What if a child's favorite character could actually know the child's name? What if the character could really get to know the child and talk just to them? Through the use of today's intuitive technology, now Elmo and Winnie the Pooh can really be a child's best friend - they'll know the child's name, their favorite foods, favorite animal and color, the child's birthday, siblings' names, best friend's name, favorite games, songs and more.

"There is something so magical in that moment when a child first hears Elmo say his name," says Neil Friedman, president, Mattel Brands. "It's the kind of connection that delivers that instant smile - the pure joy of a favorite toy and a special friend."

Knows Your Name™ is a terrific example of how technology can work to enhance the quality of play, according to Chris Byrne, The Toy Guy™. "The product demonstrates an ingenious way to incorporate today's sophisticated technology to deliver an incredible play experience that appears seamless to the child and enriches their already strong relationship with the character."

Utilizing a simple USB cable and a CD Rom, parents can easily and quickly download key information into the soft, cuddly Knows Your Name characters. Each has an internal clock so the content of what each character says will change depending on the time of day (morning, noon and night - breakfast, lunch and dinner, even nap time). Each character will also sing several songs and tell stories that incorporate the personalized information downloaded into the plush. And parents can update the toys as often as they want so every day can be a new way to play.

In an innovative feat of packaging, Fisher-Price has made it possible for parents to download the information while the product is still in its original box, so as soon as the child opens the box, they can begin to play with their new friend.

The characters speak in their true voices, featuring a bank of more than 15,000 names, all the primary colors, 100 different types of food including everything from eggs to edamame, chicken to steak, 60 different animals including dogs, cats, giraffes, dolphins, even a Tigger and a Heffalump.

Each characters offers up five songs, five games and five stories, all in the character voices. Parents can choose from such favorites as Sesame Street's "Sunny Days" or Pooh's "Rumbly in My Tumbly," games such as "Who Am I?" and stories about "A Very Hungry Bear" or "Elmo's Colorful Day."

Just hitting store shelves now, the Knows Your Name™ characters, for children 18 months and older, are available at major retailers for approximately $39.99. In a unique approach to the standard "try-me" packaging, Fisher-Price makes it possible for parents to enter their child's name into a special in-store display so they can hear the characters say the name. If, for some reason, a child's name is not among the 15,000 already in the bank, parents can submit the names to Fisher-Price and they may be offered by download at the Fisher-Price web site.

Fisher-Price, Inc., a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. (NYSE:MAT) and located in East Aurora, New York, is the leading brand of infant and preschool toys in the world. The Company has a 75-year legacy of high-quality toys that enhance early childhood development. Its often-emulated Play Laboratory was the first child research center of its kind in the toy industry, allowing researchers to observe the way children play and how play benefits their development. Some of the Company's best-known "classic" brands include Little People®, Power Wheels® and View-Master®. Fisher-Price is also a leading developer of baby gear products (nursery monitors, infant swings, high chairs) as well as a wide array of character-based toys inspired by high quality children's programming such as Sesame Street®, Dora the Explorer™ and Winnie the Pooh. The Company's web site, at www.fisher-price.com, provides valuable information and resources to parents.