Fans of the Pets.com Sock Puppet Ads Have Once-in-a-Lifetime Chance to Own an Authentic Sock Puppet

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Pets.com Announces Auction On Amazon.com Auctions of an Authentic Puppet

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Auction of Sock Puppet kicks off sale of themed merchandise on Pets.com Web site

Pets.com today announced that it has put up for auction an authentic Pets.com Sock Puppet on Amazon.com Auctions. Direct from Pets.com’s recent Super Bowl commercial shoot, the genuine Sock Puppet, one of only a few originals, is available for bidding beginning today through February 3. All proceeds from the sale of the Sock Puppet will go to Pets.commitment, Pets.com’s philanthropic program.

The auction of the Pets.com Sock Puppet marks today’s debut of Sock Puppet themed merchandise available on the Pets.com site (www.pets.com). Products feature the rambunctious Sock Puppet from Pets.com’s popular commercials and range from clothing, hats, and watches to pet products such as bowls and mats.

“People seem to love the Pets.com Sock Puppet, and we’ve received lots of requests from people who want a sock puppet of their own,” said Julie Wainwright, Pets.com CEO. “Auctioning an authentic Pets.com Sock Puppet on Amazon.com Auctions enables one lucky person to have the only authentic puppet available to the public, while the rest of the Sock Puppet’s fans can enjoy his humor with the new Sock Puppet-themed merchandise.”

The Pets.com Sock Puppet will continue his high-profile antics when he makes his Super Bowl debut in an all-new ad for Super Bowl XXXIV on Sunday, January 30. Last November, the Pets.com Sock Puppet appeared as a 36-ft. balloon in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He has appeared in 10 Pets.com television commercials since the launch of the ad campaign in early August 1999. Public response to the Pets.com Sock Puppet since he first hit the airwaves has been very positive, with numerous fans writing and calling the company to request copies of the ads, recite ad lines, ask for photographs or ask for Sock Puppets of their own. One Pets.com Sock Puppet fan even dressed up as the Sock Puppet for Halloween.

Proceeds from the Pets.com Sock Puppet auction will go to Pets.commitment, Pets.com’s philanthropy program. Pets.commitment celebrates and supports the important role that pets and people play in each other’s lives. The program’s mission is two-fold: to provide 1 million hours of volunteer time and $1 million dollars of direct financial support to organizations in which “people help animals” and “animals help people.”

About Pets.com

Pets.com is an online retailer of pet products, information and resources. Offering a broad product selection and expert advice from a staff of pet-industry experts and veterinarians, Pets.com believes that it gives consumers the confidence that they are providing their pets with the best possible care. Pets.com is a privately held company funded by Internet retailer Amazon.com, Bowman Capital Management, an institutional investor specializing in both public and private technology growth companies, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, a venture capital firm focused on software and Internet investing, and other investors. Pets.com’s management team has extensive experience in technology, e-commerce, consumer-driven companies and the pet industry. Pets.com is based in San Francisco, CA.