Mary-Kate and Ashley Turn Sweet 16!
May 22, 2002
From Entertainment Tonight

Fasten your seat belts! MARY-KATE and ASHLEY OLSEN are already turning 16 in June, and they're spending they're spending their birthday in high style with a new road-trip movie and a growing merchandising empire!

Tonight, on ET, get your first look at their flick, 'Getting There: Sweet 16 and Licensed to Drive,' and find out what makes these twins tick!

In 'Getting There: Sweet 16 and Licensed to Drive,' on video store shelves June 11, Mary-Kate and Ashley play Taylor and Kylie Hunter, twin sisters who hit their sweet 16 and are licensed to drive. The two set out on their very first road trip in a classic Ford Mustang convertible to the Winter Olympic Games in Utah. Along the way, they make all kinds of friends, meet lots of cute guys and overcome roadblocks and detours that threaten to ruin their trip.

At least in terms of their net-worth, these boy-crayz multi-millionaires are considered to be the most popular teen stars in the world. Dominating the "tween" market (kids between 10 and teen years), these mini-moguls have found success in film, television, music, fashion dolls, accessories, publishing, videogames, a wildly successful apparel and accessories line and even a popular website. Whew!

The girls began their career trajectory as toddlers in 1987 on the ABC television series "Full House," which enjoyed a successful eight-season run. Later they starred in their own hit television series, "Two of a Kind," and made several straight-to-video features with titles such as 'It Takes Two,' 'Passport to Paris,' 'Our Lips Are Sealed' and 'Holiday in the Sun.'

Now, they oversee a name-brand corporation and they're still not old enough to vote! The mary-kateandashley brand is America's top 'tween and teen brand. Their movies are No. 1 in direct-to-video sales, with over 27 million units sold to date. Their celebrity fashion dolls and accessories are second only to Barbie in sales, according to Mattel; there are over 40 million copies of their books in print; and this year the mary-kateandashley brand fashion and lifestyle line will spread worldwide: in Canada at Wal-Mart, in the U.K. at George at Asda (Wal-Mart's U.K. subsidiary), France, Benelux, Germany, Australia/New Zealand and more.

Tonight on ET, find out how involved these twin titans get with their projects, and find out what's next on their packaged agenda!