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Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters Invade the United States!

The best alternatives to real live hamsters, Zhu Zhu Pets hamsters don't poop, die, or stink, but they are still a riot of motion and sound. They dart around in their hamster tubes and busily scurry from room to room. Simply pet the hamster's back, set him down, and watch him Zhu Zhu Zhu-oom! Zhu Zhu Pets like to be picked up and snuggled too! Pet them gently on the nose, and they'll squeak with contentment. These hamsters have over 40 different sound effects, depending on the unique environment they encounter.

"Zhu Zhu Pets hamsters are truly unlike anything on the market," says Natalie Hornsby, brand development and marketing strategies, Cepia, LLC. "They're completely interactive, as if they have a mind of their own."

Zhu Zhu Pets drive around in little cars, zip up ramps and spin down slides, and run in their hamster wheels. Their artificial intelligence even allows them to know what room of their hamster habitat they are in. They make toilet-flushing or teeth-brushing sounds when they enter the bathroom, and sleeping noises and alarm-clock sounds when they go into their bedroom.

Zhu Zhu Pets are available as five different characters:

• Zhu Zhu Pets Patches - the flower-loving hamster
• Zhu Zhu Pets Chunk - the laid back surfer hamster
• Zhu Zhu Pets PipSqueak - the petite powerhouse hamster
• Zhu Zhu Pets Mr. Squiggles - the hamster who loves to explore
• Zhu Zhu Pets Num Nums - the hamster with an affinity for yummy food

Multiple Zhu Zhu Pets accessories are also available for purchase, allowing kids to collect and connect them all to create their own customized hamster habitats. Zhu Zhu Pets accessories include:

• Hamster funhouse
• Hamster wheel and tunnel
• Hamster-mobile and garage
• Spiral slide and ramp
• Adventure ball
• Surfboard and sleep dome
• Skateboard and U-turn
• Pet bed and blanket
• Pet carrier and blanket

Zhu Zhu Pets are available for sale at Walmart, Toys"R" Us, Target (beginning in October) and other select retailers. The national launch is already underway with a series of events in select cities across the country, including special promotions at major league baseball stadiums and deliveries to children's hospitals by a professional athlete/celebrity.

Hamster parties will also be hosted around the nation by select moms for kids and their friends to experience Zhu Zhu Pets first-hand. The parties will include various hamster-related games and activities, while kids play with Zhu Zhu Pets and build their own hamster habitats. Zhu Zhu Pets will entertain children for hours on end, engage their imaginations in an entirely new interactive way, and provide a constant low-maintenance companion for kids desiring a pet of their very own.

About Zhu Zhu Pets

Zhu Zhu Pets are innovative, realistic, interactive, plush, and artificially intelligent hamsters that talk and move around in their own playsets. Zhu Zhu Pets include two play modes: nurturing mode where the hamsters coo and purr and adventure mode where the hamsters explore their habitat with intelligent audio and mechanical responses to various habitat stimuli. Over a dozen add-ons can be purchased to build an ever-evolving hamsterworld for your hamster to play in and explore. Powered by 2 AAA batteries (included), Zhu Zhu Pets are suitable for ages 3 and up. For more information, please visit www.zhuzhupets.com.

About Cepia, LLC

Cepia was founded in 2002 in St. Louis, Missouri by a senior management team boasting over 100 years of combined history in the toy industry. Ingenuity, creativity, playfulness, and passion are the heart of Cepia and everything it creates. Cepia is especially known for its use of advanced technology, which is employed in such an unobtrusive way that the toys are not only fun to play with, but often viewed as "wonderful" or "magical." Cepia's toy brand building enterprises include Glo-e, a light-up plush bear; Hydro Max, a motorized water blaster; Sky Raptors; Sk8; and their newest venture Zhu Zhu Pets . For more information, please visit www.cepiallc.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6039898&lang=en

Media:
Martz Agency
Jennifer Adler, 480-998-3154
jadler@martzagency.com