SmarterKids Stocks MassGeneral Hospital for Children With Toys and Computers

CouponSurfer.com holiday gift program underwrites donation of hundreds of books, games, toys, software and computer systems for Boston-area hospital

NEEDHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 22, 1999-- SmarterKids.com (NASDAQ:SKDS - news), the leading online educational toy store, today announced a holiday philanthropy with MassGeneral Hospital for Children by donating hundreds of toys, books, games, children's software and computer systems for the pediatric inpatient, outpatient and transplant units, Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Department.

As the leading local online educational etailer focused on fun products that help kids learn and develop, SmarterKids.com was interested in developing an on-going relationship with a prominent local medical institution. MassGeneral Hospital for Children was selected because of its exceptional reputation and unwavering commitment to helping kids.

`The MGH has provided comprehensive care for children since opening its doors in 1821, and consistently has been ranked one of the top pediatric services in the country by U.S. News and World Report.

```We at the MassGeneral Hospital for Children do whatever we can to make the hospital very special over the holiday period,'' said R. Alan B. Ezekowitz, M.B., Ch.B., D.Phil, chief of Pediatrics, MassGeneral Hospital for Children. ``Smarterkids is helping to add some magic to the lives of hospitalized children at a time when all of us would prefer them to be home.''

``This is the first year that people are taking advantage of the Internet for philanthropic causes,'' said Al Noyes, senior vice president of sales & marketing for SmarterKids.com. ``As a leading etailer, we selected MassGeneral Hospital for Children because we wanted to work with a local institution that has given so much to our community.''

Through a joint promotion with CouponSurfer.com, visitors were able to send ``Gift Baskets'' of $200 in coupons and other money-saving offers to friends or relatives. For each basket sent, SmarterKids contributed proceeds toward the donation. Gift baskets with coupons from six leading online merchants were sent to CouponSurfer customers; recipients also were invited to send baskets to their friends. In addition to discounts on purchases at SmarterKids.com, gift baskets included coupons for Drugstore.com, FragranceNet.com, Furniture.com, Giftpoint.com and NetGrocer.com. Each click-through coupon automatically issued the applicable discount when checking out of the various Web sites.

``Sending a basket of coupons to a friend at holiday time is a great way to help consumers save money and time in their shopping,'' said Adam Schwarz, CEO of CouponSurfer. ``And each time they sent a basket, we're helping with a worthwhile cause.''

About Massachusetts General Hospital

The Massachusetts General Hospital, established in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of more than $200 million and major research centers in AIDS, the neurosciences, cardiovascular research, cancer, cutaneous biology, transplantation biology and photomedicine. In 1994, the MGH joined with Brigham and Women's Hospital to form Partners HealthCare System, an integrated health care delivery system comprising the two academic medical centers, specialty and community hospitals, a network of physician groups and nonacute and home health services.

About CouponSurfer.com

CouponSurfer.com (www.CouponSurfer.com) simplifies online shopping by providing major brand promotions in one location. Consumers view, search and personalize their coupons at an interactive, user-friendly site. Email notifies shoppers when selected products or categories offer new savings opportunities, and the site is fully customizable to allow browsing by personal favorites, or user-selected products and categories. Based in Bedford, Mass., CouponSurfer.com went live in 1998.

About SmarterKids.com

SmarterKids.com, Inc., (NASDAQ:SKDS - news) the leading educational store on the Web, is dedicated to helping parents instill a love of learning in their children. The site features award-winning content and a customized shopping experience that links selected toys, games, books, software, and hands-on activities to each child's profile. Through a sophisticated evaluation and recommendation process, the site offers thousands of educational products and services for children ages toddler through 14, including both well-known brands and hard-to-find quality offerings. SmarterKids.com was rated the #1 educational toy site according to Gomez Advisors and is headquartered in Needham, Mass.