Feb 4, 2009

Patch Products named exclusive U.S. distributor for Überstix

Beloit, WI—Patch Products Inc. today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Überstix LLC to be the exclusive distributor in the United States for the entire Überstix™ line of interactive construction toys.

“One of our long-term company goals has been to increase the presence of Patch Products in the construction toy category,” said Bryce Patch, president of Patch Products. CEO Fran Patch added: “When this opportunity was presented, we knew it would be a perfect way to complement the product line we brought on with the addition of Smethport and Lauri Toys.”

The recent acquisition of Smethport Specialty Co. and the addition of the Smethport and Lauri brands enhanced Patch’s specialty product offerings. Überstix officials saw the Patch acquisition of Smethport as an ideal way to position its award-winning products with an established company known for quality and innovation.

“With Überstix, kids are inspired to think, experiment and stretch their imaginations to create buildings and structures that are taller than themselves, bridges that support working trains, boats that sail, planes that fly and ÜberFOs™ that hover,” said Dane Scarborough, inventor and president of Überstix. “Überstix inspires creativity while developing kids’ spatial and problem-solving skills and mechanical intuition. We were immediately drawn to the resources, enthusiasm and integrity evident at Patch Products and believe that this partnership will allow us to develop and deliver even more innovative products in the future.”

Brian Maxwell, corporate vice president of sales at Patch, said his sales group is excited to bring these ultimate construction toys to the marketplace. “Our sales team will work collaboratively with retail customers to ensure the market demands of this product are satisfied,” he said. “We want to ensure that consumers are extremely pleased with this wonderful toy line.”

“Demand has been so great for this product,” said Tracy Simon, vice president of sales with Überstix. “And with the introduction of the new Überstix monorail, glider and the ground-breaking ÜberCutter—the first child-safe craft cutting tool—the added infrastructure of the Patch organization will allow Überstix to better meet that demand. We are really looking forward to the resources that Patch can provide in presenting these toys to the marketplace.”

About Patch Products
Patch Products, headquartered in Beloit, Wis., is a leading manufacturer and marketer of family entertainment products. Games, puzzles, activity kits, collegiate-licensed foam sports toys and classroom teaching tools are the core product lines. Top-selling brands include Buzzword®, What’s Yours Like? ®, Toss Up!®, Swap!® Smethport™, Lauri®, Tall-Stacker™ and Wooly Willy®. For more information, visit www.patchproducts.com.

About Überstix
Überstix LLC, based in Hailey, Idaho, manufactures a line of innovative construction toys that encourage kids to Think Outside the Blox™. Überstix™ award-winning construction kits are engineered to work independently and/or integrate with all other major build systems, including Lego®, K’nex®, Zoob®, Zometool® and even Tinkertoy®, as well as with recyclable materials, such as Popsicle® sticks, water bottles, straws and cups. Überstix inspires creativity while teaching kids basic to advanced concepts in geometry, math, engineering and physics, and stands out as the first toy to reward kids for recycling and introduces them to “upcycling”—the art of transforming recyclables into something of greater value! Überstix offers a unique and fun approach to teaching kids about green living at an early age by encouraging them to scavenge and hunt for recyclables in order to build real working models: pirate ships that sail, dragsters that race and UberFOs that fly. For more information, visit www.uberstix.com.