FEATURE/General Mills Joins The Force; Exclusive Products and Premiums Add to the Fun of Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones.

Food Editors & Entertainment/Lifestyle Writers

FEATURE...

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--April 8, 2002

General Mills has gone to epic lengths to bring the fun and excitement of Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones(TM) to a new generation of kids. With special-edition products available soon in categories including cereal, yogurt and fruit snacks, innovative packaging, and premiums that add significant value, General Mills helps kids incorporate the magic of Star Wars into their daily routines.

"We're happy that we can give kids a way to extend the experience of Star Wars beyond the theater," said Wayne Chilicki, promotion director at General Mills. "Through General Mills incredible products and premiums, kids can create Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones memories that are uniquely their own."

Topping the list of products is General Mills' limited-edition Star Wars Episode II Cereal. The cereal features sweetened corn puffs and seven different marshmallow shapes representing Star Wars characters and objects including a Clone Trooper(TM), red and blue lightsabers(TM), Yoda(TM), R2-D2(TM), the starship Slave I(TM) and the Jedi Starfighter(TM). In addition to a delicious tasting cereal kids will love, General Mills has created two different collector's edition holographic packages that incorporate characters and imagery from Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. Plus, back panels of the packages feature a special Star Wars game -- kids can play it using a single box or join both collector's edition packages together for an expanded version that spans the Star Wars saga. Star Wars Episode II Cereal will be available in 12.25 oz. boxes for a suggested retail price of $2.49.

Fantastic premiums will also generate excitement in the cereal aisle about Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones later this spring. Kids will love collecting five different light-up lightsaber pens included in specially-marked packages of Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Reese's Puffs and Cocoa Puffs. The pens are replicas of lightsabers used by new and classic Star Wars characters including Anakin Skywalker(TM), Luke Skywalker(TM), Darth Vader(TM), Mace Windu(TM) and Count Dooku(TM). The collectible lightsaber pens let kids take the fun of Star Wars to school, in the car, to summer camp or anywhere they go.

And, kids will love experimenting with Star Wars-themed temporary tattoos included in specially-marked boxes of Corn Chex and Rice Chex. General Mills has created four different sets of temporary tattoos that feature characters from The Light Side and The Dark Side of the Force(TM). In addition, packages will feature a recipe for Clone Crunch snack mix and mail-in offer for Star Wars-themed cereal bowl and cup sets.

Go-GURT, the popular portable yogurt for kids, also joins the fun with 16 truly revolutionary glow-in-the-dark lightsaber tubes featuring characters from the Star Wars saga. Go-GURT Star Wars Edition marks the first time glow-in-the-dark technology has been used in the dairy industry or on any tube snack. Each package of Go-GURT Star Wars Edition will feature one of six front panels of lightsaber-wielding characters from Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones and one of four back panels featuring Jedi and Sith from the Star Wars saga. Suggested retail price for a package of eight tubes is $2.79.

Star Wars also blasts into grocery stores in the fruit snack aisle. Kids won't be able to resist limited-edition Jedi Fruit Rolls -- Jedi Berry Blast-flavored fruit snacks that are destined to be a hit in lunchboxes nationwide. Kids will also love to collect-all-six lenticular Star Wars sticker cards they'll find in packages of Jedi Fruit Rolls. Packages of six Jedi Rolls will be available for a suggested retail price of $1.99.

Specially-marked packs of Fruit by the Foot and Fruit Roll-Ups available at membership wholesale and warehouse clubs will include one of four exclusive metal backpack tags. Each tag features a different Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones character and the packaging incorporates Jedi trivia games or Star Wars bookmarks. Suggested retail price for these packages, containing either 28 Fruit by the Foot fruit snacks or 48 Fruit Roll-Ups, is approximately $6.79.

NASCAR and Star Wars fans will be thrilled to see a special Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones paint scheme on the Cheerios No. 43 Dodge. Driver John Andretti will race the Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones car in The Winston on May 18 and the Coca-Cola 600 on May 26 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte. In addition, General Mills has created paint schemes representing the original Star Wars trilogy and Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. Fans can check out the three different paint schemes and vote for their favorite at www.starwars.cheeriosracing.com. Plus, select limited-edition packages of Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Honey Nut Chex and Golden Grahams will feature a mail-in offer for all three collectible 1:64 die-cast Star Wars No. 43 cars.

All products connected to Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones are participants in General Mills renowned Box Tops for Education school fund-raising program. Consumers simply need to clip Box Tops logos from packages and submit them to the school of their choice to turn them into cash for their school.

General Mills is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products. Its global brand portfolio includes Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso and more. Included in the U.S. portfolio are some of the nation's most popular brands including Cheerios, Wheaties and other Big G cereal brands; Colombo, Yoplait, Totino's and Progresso. General Mills is also a leader in the bakeries and foodservice business as a major supplier of baking and other food products to the foodservice and commercial baking industries.