COLLECTOR CUTIES; MCDONALD'S OFFERS MINI-FURBY FIGURES.Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer Keith Lopaty saw business increase 50 percent at the five San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. McDonald's restaurants There are more than 30,000 McDonald's restaurants in 119 countries. Restaurants The first McDonald's was not a restaurant at all, but it was a sit-in stand. The company's early franchises were built to a standard pattern that did not offer seating; this was in part to prevent he owns when the fast-food chain offered Teeny Teeny 1/16 or 0.0625 of one full point in price. Steenth. Beanie Babies toys with its Happy Meal combos each of the last two springs. He expects to see something close to the same when 3-inch Furbies - that electronic interactive toy that was all the rage General Public's All the Rage was released in 1984 by I.R.S. Records. Track listing
``I think it'll be popular. I'm optimistic,'' he said. ``I don't think it'll be Beanie Babies - Beanie Babies was our best ever. This will probably be the second-best ever, would be my guess.'' The figures attract youngsters who drag their parents into McDonald's to buy them. And their parents, in turn, buy meals for themselves. ``When we sell a lot of Happy Meals, it helps our business,'' Lopaty said. ``It helps pretty dramatically in certain instances.'' Ann Murray, a spokeswoman for Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald's Corp., said the company had been working on turning the Furby into a Happy Meals figurine since spotting the toy last year at the International Toy Fair in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . ``We're always looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. hot properties,'' she said. There are 80 variants of the little critters, all miniature sculpted sculpt v. sculpt·ed, sculpt·ing, sculpts v.tr. 1. To sculpture (an object). 2. To shape, mold, or fashion especially with artistry or precision: figurines resembling the furry mechanical toys that media hype turned into the most coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. toy of December '98. Like the big Furby, the McDonald's figures can do things like move their feet or wiggle their ears or let loose with a little growl. Unlike it's big cousin, however, these little ones are not electronic and don't need batteries to perform their feats. Reaction to the new figures so far has been positive, Murray said. ``They capture the essence of the real retail Furby,'' she said. They'll be available through April 22 or while supplies last. They come in eight toy types and in 10 body and color combinations. Lopaty thinks the mini-Furby toys stand a good chance of becoming collectors' items, in part because there are so many varieties that some customers may make it a mission to capture them all. ``I think people will be driving around trying to collect them all,'' he said. ``Who knows, maybe 20 years from now, they'll be sitting back thinking, Wasn't I smart?'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO (Color) McDonald's is offering 80 variations of 3-inch Furbies in its Happy Meal combos. |
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