Children Are Invited To Create UNICEF Greeting Cards for the 2006 Holiday Season

"The real grand-prize at the end of this contest
is that it helps provide for and protect the lives of children around the
world.

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Birthday Express Receives 2006 Party Retailer of the Year Award

Because in addition to products, it offers
extensive party planning information for each theme, including decorating
tips, menus, games and activities.

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The Paltalk Messenger allows members to administer their own
voice and video discussions and instant message (IM) with buddies on MSN, AOL ,
Yahoo, and ICQ.674.com

unicefusa.
Pier 1 Kids has now expanded their product line to include exclusive new
furniture groups made from wicker, wood, metal, and other materials, as well
as specialty products such as window treatments, rugs, framed art, and toys.

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are being asked to submit creative drawings for the 2006 Pier 1/UNICEF/Weekly
Reader Greeting Card Contest. In 2004 , Weekly Reader, a leader in educational publishing, became a
contest sponsor as a way to encourage their 11 million readers - predominantly
teachers, parents and children - to participate in the greeting card contest. Fund for UNICEF.

ABOUT WEEKLY READER
Weekly Reader Corporation is a leader in educational publishing. Created
in 1902, Weekly Reader(R) publishes 16 magazines and a variety of other
supplemental products that reinforce curriculum, help teachers meet standards,
and engage students.

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pier1.org/cards/ and at Weekly Reader's website
http://www.weeklyreader.

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9 million active members participating in live voice and video enabled
chat rooms.S. If hearing impaired, please call 1-800-754-3251. UNICEF is non-partisan and its
cooperation is free of discrimination .unicefusa. is North America's largest specialty retailer of
imported decorative home furnishings and gifts with Pier 1 Imports(R) stores
in 49 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico; The Pier(R ) stores in the United
Kingdom and Ireland; and Pier 1 Kids(R) stores. Colorful and easy to navigate , it showcases over 150 children's
birthday party themes, more than 50 of which are exclusive to Birthday
Express.

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The Paltalk Messenger has been downloaded over 37 million
times and accounts for over 8 billion voice minutes per year.com;
or by calling Pier 1's Customer Relations Department at 1-800 -245-4595."
This year's contest marks 21 years of a partnership between the specialty
home furnishings retailer and the international children's organization.com. KIRKLAND, Wash. Magazine , which recognized outstanding partyware retailers at
an awards banquet on March 10, 2006.

About Celebrate Express, Inc.

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com. Entry
forms are available online at pier1. school children about UNICEF's important work for children around the
world. Weekly Reader(R) currently serves approximately nine
million students and 300,000 teachers nationwide., Birthday Express, a
division of Celebrate Express, Inc.
The Birthday Express Web site merits award-winning recognition for several
reasons .

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Many family-friendly rooms are available to
visit, from karaoke to learning a foreign language.

* Paltalk has created special gift memberships priced at $24.
All entries must be hand -drawn and received by Pier 1 Imports' Corporate
Headquarters by April 11, 2006. Pier 1 Imports
stores and online at http://www."
For Pier 1 store locations or for further contest information, please call
1-800-245-4595.

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Avoid the long lines at the mall and give Santa your wish list by logging on
to Paltalk for live interaction with Santa Claus from December 10 to 24

NEW YORK, From December 10 through December 24,
Santa Claus will be available for live video chat 24 hours a day, seven days a
week on Paltalk, the largest Instant Chat (IC) community on the Internet.S.

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After chatting with Santa Claus, families can stay in the spirit of the
season and head over to the Paltalk Concert Hall, where carolers sing holiday
tunes and spread merry cheer. Entry
forms will also be available at Pier 1 Kids locations and at Pier 1 Kids.
"The annual greeting card contest is a great way for children to
participate in helping their global peers," said Charles J .org or call 1-800-4UNICEF.

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2712
Laura@gallowaymediagroup.
One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of all UNICEF cards sold at
Pier 1 go to UNICEF.
Two grand-prize winners will be chosen and their designs will be reprinted
as official UNICEF cards available nationwide at all U.

ABOUT UNICEF
Founded in 1946, UNICEF helps save, protect and improve the lives of
children around the world through immunization, education, health care,
nutrition, clean water and sanitation.

ABOUT PIER 1 IMPORTS
Pier 1 Imports, Inc.

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com, beginning September 2006. They'll also find a wide selection of
theme-specific activities and crafts, personalized banners , piqatas, favors
and toys.

