghton Mifflin, Birthday Express has been given the opportunity to share a delightful storybook character with fans around the world.”
Birthday Express’s participation in eBay’s “Greatest Gift of All” emphasizes the company’s commitment to providing support to organizations that focus on children.
“Through their Auction for America, eBay has become a national symbol of consumer strength during this new time in America,” said Maire Gorman, Vice President of Special Markets of Houghton Mifflin, “With our participation in this event, twenty lucky children will get to celebrate a cherished friend’s birthday on their special day.”
Created by H.A. and Margret Rey and first published in 1941 by Houghton Mifflin, Curious George has endeared himself to generations of children and adults. Curious George is the world’s most beloved, adventurous monkey with an insatiable curiosity that lands him in one humorous predicament after another. Through amazing ingenuity, a bit of luck and some help from his guardian, the Man with the Yellow Hat, Curious George emerges from every escapade unscathed and wiser. But like most curious children, Curious George can never quite resist the opportunity to take on one more adventure.

About Birthday Express
Birthday Express, the leading direct marketing and online destination for children’s birthday party supplies and services, allows people to celebrate special events easily and affordably by offering fun, creative, professional party packages in more than 70 themes, along with costumes, piñatas and craft activities. Founded in 1994 in Kirkland, Wash., the Company provides a one-stop shopping solution that reduces the amount of stress, time and effort involved in planning a child’s birthday party. For more information, visit www.BirthdayExpress.com

About Houghton Mifflin Company
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Company, a unit of Vivendi Universal Publishing (the third leading worldwide publisher), is one of the leading educational publishers in the United States, with over $1 billion in sales. Houghton Mifflin publishes textbooks, instructional technology, assessments and other educational materials for elementary and secondary schools and colleges. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and fiction and award-winning non-fiction for adults and young readers. Additionally, Houghton Mifflin offers computer-administered testing programs and services for the professional and certification markets. With its origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin today combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. The Company's Web site can be found at www.hmco.com

About Universal Studios
Universal Studios Consumer Products Group is part of Universal Pictures Franchise Development, a unit of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com), a part of CANAL+, the TV and Film division of Vivendi Universal, a new global leader in media and communications.

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Curious George and related characters, created by Margret and H.A. Rey, are copyrighted and trademarked by Houghton Mifflin Company and used under license. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing, Inc. All rights reserved.





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