Paul,hi,it's all about volume and start up and sophistication.When toys first started using micros,asia (as is usual)supplied the cheapest solution.They ignore the case which adds cost and put a 'die' of the chip on board and cover it with a blob of epoxy.They are 'masked' devices' so there's no e2prom which cheapens it some ,the mask price is ammortized over the life of the production run)So if you're talking about a product that has some major distribution,there are many factories that will take a prototype design and make it fit their available solutions.For the example that was given(shimmering,sparkling),the description screams these parameters.If you want to mail me and describe your application and ESTIMATED VOLUME of production(this can be over a year's period or more because China often will work out a price that is distributed over time that benefits everyone).One caution is,these guys deal in 'parts of pennies',so there is often strange haggling that goes on(I'll fill you in if we determine that this is how to go for you) If you want.They can do other stuff for you cheap concerning the product as well.-Keith