WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., November 12, 2004 -- Holiday shoppers looking for a fun, funky and innovative gift for kids and tweens are in for some laughs this holiday season. P-Brains, from Uncle Milton Industries, are high- tech collectible cuties that feature interchangeable electronic brains and invite kids to play "mad scientist." Phenomenal results in several test markets for these collectible characters, which are hitting store shelves nationwide this week, indicate P-Brains could be this year's hot holiday toy.

Designed for collecting, three-inch-tall P-Brains characters are sold in "unlikely" pairs that let kids swap the characters' delightfully squishy brains to hilarious results! Whether it is a Baby switching brains with a Soldier or a Teacher switching with a Skateboarder, or any combination of the four, these original characters speak the language of humor and fun that is sure to send them to the top of holiday wish lists.

Initial test retailers have sold through 100% of their product and are anxiously waiting for this week's replenishing shipment. Fran Ferraris, owner of a Hallmark store in Thousand Oaks, CA, was pleasantly surprised by her customers' reaction to P-Brains. "We thought that P-Brains would be a fun addition to the products sold in our store and hoped that our younger customers would enjoy them as much as we did," says Ferraris. "We had no idea that we would sell through the entire stock of P-Brains in two days! We expect P-Brains to be one of our hottest holiday items; they make great Christmas and Hannukah gifts or stocking stuffers."

Steven Levine, Uncle Milton's chief executive officer, credits technology as the differentiating factor compared to other collectible crazes. "Our innovative P-Brains encourage kids to get together with friends to create unique characters with wacky personalities. Kids can switch P-Brains back and forth between their own collection or their friends' collections."

Ferraris explains how the "craze" started at her store: "We positioned samples at the register so people would see them and try them out. We found that once kids started playing and laughing with P-Brains, they were begging to take them home!" Ferraris thinks that people are initially drawn to the wacky appearance and squishy brains, but once they engage the product -- they want more. This is good news for Ferraris and other retailers like her who currently have a waiting list for P-Brains. "Many customers are reserving complete sets now so that they won't have to try to find all four later. I think we will sell through this shipment pretty quickly," adds Ferraris. "They are hard to resist!"

Uncle Milton's executive vice president Frank Adler believes that the advanced technology and kid-focused humor used to make P-Brains so unique are at the foundation of the toy's appeal. "While kids love P-Brains' sense of humor and wacky appearance, children today are also very tuned into technology. They are intrigued by the microchips that give P-Brains their unique personalities and allow these four characters to interact." Although P-Brains are easy to use, Adler believes that both kids and parents understand that the technology behind them is still pretty complex. "We find that people are blown away that something so small can do so much," Adler adds. "And the P-Brains' attitude and sense of humor make kids laugh out loud -- what more can you ask for?"

Ferraris tends to agree. "Everybody loves them, it doesn't matter which age group."

Uncle Milton's Levine adds: "The fact that we are only producing the first series in limited quantities will definitely contribute to the collectibility. But, stay tuned, we will be launching Series 2 soon."

So what happens when you switch the personalities of a Soldier with a Baby? You will just have to see if you can get your hands on some P-Brains and find out!

Since the introduction of the Ant Farm(R) nearly 50 years ago, Uncle Milton Industries, based in Westlake Village, CA, has become a leading manufacturer of science and nature exploration products. For more information about P-Brains visit http://www.unclemilton.com.