Four Minor League Teams Rev Up 2005 Promotional Schedule with Funkirides

Wind-up toy car puts team's player or mascot in the "driver's seat."

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) June 14, 2005 -- Five Tool Marketing, a Dallas-based sports marketing consultancy, announced today that it has signed four Minor League Baseball teams to feature the companys newest marketing innovation, Funkirides, in their 2005 promotional schedules. The teams include the Aberdeen IronBirds, Altoona Curve, Brooklyn Cyclones and New Britain Rock Cats.

Funkirides, which debuted at the 2004 Baseball Winter Meetings, is a line of customizable, wind-up toy cars that puts a teams player or mascot in the drivers seat." The flagship Funkiride is a baseball-themed car designed around a teams helmet, which pops back when the car is released to race away, revealing the player or mascot behind the wheel.

Each team will feature their own mascot in the drivers seat of the Funkiride, with the exception of the Brooklyn Cyclones, who will use a Cyclones baseball player. In addition, every team will leverage current team sponsorships by placing a sponsor logo on the car. For example, the Cyclones Funkirides will feature Getty Oil (getty.com), a perfect fit for a toy car giveaway. The Rock Cats will feature Guidas Milk and Ice Cream (supercow.com) on their Funkirides, appealing to children and their love of ice cream and related products.

Executives from each of the four teams are excited about the giveaway. Were excited about the Curves Funkirides and looking forward to rewarding our fans, and the kids in particular, with a giveaway thats sure to be a collectible," said Todd Parnell, general manager of the Altoona Curve and 2004 winner of the Larry MacPhail Trophy for promotional excellence in Minor League Baseball.

Funkirides is being touted as one of the hottest new promotional items in the sports marketing arena as it is a collectible that appeals to both children and adults and can be used over and over again rather than sitting on a shelf once a fan brings it home from a game. It has been featured by The National Sports Forum and Sports Business Journal among other publications. An article in AT THE YARD magazine published earlier this year said, ...fans young and old throughout the minor leagues will be racing to the ballparks to get their own (Funkiride)."

Below is the Funkirides giveaway schedule for the 2005 season:

Aberdeen IronBirds:      8/16
Altoona Curve:      7/27
Brooklyn Cyclones:      6/24
New Britain Rock Cats:   7/17

While Funkirides will be officially introduced to Americas Pastime" this summer, new designs will soon be available for basketball, football, hockey, soccer as well as collegiate teams.

About Five Tool Marketing:
Five Tool Marketing is a marketing services company with the unifying goal of helping athletes, sponsors, properties and rights owners connect with their constituents, optimize their level of play, build participation in new markets and grow equity in their most valued asset -- the customer -- profitably.

With a dedicated focus on attracting and maintaining relationships with customers to build market value, Five Tool Marketing works with clients to create and implement solutions that meet the critical needs of todays sports industry.

For more information on how you can utilize Funkirides as a promotion for your organization, visit funkirides.com, call 866-547-7516 or email info@fivetool.net.

Contact:
Kern Egan
214 707 8993
kegan@fivetool.net

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