New York, NY (February 13, 2006) -- ¡Eso Es!  A new line of Maya & Miguel™ toys is coming!  Scholastic Media (SM), a leader in childrens’ media and entertainment, and Hanzawa (HK) LTD, are developing a new line of interactive educational learning toys based upon the top-rated and critically acclaimed animated series, Maya & Miguel.  Led by an interactive portable toy laptop computer and printer, the new line, geared toward children ages 6-8, will arrive on retail shelves across the country in 2006.  Since its debut in October 2004, Maya & Miguel has continually broken new ground. Hanzawa is part of a growing group of Maya & Miguel licensees who are making wonderfully inspired products. 
 
“More and more children are turning toward electronic learning toys to enhance the learning process, but very few toys address the growth of bilingualism in this country,” stated Leslye Schaefer, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Consumer Products, Scholastic Media. “Hanzawa has created an innovative line of bi-lingual and tri-lingual learning toys that will teach children the alphabet, math and everyday games and will allow them to experience Maya & Miguel’s fun-loving spirit and positive messages.”
 
The Maya & Miguel early learning aids will be available in both bi-lingual (Spanish and English) and tri-lingual (English, Spanish and French) formats. Recognizable Maya & Miguel phrases such as “¡Eso Es!...That’s It! and ¡SuperFabuloso!™ will be incorporated into the computers for fun learning.  Children will discover their ABC’s, counting, and basic math in a fun-filled way with the help of the animated twins and exciting games utilizing these fundamental skills.  Additionally, the DOT toy printer has a LCD screen that prints outlines of pictures with dots.   Both the computer and printer will be on display at Toy Fair.
 
The portable children’s computer and printer will retail for $29.95-$39.95.
 
Maya & Miguel made a stellar debut in fall 2004, quickly becoming the # 1 new show on PBS KIDS GO! and establishing an immediate and powerful connection with its audience. To date, the Maya & Miguel website at pbskidsgo.org/mayaandmiguel has received over 265 million page views, and gets an average of 30,000 emails per month from kids.  The series is designed to present culture and language learning as fun, relevant, and rewarding for all children, with a special emphasis on the Latino population. The goals of the series are: (1) to promote the value of a culturally diverse society; and (2) to support English language learners through the presentation of language in a natural context with a special emphasis on vocabulary.  Maya & Miguel is a broad-based Scholastic initiative comprised of television; print media; school and community outreach; dynamic Web sites at  pbskidsgo.org/mayaandmiguel as well as scholastic.com; publishing; and a host of ancillary products including apparel and accessories, and DVDs.
 
About Scholastic Media
Scholastic Media (SM) is the entertainment and media division of Scholastic Inc., the global children's publishing and media company. A proven leader and innovator in the children's entertainment landscape and award-winning licensor and marketer of children's properties worldwide, SM ranks as one of the foremost producers of quality, family-oriented content for all platforms, including television programming, feature films, home entertainment,
interactive, and the Internet.
 
About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology.  Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys.  The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company's Internet site, www.scholastic.com.

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