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Typically only available as a paid service for Paltalk Plus and x-Treme
Service subscribers, families can log onto Paltalk's free IC community, click
on the Santa's Workshop room, and watch, listen, and talk with Santa as he
gets ready for Christmas. Paltalk is a privately held company based in New York that was
founded in June of 1998.

Media Contact:
Laura Galloway
Galloway Media Group
646.org, and weeklyreader.
The card contest started in 1991 as a way to help raise awareness among
U.

For more information, please visit CelebrateExpress.

greeting personalized

(Nasdaq: BDAY) was named 2006 Party
Retailer of the Year -- Online Party Store by the national party industry and
Greetings etc.com is well known to busy parents as a comprehensive
"party solutions" destination. The company currently operates three brands: Birthday
Express , which markets children's party products; Storybook Heirlooms, which
offers girls' special occasion apparel and accessories; and Costume Express,
which markets costumes and accessories.

Contact:
Meghan Hardy
425-250-1064 x148
meghanh@birthdayexpress.

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S.
Celebrate Express is a leading online retailer of celebration products
serving families.

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"Holiday Happiness " Is This Year's Greeting Card Contest Theme

NEW YORK, Beginning today, children in the U . The children's artwork will be judged on
artistic quality and the creative interpretation of the theme "Holiday
Happiness.

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Families can also host
their own room to visit with their loved ones from across the globe who may
not be able to travel this holiday season.

About Paltalk
Paltalk is the largest Instant Chat (IC) community on the Internet with
over 3.S.com. Carr designed a cheerful
snowman under colorful Christmas lights, with a boy hugging the snowman's
tummy; and Hall created a design featuring the bright letters P-E-A-C-E, with
each letter held up by a character from a different part of the world. Greeting
cards are also available on the U. For
more information , please visit http://www. To make shopping easy, customers have the option to purchase a
variety of pre-assorted party packs.

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View and Chat With Santa Claus Online 24/7 This Holiday Season

Paltalk was the
first company to launch video and voice combined with an on-line buddy list in
one package . The grand-prize
winners also win a trip to New York for themselves and two family members,
where they will visit the United Nations and attend a Broadway play, among
other seasonal events. Acquired by
Pier 1 Imports in 2001, Pier 1 Kids, previously Cargokids, was best known for
its sturdy wooden crate-style children's beds, bookshelves, chairs and desks. All sixteen magazines have won awards for excellence in
educational journalism.com and CostumeExpress.com, complemented
by branded catalogs to offer products as complete coordinated solutions.com

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Both x-Treme and Plus
Services boast unlimited advertising-free Video chat. x-Treme Service
includes Paltalk's TV -quality video IM and chat. Two winners will be chosen from thousands of
entries and their winning artwork will be reproduced as official UNICEF
greeting cards sold nationwide to benefit children around the world.
The 2005 grand-prize winners were Adam Carr (age 6) from Tampa, Florida
and Anna Hall (age 12), from Boulder, Colorado.

ABOUT PIER 1 KIDS
Pier 1 Kids currently operates 45 store locations in Alabama, Delaware,
Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia.
BirthdayExpress.com.

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Paltalk. Pier
1 started selling UNICEF greeting cards in 1985 and is now the world's largest
retailer of UNICEF greeting cards, having raised over $22 million for UNICEF.S. Fund for UNICEF web site,
http://www.

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Paltalk users from around the world can also
interact and Instant Message with Santa, send him an email and get a personal
response, all at http://www.95
for Plus and x-Treme Services respectively.com, unicefusa. Funds from the sale of cards support UNICEF programs
that provide lifesaving medicines, vaccines, nutritious foods, primary
education, clean water and sanitation and emergency relief for millions of
children and women in 158 countries and territories. The site also offers cake supplies and
recipes, and even dress -up costumes to round out the celebration. The company utilizes its branded Web
sites, BirthdayExpress .

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In addition to offering Santa's Workshop free of charge, Paltalk is also
celebrating the holidays by offering special discounts for those who want to
give the gift of communication to their loved ones.95 and $34.
Children ages 13 and under are eligible to enter the contest, which was
scheduled to coincide with the start of National Art Month (March 1st). Lyons, president
of the U. In everything it does, the most
disadvantaged children and the countries in greatest need have priority. The
company's goal is to help busy parents celebrate the special moments in their
lives .

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* Give a gift, get a gift: Existing Paltalk members who purchase a gift
membership will receive an extra month of service free, extending the
expiration date of any annual membership .com, Storybook.