Legendary TV Duo to Make Rare Public Appearance

July 10, 2006, Pittsburgh, PA: Time and Space Toys will bring two world-famous television stars on a tour of major pop culture conventions this year. Until this tour, this famous pair have not been seen together in public for over 40 years. Quite possibly the most recognized TV screen pair in the world, their appearance is expected to go down in pop-culture history.

Rudolph and Santa, the original puppet characters from the classic 1964 television special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, will be on display in the Time and Space Toys Booth from July 20-23, 2006 at the San Diego Comic Convention and August 3-6, 2006 at the Wizard World Chicago Convention. The stop motion puppets, stars of the longest running holiday special in television history, brought instant fame to production team Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass and became icons of American pop culture.

Time and Space Toys purchased the puppets from a former Rankin/Bass employee and brought them to one of Hollywood's leading stop-motion animation studios where they were meticulously restored to their original specifications. This included detailed cleaning, careful repair of broken parts and reconstruction of a few missing pieces. In addition, the puppets have been treated to preserve them from future aging effects so that fans may enjoy these pieces of American history for years to come.

Time and Space Toys will be available at both events to discuss the discovery of the puppets and their significance in pop culture history. At the Chicago convention in August, Rankin/Bass historian and author Rick Goldschmidt will be on hand to answer fan questions and sign his book "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: the Making of the Rankin/Bass Animated Classic." The detailed story of how these puppets survived the last four decades, along with a continuing progress report with photos of the restoration project, is available on the TimeandSpaceToys.com website.

"We are excited to be involved in such a special project and to exhibit these cherished pieces to the attendees of the two largest pop-culture conventions in the country," says Time and Space Toys president Kevin Kriess. "These characters have completely redefined the traditional Santa Claus mythology and have had a profound impact on American culture."

The San Diego Comic Con, presented by Comic-Con International, will be held July 20-23, 2006 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Time and Space Toys will be exhibiting in Booth 5513. For more information, visit www.comic-con.org.

The Wizard World Chicago Convention, presented by Wizard Entertainment group, will be held August 3-6, 2006 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. Time and Space Toys will be exhibiting in Booth 912. For more information, visit www.wizarduniverse.com.

Time and Space Toys, family owned and operated, is an online retailer of high-quality, licensed toys and collectibles based on entertainment properties. Since 1997, the company has served tens of thousands of customers across the United States and in over 55 countries around the world. Time and Space Toys has established itself as one of the major retailers of licensed television and film merchandise. For more information, visit www.timeandspacetoys.com.