Racing Champions Ertl Strengthens Its Management Team; Promotes Greg Miller And Hires Jeff Jones

    GLEN ELLYN, Ill., Jan. 30 -- Racing Champions Ertl today announced two management team
appointments.  Greg Miller, who joined the Company in 2001, has been promoted
to Vice President of Marketing, and Jeff Jones has joined the Company as
Director of New Products and Technology.
    Miller, who holds an M.B.A. from the University of Baltimore, had been
Managing Director at Racing Champions Ertl and has broad experience in
preschool toys and licensed products. Prior to joining the Company he had been
Business Team Leader at Little Tikes, Vice President of Marketing for Hasbro's
Playskool Division and had also worked for Today's Kids and American Greetings
in various licensing and toy management positions.
    Known as a leader in the development of toys which enhance a child's
imaginative experiences, Jones was Senior Vice President, R&D, for Tiger
Electronics before joining Racing Champions Ertl, and had also worked for
Hasbro. While with Tiger he was active in the development of many new products
including Furby, Furby Babies, interactive Gizmo, interactive E.T., and cyber
pets Poo-Chi, Meow-Chi, and i-Cybie. He is a graduate of Clark University with
degrees in psychology and business.
    "It gives us a great deal of pleasure to announce these new appointments,"
said Curt Stoelting, CEO of Racing Champions Ertl. "Both Greg and Jeff are
strong leaders who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to Racing
Champions Ertl."  Peter Henseler, President of Racing Champions Ertl added,
"Our Company and our management team have been strengthened by these
appointments.  We're confident that Greg and Jeff will play major roles in our
continuing growth."
    Racing Champions Ertl ( http://www.rcertl.com ) is a leading producer and
marketer of innovative collectibles and toys targeted at males of all ages.
The Company's diverse product offerings include scaled die-cast replicas of
John Deere agricultural equipment and NASCAR stock cars, other licensed
vehicle replicas, pre-teen toys, sports trading cards, racing apparel and
souvenirs, and collectible figures. These products are sold under the
Company's market-focused brand names, including Racing Champions(R), Ertl(R),
Ertl Collectibles(R), American Muscle(TM), AMT(R), W. Britain(R), Press
Pass(R), and JoyRide Studios(TM). The Company reinforces its brands and
enhances the authenticity of its products by linking them with highly
recognized licensed properties including NASCAR, NHRA, John Deere, Harley-
Davidson, Case, Polaris, Honda, Caterpillar, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Texaco,
Universal Studios, Warner Brothers, Hit Entertainment, Nintendo, Sega, and
Electronic Arts. The Company's products are marketed through multiple channels
of distribution, including mass retailers and specialty and hobby wholesalers
and retailers, OEM dealers, and to corporate accounts for promotional
purposes. The Company sells through more than 20,000 retail outlets located in
North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.

    Certain statements contained in this release contain "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking
words or phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "expect," "intend,"
"may," "planned," "potential," "should," "will" and "would."  Such forward-
looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and
uncertainties. Such uncertainties and other operational matters are discussed
further in the Company's quarterly and annual filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. The Company's actual results and future developments
could differ materially from the results or developments expressed in, or
implied by, these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no
obligation to make any revisions to the forward-looking statements contained
in this release or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring
after the date of this release.

    CONTACT:  Curt Stoelting, CEO, +1-630-790-3507, ext. 133, or Jody Taylor,
CFO, +1-630-790-3507, ext. 158, both of Racing Champions Ertl