Plush Primates Land on Dr. Toy’s 2009 Classic List

Twinsburg, OH - (February 10, 2010) – Wild Republic, the nature-themed toy brand of K&M International, Inc., today announced that its famous Hanging Monkey plush products have earned the Dr. Toy Classic Award.

“It is a great honor,” Vishnu Chandran, Executive Director of Wild Republic, said. “Since we introduced the Hanging Monkeys, the products have become a symbol of Wild Republic. The Dr. Toy Classic Award is a satisfying recognition of our philosophy to bring education to children through fun, creative play.”

The award is especially gratifying for Wild Republic this year as the company celebrates its 30th Anniversary in the toy business. Founded on G.B. Pillai’s commitment to create a brand of toys designed to educate children about the wonders of the wild. Wild Republic offers nature-themed, high quality, detailed selection of plush, toys, and activity sets that engage and educate children about the world around them. Today, Mr. Pillai’s dedication has resulted in a global brand that is managed by the worldwide operation of K&M International, headquartered in the United States, and offices in the U.K., Denmark, Dubai, Australia, Singapore, India, Canada and China.

Wild Republic released its Hanging Monkeys line, a group of plush primates that featured longer than normal arms and legs with hook & loop pads on their hands and feet, in 1999. Quickly, the plush monkey population increased among children and adults, as the long-armed primates wrapped around consumer consciousness and could be found strung around necks, arms, backpacks and rearview mirrors everywhere.

Wild Republic used its species-specific understanding to add various different and unusual primates to the Hanging Monkeys product line and consumers could choose their personal favorites.

The Hanging Monkeys made appearances on the highest rated television shows, such as Friends and Seinfeld, and ran the circuit of daytime news programs, including The Today Show and Good Morning America.

Throughout its 30 years, Wild Republic has had a knack for knowing the “next big thing” among people’s natural wildlife wonder and offering a broad spectrum of various animal species products to meet that demand. Now, as Wild Republic prepares to move into its fourth decade of wildlife education, the company is clearly the long-term leader in providing nature-themed toys. The constantly evolving product offerings are updated on the brands' website at www.wildrepublic.com.