Fun, New Family Experience for Father's Day

ST. LOUIS, MO--(Marketwire - May 22, 2008) - Want dad to smile and feel like a kid again, while at the same time building even stronger ties to his children? Then, this Father's Day, treat him and the kids to the hot new experience of building and customizing RIDEMAKERZ® RIDEZ, the modern day version of old model cars: no glue, fully-customizable and radio remote-controlled. RIDEZ can even be built virtually, for free, online before ordering them to build at home or at a RIDEMAKERZ Shop. And because the RIDEZ are fast and fun to build, there will still be time and energy to barbeque.

RIDEZ include such popular muscle cars as the classic Ford Mustang GT and new 2008 Dodge Challenger, the exotic 2008 Dodge Viper, tuner cars such as Toyota's 2008 Scion xB and the RZ Wedge, BMW's MINI-Cooper S, and everything in between, including retro hot rods, stock race cars, pick-up trucks, and cab-over fire engines, dump trucks and tow trucks. The RIDEZ include patented and automatically activated lights and sounds, patented snap-on tires and wheels, and patented snap-on accessories such as side pipes, spoilers, hood scoops and more. And every RIDE can be made free-wheel or radio-control, with complete assembly in less than ten minutes.

"I can't think of a better way to celebrate Father's Day than doing something hands-on together," said Chip Foose, legendary car customizer and host of The Learning Channel's (TLC) hit show Overhaulin'. "Building custom RIDEZ is an interactive challenge to everyone's imagination and the end result is a one-of-a-kind, personal expression. RIDEMAKERZ has captured the authenticity necessary for the true adult collector and combined it with the simplicity necessary for kids as young as six years old. There's never been anything like it."

"The RIDEMAKERZ design team set out to create a system that would eliminate the time and frustration associated with traditional model cars, while still maintaining a hands-on, interactive experience that would appeal to kids and car enthusiasts alike," said RIDEMAKERZ ZEO (CEO) and founder Larry Andreini. "The reaction from real world car customizers like Chip Foose, Troy Sumitomo and Fireball Tim has been the same as families just looking for a fun, new family activity: they love the thrill and experience of building personalized RIDEZ without the cost of tricking-out a real car. This is definitely a cool gift for dad that won't break the bank!"

Foose is using RIDEMAKERZ to teach the joys of car building and customizing to his own son, Brock, age eight. His wife, Lynn, sometimes wonders who gets the biggest kick out of the RIDEMAKERZ experience -- her son or her husband. "It really brings out the kid in dads," she said. "And it's great to see Chip and Brock having so much fun together."

Research shows the importance of fathers being active in their children's lives, and a recent list of Top 10 recommendations for father-son activities on the popular website AskMen.com cites two suggestions that deal with men's fascination with cars: the No. 2 recommendation calls for fathers and sons to play together with radio-controlled cars, and No. 4 suggests that fathers teach automobile maintenance to their sons. Father-child relationships, among other things, influence a child's emotional and social development, and customizing and playing with radio-controlled RIDEZ offers a fun interactive way to further these important relationships, especially with sons.

The RIDEMAKERZ Revolution

The 21st century model car from RIDEMAKERZ allows for individualized customization and is quickly and easily built, either at home or at a RIDEMAKERZ Shop. Assembly requires no glue and can be done in minutes, and, after the basic assembly, additional fun follows as each RIDE becomes truly unique through interchangeable customizing options that gear up the imagination. Optional radio remote-control adds even more to the fun factor. RIDEMAKERZ calculates that with the choices in body styles and paint schemes, tires and wheels, lights, sounds, accessories and decals, there are more than 649,000,000 possible RIDE combinations, not including individual decal placement, so each RIDE is unique to the person who designs and builds it.

The RIDEMAKERZ experience starts in the ultimate car customizing garage, either online (at RIDEMAKERZ.com) or at a Shop, where "Customizers" CHOOZE, SONICIZE, MOTORIZE, MOBILIZE, CUSTOMIZE, PERSONALIZE and CRUIZE™ one-of-a-kind RIDEZ. After tricking out their RIDEZ, Customizers create Personalized License Plates and receive their own Certificates of Title with unique RIDE Identification Numbers (RINs), which can be used to play with their RIDEZ online.

RIDEZ are priced from $12 to $29, depending on body and paint scheme selected. Radio remote-control can be added for an additional $25, and custom accessories range in price from $2.50 for grille guards, spoilers and hood scoops to $15 for a deluxe "Muscle Kit." RIDEZ measure 10 to 12 inches long, about the size of a shoebox, and range from approximately 1:14th to 1:20th scale.

RIDEZ customized and purchased online are shipped with a special RIDEMAKERZ tool, so Customizers can have the "Do-It-Yourself-Together" experience of building them at home (within minutes). Online, Customizers can trick out virtual RIDEZ for free and e-mail them to friends, learn about car history and alternative fuels in the RIDERZ ED section, join the RIDEMILEZ CLUB to be among the first to receive RIDEMAKERZ information and special offers, and watch videos featuring, among others, Chip Foose. The website will soon add online games and community elements. Gift Cardz also are available online and make great Father's Day gifts, so dad can choose and design his own RIDE.

Now in its second year, RIDEMAKERZ will have 12 Shops open across the country by the end of June. RIDEMAKERZ Shops can be found at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, SC, Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, Spotsylvania Towne Center in Fredericksburg, VA, Castleton Square Mall in Indianapolis, IN, The Avenue at White Marsh in Baltimore, MD, The Shoppes at Hagerstown, in Hagerstown MD, Woodfield Mall in Schaumberg, IL, Twelve Oaks Mall, in Novi, MI and Great Lakes Crossing, in Auburn Hills, MI. RIDEMAKERZ will open May 31st at Branson Landing in Branson, MO, June 14th at Fox River Mall in Appleton, WI, and June 28th at Baybrook Mall in Friendswood, TX. Each RIDEMAKERZ Shop that is open will host a special Father and Son RIDE Show the weekend after Father's Day.

About RIDEMAKERZ

RIDEMAKERZ mission is to have great fun making RIDEZ -- with the ultimate vision of contributing to the positive development of kidz. Inspired by Build-A-Bear Workshop®, a partner and investor in the concept, RIDEMAKERZ is about the joy and fun of creating something great, something artistic, something unique and original. Visit RIDEMAKERZ.com for more information. RIDEMAKERZ recently received first place for "Best Attraction Retailing" in Chain Store Age magazine's Retail Store of the Year Awards and was just named one of the "Hottest Retailers" in 2008 by The International Council of Shopping Centers, Inc. (ICSC).

Contact Information: Contact: Jeff Bachmann 314.471.8344 Sara Miller 660.349.9498