800.654-8922

elaine @ folkmanis.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Folkmanis Puppets Honored By Land's End

Emeryville-based company profiled in Corporate Sales catalog

(EMERYVILLE, CA, August 15, 2001)— Emeryville-based specialty puppet maker Folkmanis, Inc. has been selected to be profiled in Lands’ End Corporate Sales’ catalog, sent to millions of business customers nationwide this summer.

With its unique logo and whimsical puppets, award-winning Folkmanis caught the eyes of Lands’ End Corporate Sales catalog editors looking for an unusual company to profile in its catalog.  Folkmanis employees—and puppets—are featured wearing their logo-embroidered company shirts, which they obtained through Land's End’s Corporate Sales division.

“We are a company where quality is a number-one priority, so it was an obvious choice that we choose a clothing company with the same high standards to supply our business wear,” says Judy Folkmanis, company co-founder and creative president.  “Just as our customers expect our puppets to last a lifetime, we know that our shirts will last through hundreds of wearings and washings.”

The Lands’ End Corporate Sales catalog profile is a tremendous honor; the companies selected to appear gain high levels of recognition among business executives who, in this case, are also among Folkmanis’ target audience.  Creating puppets for the higher-end specialty market has been Folkmanis’ niche for 25 years.

Lands’ End Corporate Sales creates its catalogs to be educational and entertaining as well as showcase the solutions Lands’ End Corporate Sales can provide whether a company wants to reward its employees and best customers, launch a new product or extend their branding dollars. 

“Folkmanis has a story and product that appeals to everyone.  Once you see their puppets, you can’t help but fall in love with them,” said Hilary Kleese, Lands’ End Corporate Sales marketing manager.  “We thought this would be a great ‘break from business’ story that all of our customers would enjoy reading.  It also reiterates that Lands’ End Corporate Sales has products that will fit the apparel and incentive needs of every company.”

Folkmanis® Puppets are recommended for ages 3 and up and are available at specialty toy and gift stores, including FAO Schwarz, Discovery Channel Store, science/nature museums, zoo and aquarium gift shops, and thousands of independent toy and gift stores and specialty retailers nationwide and in over 15 countries around the world.  You can also find Folkmanis® Puppets online at Amazon.com.  For more information call Folkmanis at 800.654-8922 or go to www.folkmanis.com .

Lands’ End is a leading direct merchant of classically inspired clothing for men, women and children, soft luggage and products for the home.  Sales in fiscal 2001 were $1.462 billion.  Corporate Sales offers the Lands’ End brand as options for company incentives, rewards, gifts and group apparel.  Sales for Corporate Sales represented almost 13 percent of the company’s total revenue in fiscal 2001, or $170 million.  Lands’ End Corporate Sales is a multi-channeled business, providing solutions to clients through catalog, Web site or Online Custom Stores^™.  Lands’ End Corporate Sales helps companies like RadioShack, Cisco, HSBC, Fortune and Cingular reinforce their corporate identity and reward and motivate their employees and may be reached at (800) 338-2000 or www.landsend.com .