WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA—(February 14, 2011) — Uncle Milton Industries, a leading manufacturer of science and nature exploration products, has teamed up with The Jim Henson Company (www.henson.com), recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation, to create and launch an all-new line of Dinosaur Train educational toys at the American International Toy Fair (Booth #2957).

For 2011, Uncle Milton has created a full line of toys focused on the science behind the exciting world of Dinosaur Train and its cast of loveable prehistoric characters. The line allows children the opportunity to explore real science within the familiar and popular Dinosaur Train world. Key new Dinosaur Train introductions include Hatchers, realistic dinosaur eggs that “hatch” Buddy, Tiny, Shiny and Don from their eggs; Dino Poop, a very “hands-on” way for children to discover what dinosaurs ate and create their own prehistoric fossils with dino dough; and the Train Station Scale, an interactive scale that allows children to compare the weight of Dinosaur Train characters against a bus, a car, and other items of today! The Uncle Milton licensed product line will launch in North America in the spring of 2011 and worldwide in fall of 2011.

Created by Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!), Dinosaur Train airs on PBS KIDS
® (check local listings), and embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains while encouraging basic scientific thinking skills. Each 30-minute episode includes two 11- minute animated segments featuring Buddy, an adorable preschool age Tyrannosaurus rex and his adoptive Pteranodon family.

Highlights from Uncle Milton’s 2011 Dinosaur Train line include:

Dinosaur Train: Hatchers by Uncle Milton
Watch Buddy, Tiny, Shiny and Don hatch from their eggs! Just place the egg in water and wait for it to crack. Within 24 hours, the characters begin to hatch from eggs. They continue to grow up to four times their hatching size. Once removed from water, characters shrink back to original size. Characters include: Buddy, Tiny, Shiny and Don. Ages 4 and up. SRP: $6.99 each.

Dinosaur Train: Dino Poop by Uncle Milton
Discover what the Dinosaur Train character had for lunch by examining the dino poop, just like paleontologists do today! Did they have fish or eat a plant? Once you find pieces of what they ate, put them together to figure it out. Each pile of dino poop comes with pieces of plant, fish, bones or a combination. Then, press the bones or leaves into the clay “poop” to create fossil imprints. Mom and dad don’t worry; it’s not real poop…just soft, pliable Dino Dough which can be played with again and again! Assortment includes Herbivores, Carnivores and Omnivores. Ages 4 and up. SRP: $9.99 each.

Dinosaur Train: Mini Dino Projectors by Uncle Milton
Have fun with Buddy and Tiny as you project them on your wall with the Mini Dino Projector. Place one of six dino images on the flashlight holder, turn it on and project onto any wall or flat surface. Project dinosaur footprints on your floor, the Dinosaur Train on your wall or even scare your friends and family with the BIG dinosaur slide! Characters include: Buddy and Tiny. Ages 3 nand up. SRP: $7.99 each.

Dinosaur Train: Dino Track Discovery Pack by Uncle Milton
Create hours of dino tracking fun and step-by-step learning with the Dino Track Discovery Pack. Simply lay out one of three sets of dinosaur footprints and follow the tracks to discover which character’s footprints you tracked. Are they Buddy’s, Tiny’s or Tank’s footprints? Each footprint includes fun dinosaur facts about one of 30 different dinosaurs. Once you’ve reached the end of the trail and discovered who you followed, find the activity egg card for fun things to do with the whole family! Includes 30 footprint cards: 10 Buddy tracks, 10 Tiny tracks and 10 Tank tracks. Ages 4 and up. SRP: $12.99.

Dinosaur Train: Train Station Scale by Uncle Milton
Which weighs more: a Tyrannosaurs-Rex or a garbage truck? With this unique scale, kids will learn about the size and scale of dinosaurs compared with familiar objects of today. Weigh the Dinosaur Train characters against a bus, a car or other modern day items, and for added fun, compare the weights of Dinosaur Train characters! Set includes six Dinosaur Train weights and six “things of today” weights. Ages 3 and up. SRP: $24.99.

Dinosaur Train: Big Pond Aquarium by Uncle Milton
Hatch and raise your very own, real prehistoric creatures at Big Pond. Existing for more than 350 million years, Aquasaurs can grow up to 2 inches and are even older than Buddy. Includes detailed Dinosaur Train aquatic backdrop and sturdy aquarium tank. Ages 5 and up. SRP: $29.99.

Dinosaur Train: Old Smoky Volcano by Uncle Milton
With the same look as Old Smoky from Buddy’s world, fans can re-create Old Smoky’s eruption again and again. Using household ingredients, follow easy-to-read recipes and hypothesize about which recipe creates the best eruption. Ages 4 and up. SRP: $19.99.

Dinosaur Train: Ned Brachiosaurus Periscope by Uncle Milton
See the world from Ned’s point of view! With his long neck and head, Ned makes for a perfect periscope. Hide out of sight and use the periscope’s optics to give you a view of the world above. Ages 3 and up. SRP: $19.99.

Dinosaur Train: Buddy Binoculars by Uncle Milton
Go exploring with your very own Buddy binoculars. Featuring Buddy’s signature orange and blue coloring, the binoculars have an adjustable focus and are the perfect size for the young explorer. Ages 3 and up. SRP: $12.99. 

About Dinosaur Train
A Parents’ Choice Recommended TV series Dinosaur Train, produced by The Jim Henson Company, is co-produced with Singapore animation company Sparky Animation, with the participation and assistance of the Singapore Media Development Authority. UK production and financial support is being provided by Ingenious Media.

About Uncle Milton
Founded in 1946, Uncle Milton creates, develops, produces and markets toys, which have outstanding play value and maximum kid-appeal. Since its introduction in 1956, the Ant Farm® brand ant habitat has grown to become a universally recognized icon of American pop culture. Building on the quality and innovation of their flagship brand, Uncle Milton today leads the science and nature category with popular brands including Ant Farm®, DINOSAUR TRAIN™, Star Wars™ Science, Tarantula Planet, Back2Nature, In My Room, Horrible Pets and Explore It!, composed of award-winning toys that inspire wonder, learning and fun.

Uncle Milton, a Transom Capital Group company, distributes its educational toys at fine specialty toy, hobby, gift, education, mass merchant and department stores nationwide, and through several online retailers. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.unclemilton.com.

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JIM HENSON’S mark & logo, DINOSAUR TRAIN mark & logo, characters and elements are trademarks of the Jim Henson Company. TM & © 2011 The Jim Henson Company. All Rights Reserved.

Uncle Milton Industries, Inc.
31186 La Baya Drive
Westlake Village, CA 91362
Tel: (818) 707-0800 • Fax: (818) 707-0878

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Heidi Murphy, Salmon Borre Group
847/582-1610; Heidi@salmonborre.com

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The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 50 years and is recognized worldwide as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics and digital animation. Best known as creators of the world famous Muppets, Henson has received over 50 Emmy Awards and nine Grammy Awards. Recent credits include the Emmy® nominated “Sid the Science Kid,” “Dinosaur Train,” “Wilson & Ditch: Digging America” and “Pajanimals.” Features include “The Dark Crystal,” “Labyrinth,” “MirrorMask,” and “Unstable Fables” and television productions include “Fraggle Rock” and the sci-fi cult series “Farscape.”

With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and postproduction facilities. Independently owned and operated by the five adult children of founder Jim Henson, the Company is also home to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry’s top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of-the-art and vintage equipment. The Company’s Henson Alternative brand has recently launched the national tour of “Stuffed and Unstrung,” a live puppet improvisational show named one of the top 10 “Best Stage Shows of 2010” by Entertainment Weekly.

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