Company Overview

Hasbro is the second-largest toymaker in the U.S., with brands that have enchanted children around the world for generations. Its most well known brands include Playskool, Kenner, Tonka, OddzOn, Super Soaker, Milton Bradley, Parker Brothers, Tiger, Galoob, and Wizards of the Coast. The company’s big break came when Mr. Potato Head became the first toy ever to be advertised on television, in 1952. Soon thereafter, the G.I. Joe action figure swept the nation. The company’s growth strategy through the 1980s and 1990s was one of acquisition. Among its purchases were Milton Bradley, Playskool, Tonka, Kenner Products, and Parker Brothers. The company also leveraged Tinseltown tie-ins, paying $600 million for the right to market toys for the Star Wars prequels. It is also producing a live-action movie based on one of its own product lines, the Transformers. Since 1997 the company has experienced several rounds of job cuts, the most recent one in 2004, affecting 125 employees. Since the Pokémon craze fizzled out in 2001, the company has chosen to focus on old standbys like Mr. Potato Head and G.I. Joe.