MALIBU, Calif. -- June 29, 2004 -- Since the Barbie(R) and Ken(R) February break-up, Barbie(R) has been cruising in her Chevy SSR, soaking up sun, and hanging out at the Surf and Skate Shop with her best pals. With summer just around the corner, Barbie(R) is ready to date again and has looked to her friends from around the globe to help her choose a new crush. Over the past few weeks, more than two million girls worldwide logged on to Barbie.com to help Barbie(R) choose a new beau, and Blaine(TM) doll is the undisputed winner.

"Since the break-up, Barbie(R) and Ken(R) have remained friends and are looking forward to the release of their latest film, 'Barbie(TM) as Princess and the Pauper,' coming out this fall," said Julia Jensen, publicist, Barbie(R). "So spending the summer roaming the beach with her best friends and Blaine(TM) is the perfect antidote for the upcoming busy fall press junket."

Beach living Cali Girl(TM) style wouldn't be complete without a summer romance, and Blaine(TM), the suave new Aussie surfer in the group, caught more than a few waves when he snagged Barbie(R) doll's attention. With a mature character and worldly, seasoned surfing style, Blaine(TM) doll is giving America's surfer girl some tips and tricks from international waters.

Blaine(TM) doll was born an Australian boogie-boarder, and lived and surfed in Hawaii for a few years before moving to the states and becoming a west coast wave-rider. The older brother of Barbie's friend Summer(TM), Blaine(TM) doll has sun-bleached hair and surf-bronzed skin, and sports the latest in beach and casual surfer gear. And, as the newest addition to the Cali Girl(TM) fall collection, he can be found on store shelves in August for a suggested retail price of $14.99.

About Mattel

Mattel, Inc., (NYSE:MAT)(www.mattel.com) is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products, including Barbie(R), the most popular fashion doll ever introduced. The Mattel family of toys and games is comprised of such best-selling brands as Hot Wheels(R), Matchbox(R), American Girl(R) and Fisher-Price(R), which also includes Little People(R), Rescue Heroes(TM) and Power Wheels(R), as well as a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines. With worldwide headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Mattel employs more than 25,000 people in 36 countries and sells products in more than 150 nations throughout the world. The Mattel vision is to be the world's premier toy brands -- today and tomorrow.