Action Products Forecasts Sales For The Four Months Ending April 30 Up 10% Over Last Year; Company Expects To Report Financial Improvements For The First Quarter.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Action Products International, Inc. (NASDAQ:APII), a leading toy designer and manufacturer of educational and positive, non-violent branded toys for pre-school children through pre-teens, reported today the company is achieving sales gains this year in spite of severe cut backs by mass specialty market retailers. April sales were off only 3% from last year. The company enjoyed gains in the specialty toy market where sales increased by 20% while its location-based edutainment (museum/theme park) sales gained 15%.

The overall gain in sales is different from what is happening in the rest of the industry where toy companies have been reporting reduced sales.

"Children are not going to disappear and there will always be a demand for our toys," said, VP of Sales and Marketing, Jerome Sage. "The retail market is shifting and we are moving with it. Our advanced orders are strong going into the third quarter and we are forecasting record catalog sales. For this second quarter, we expect to see sales gains over last year. The Space Shuttle flight, and the upcoming release of Star Wars will excite sales of our Space Voyagers brand, and the 32 city Jay Jay Tours America live event promotion both lead us to believe that the period ahead will show strong sales gains over last year."

On another note, the Company also announces Raymond Oliver has been hired to the Action Products team as its Investor Relations Officer. Mr. Oliver is a 15-year veteran of the financial and stock markets.

First quarter financials and conference call are expected by May 13.

About Action Products

Action Products International, Inc. is a multi brand designer and manufacturer of educational and positive branded toys emphasizing fun. Quality brands including JAY JAY THE JET PLANE Wooden Adventure System(TM), I Dig Dinosaurs(R) and I Dig Treasures(R) excavation activity kits, Space Voyagers(R) ("The most authentic Space Toys on Earth"), Wild Climbers(TM) and Climb@Tron(TM) window-climbing animals and robots, Play and Store(TM) themed playsets, Kidz Workshop(TM) wooden projects, Drop Zone Extreme(TM) parachute toys, and Curiosity Kits(R), a leading, award-winning specialty brand for kids' craft and activity kits. Its products are marketed and sold worldwide to specialty retailers, museums, toy stores, theme parks, attractions, zoos, catalog companies, Internet retailers, and educational markets.

For more information on Action Products' toys, visit the Company's web site at http://www.apii.com.

Any statements that are not historical facts contained in this release are forward-looking statements. It is possible that the assumptions made by management for purposes of such statements may not materialize. Actual results may differ materially from those projected or implied in any forward-looking statements. Such statements may involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to those relating to product demand, pricing, market acceptance, the effect of economic conditions, intellectual property rights, the outcome of competitive products, risks in product development, the results of financing efforts, the ability to complete transactions, and other factors discussed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement for events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made.