National Geographic Kids Magazine To Collect Jeans For Guinness World Record

COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.® Drive to Recycle Donated Denim Into Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation to Aid Communities in Need

WASHINGTON - In conjunction with its April 2009 Special Ocean Issue (on newsstands March 24), which encourages readers to protect the planet, National Geographic Kids magazine is asking readers around the world to donate their old jeans to set a Guinness World Record for the Largest Collection of Clothes to Recycle. After officials record the final tally, National Geographic Kids will donate the jeans to the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN. ® denim drive, which gives denim a second life by recycling it into insulation for use in restoring or rebuilding homes damaged by hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters. Actor Ben Stiller, guest editor for the Special Ocean Issue, is donating a pair of his jeans.

Created by Cotton Incorporated in 2006, the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN. ® denim drive was established to recycle denim into natural cotton fiber insulation and aid communities in need. Through a multi-stage process, donated denim is recycled into UltraTouch™ Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation, an environmentally friendly insulation, which is then used in building houses in areas affected by natural disasters. It takes approximately 500 pairs of jeans to insulate one average-size U.S. house. To date, the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN. ® denim drive has collected nearly 100,000 denim pieces nationwide, producing insulation used in new homes for more than 180 families in the Gulf Coast region.

Jeans can also be dropped off at any Build-A-Bear Workshop® in the United States March 27-29 for the National Geographic Kids/COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.® denim drive record attempt. Each guest donating a denim item will receive a free virtual gift at buildabearville.com®, the Build-A-Bear Workshop virtual world (one offer per guest while quantities last).

A robust microsite at kids.nationalgeographic.com will provide weekly updates on the number of donated jeans, videos detailing the recycling process and information about the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.® denim drive. In addition, online partner KOL, http://kol.com, AOL’s kid-focused Web site, will feature National Geographic Kids’ record-setting effort. KOL will reach out to the entertainment community to solicit jeans from kid-friendly celebrities and develop fun pop-culture content, including photo galleries of current celebrities in their best jeans.

National Geographic Kids will feature the call-to-action in its April 2009, May 2009 and June/July 2009 issues. All denim for the record attempt must be received by June 30, 2009. Denim must be previously worn and can be any brand, size or color. All donations should be sent to NG Kids/ Set a Guinness World Record, P.O. Box 98001, Washington, D.C., 20090-8001 or NG Kids/Set a Guinness World Record, 1145 17th Street N.W., Washington, D.C., 20036.

National Geographic Kids magazine readers have set three Guinness World Records. In July 2008 National Geographic Kids tied 10,512 shoes together, heel-to-toe, creating a chain stretching nearly 1.65 miles, to set the record for the Longest Chain of Shoes; in December 2006 the magazine collected 2,304 stuffed animals for the Largest Gathering of Plush Toys; and in November 2004 it set the record for the world’s Longest Line of Footprints — 10,932 prints, measuring almost two miles.

About National Geographic Kids Magazine
National Geographic Kids, a multitopic, photo-driven magazine for 6- to 14-year-olds, empowers its readers by making it fun to learn about the world. It has received numerous industry awards, including the Periodical of the Year award in 2005 and 2006 from the Association of Educational Publishers. Published 10 times a year, National Geographic Kids has a circulation of 1.2 million and is available by subscription for $19.95 a year and on newsstands for $4.99 a copy. Its Web site is at kids.nationalgeographic.com.

About Cotton Incorporated
Cotton Incorporated, funded by U.S. growers of upland cotton and importers of cotton and cotton textile products, is the research and marketing company representing upland cotton. The Program is designed and operated to improve the demand for and profitability of cotton. For more information, visit www.cottoninc.com.

About COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.®
The first COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.® denim drive in 2006 collected 14,566 denim pieces nationwide; more than double the anticipated amount. In 2007 and 2008, the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.® denim drive expanded its reach through partnerships with national retailers and organizations, including National Jean Company, Ernest Sewn, Gap, G by Guess, and Guess by Marciano, as well as Warner Bros. Pictures. To date, the natural cotton fiber insulation produced has been used in building new homes for more than 180 families in the Gulf Coast region.

Part of the recycling process, Allan Company, a leader in the recycling industry, bales the denim in preparation for becoming insulation. JBM Fibers, a leading manufacturer of reprocessed fibers returns the denim to its original fiber state, cotton. Bonded Logic Inc. manufactures the UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation. For more information, visit www.cottonfrombluetogreen.org.

About Build-A-Bear Workshop®
Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is the leading and only global company that offers an interactive make-your-own stuffed animal retail-entertainment experience. Founded in 1997, the Company and its franchisees currently operate more than 400 Build-A-Bear Workshop® stores worldwide, including company-owned stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and France, and franchise stores in Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. In 2007, the interactive experience was enhanced — all the way to CyBEAR™ space — with the launch of buildabearville.com®, the company’s virtual world stuffed with fun. The company was named to the 2009 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® list. Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) posted total revenue of $468 million in fiscal 2008. For more information, call 888.560.BEAR (2327) or visit the company’s award-winning Web site at www.buildabear.com.