New Awards Position Horse-Themed Trading Cards as Ideal Stocking Stuffer for 2007
SEATTLE (September 19, 2007) — The magical trading-card and online world of popular horse-themed Bella Sara™ has expanded its trophy case to include three new parenting awards: the iParenting Outstanding Product award, the National Parenting Center Seal of Approval and the Creative Child Seal of Excellence, which join honors already bestowed upon Bella Sara earlier in the year.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by such highly respected parenting organizations,” said Peter Adkison, CEO of Hidden City Games, which distributes Bella Sara worldwide outside of Scandinavia. “We’re seeing retailers, experts, parents and, most of all, girls really getting behind Bella Sara. It’s very exciting for our team to see such tremendous acknowledgement so soon after rolling out this product.”
Bella Sara trading cards have attracted the attention of parenting groups because each card features a fantastic, imaginative illustration of a horse along with a positive message such as “Beauty comes from within” or “Be the hero in your own story.” These messages stimulate pro-social dialogue with girls, both among themselves and with parents and educators. Both the cards and the online world at www.bellasara.com strive to engage children with topics beyond looks and other superficial measurements, focusing instead on developing each child’s inner strength and beauty.
The iParenting Outstanding Product award program determines and recognizes the best products in the marketplace and is the only consumer award program that has achieved an ISO 9001:2000 certification, the internationally recognized standard for quality assurance. Products are reviewed and judged by a diverse set of parents, experts, licensed childcare centers and schools nationwide.
Winners of the National Parenting Center Seal of Approval are determined by an independent testing procedure designed to identify the finest products introduced to the parent/child consumer market. This award supports the mission of the National Parenting Center, which was created in 1989 to provide comprehensive and responsible parenting advice.
Bella Sara was also awarded a coveted Seal of Excellence by the 2007 Creative Child awards panel. The 2007 Creative Child awards program was created by Creative Child magazine, a bimonthly publication that provides parents with the latest information on how to nurture their children’s creativity.
Earlier this year Bella Sara was honored with a “Best Products — Spring 2007” award from Dr. Toy and a “2007 Excellent Product” designation from iParenting Media.
“Bella Sara has been selling very well at our stores and has great potential to be a hot stocking stuffer for girls this holiday season,” said Steve Jones, vice president of marketing for Excell Marketing, category manager for trading cards in Target retail stores and other national and regional chains.
Bella Sara trading cards feature stunningly designed and imaginatively artistic images of horses, along with inspirational sayings that promote inner beauty, emotional strength and self-worth. The cards can be used in games and also to activate and nurture virtual horses in the online world of Bella Sara at www.bellasara.com, a child-friendly website that features fun, interactive play. The cards are carried at major retailers such as Blockbuster, Kmart, Target, Toys “R” Us and Wal-Mart, as well as in regional chains and toy, hobby and equestrian shops nationwide. Bella Sara is tracking growth and traffic numbers similar to those that online hits such as Webkinz and Club Penguin generated at the same age, and is on course for continued success.
For more information on the Bella Sara brand, including images and video, please visit http://pressroom.bellasara.com
About Hidden City Games, Inc.
Hidden City Games, Inc., is a privately held company headquartered in Seattle, Washington and is the exclusive licensor of Bella Sara for worldwide distribution outside of Scandinavia. The company is headed by an experienced executive team, including founder and CEO Peter D. Adkison, who formerly founded Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Jesper Myrfors, chief creative officer and original art director for Magic: The Gathering; and Paul Peterson, HCG’s vice president of research and development, who was previously on the R&D team for Magic: The Gathering. Under Adkison’s leadership, Wizards of the Coast created an entirely new genre of games with the release of Magic: The Gathering, which was the world’s first trading card game, published in 13 languages and loved by millions of players around the world. Additionally, Adkison introduced Pokémon trading cards to North America and reinvigorated the hugely popular Dungeons & Dragons brand after acquiring it from TSR. Adkison grew Wizards into a multimillion-dollar company before selling it to Hasbro in 1999 for nearly $500 million.
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