SEATTLE, Aug. 28, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Diamond Book Distributors has been named the exclusive distributor of Bella Sara(tm) horse-themed trading cards for girls to all U.S. and Canadian book retailers in Diamond's extensive distribution network. The move will place Bella Sara cards, a Scandinavian phenomenon that launched successfully in the United States earlier this year, in more than 2,500 additional retail outlets.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4129
Bella Sara cards will now be available in popular book retail outlets such as Borders, Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Hastings, Ingram, Baker & Taylor and Indigo. These stores will join major retailers including Blockbuster, Kmart, Target, Toys "R" Us and Wal-Mart, as well as regional chains and toy, hobby and equestrian shops, which already carry the popular Bella Sara trading cards.
"Hidden City Games is thrilled to have Diamond's unsurpassed distribution muscle with book retailers behind the Bella Sara brand," said Peter D. Adkison, CEO of Hidden City Games, the company behind Bella Sara's successful debut in the United States. "Diamond's experience in both the book trade and the comic book industry makes them an ideal match for Bella Sara." Adkison was also the driving force behind the trading-card phenomena Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering in the United States.
"We at Diamond truly admire Hidden City Games' dedication to creating great products," said Diamond's vice president of purchasing, Bill Schanes. "Their continued effort to provide top-quality merchandise is an asset we value, and we're looking forward to working closely with them."
Bella Sara trading cards feature stunningly designed and imaginatively artistic imagery of horses, along with inspirational sayings that promote inner beauty, emotional strength and self-worth. The cards can be used in games, and also to activate and nurture virtual horses in the online world of Bella Sara at www.bellasara.com, a child-friendly website that features games for girls including horse dress-up, jumping and riding games, plus puzzles, coloring books, interactive activities and much more.
Bella Sara cards recently won a slew of awards, including the "Best Products - Spring 2007" award from Dr. Toy, the "Seal of Excellence" from Creative Child magazine and "2007 Excellent Product" and "2007 Outstanding Product" designations from iParenting Media.
Diamond Book Distributors is a division of Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and related merchandise. Diamond Book Distributors is dedicated to making a wide selection of graphic novels and other pop culture collectibles available to the mainstream book market.
Hidden City Games, Inc. is a privately held company headquartered in Seattle, Washington and is the exclusive licensor of Bella Sara for worldwide distribution outside of Scandinavia. The company is headed by an experienced executive team, including founder and CEO Peter D. Adkison, who formerly founded Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Jesper Myrfors, chief creative officer and original art director for Magic: The Gathering; and Paul Peterson, HCG's vice president of research and development, who was previously on the R&D team for Magic: The Gathering. Under Adkison's leadership, Wizards of the Coast created an entirely new genre of games with the release of Magic: The Gathering, which was the world's first trading card game, published in 13 languages and loved by millions of players around the world. Additionally, Adkison introduced Pokemon trading cards to North America and reinvigorated the hugely popular Dungeons & Dragons brand after acquiring it from TSR. Adkison grew Wizards into a multimillion-dollar company before selling it to Hasbro in 1999 for nearly $500 million.
BELLA SARA is a trademark of conceptcard and used by Hidden City Games under license. HIDDEN CITY GAMES is a trademark of Hidden City Games, Inc., in the U.S.A. and elsewhere. www.hiddencitygames.com
Photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.
Diamond Book Distributors
Elissa Lynch
(410) 560-7100
lelissa@diamondcomics.com
