Hasbro
| About us | History from 1923 to 2002 1920s - The Beginning Hasbro was founded in 1923 by two brothers, Henry and Helal Hassenfeld, in a small office in Providence, Rhode Island. Originally named Hassenfeld Brothers, the Company first sold textile remnants, but soon moved into manufacturing pencil boxes and school supplies. In 1928, Playskool, a company that was to become part of the Hasbro family in the mid-1980s, was founded in Milwaukee. Two former school teachers had the idea that preschool aged children could benefit early learning experiences at home before they got to school, hence the name, Play-Skool. 1930s - Free Parking Parker Brothers, also a company that would later join the Hasbro family, launched a game about real estate wheeling and dealing in 1935. MONOPOLY went on to become the world's all-time, best-selling game. 1940s - Expanding to Toys Henry Hassenfeld's son, Merrill, became president of Hassenfeld Brothers and the Company expanded its product line to include paint sets, wax crayons, and its first toys, doctor and nurse kits. In 1947, the Mound Metalcraft company launched the world's first TONKA trucks outside of Minnetonka, Minnesota. Hasbro would go on to purchase the Tonka Corporation in 1991. SCRABBLE debuted in 1948 exclusively at Macy's store on 34th Street in New York City. Today, over 100,000,000 SCRABBLE games have been sold around the world, making it the best-selling word game of all time! First manufactured by Selchow and Righter, the SCRABBLE game was acquired by Hasbro 1989 and is currently a PARKER BROTHERS game. And 1949 was a "sweet" year in games as well. Milton Bradley introduced CANDY LAND, every American child's first game. 1950s - A Spud is Born A "groundbreaking" toy was created in 1952 -- MR. POTATO HEAD! MR. POTATO HEAD was the first major toy success for Hasbro and revolutionized the toy industry by being the first toy to be advertised on television. One of the most recognized scents is that of PLAY-DOH, and the world's favorite modeling compound was "discovered" 1956 by a company called Rainbow Crafts out of Cincinnati, Ohio. The formula remains top-secret more than 45 years later! 1960s - Go Joe! The 1960s was a "hot" decade. Kenner Products, later purchased by Hasbro in 1991, created the EASY-BAKE OVEN in 1963 and gave little girls everywhere a chance to bake their very own treats. Hasbro launched the world's first "action figure" in 1964 - G. I. JOE. The designers at Hasbro wanted to provide boys with a poseable figure as a plaything, but the no one thought that boys would play with a "doll, " hence the creation of the term "action figure. " G. I. JOE was a huge success from the start and nearly 40 years later, G. I. JOE has become an American icon and is still tremendously popular with kids. Hassenfeld Brothers changed its name to Hasbro Industries in 1968 and became a publicly trade company with a listing on the American Stock Exchange. In 1966, Milton Bradley introduced TWISTER and when Johnny Carson played it on "The Tonight Show, " the game became a phenomenon. The successes of MR. POTATO HEAD and G. I. JOE fueled Hasbro's growth and in 1969, the company made it's first major acquisition when they purchased Romper Room, the production company for the world's longest running children's TV show. 1970s - A New Kind of Action Figure The next major revolution in the toy industry, and for that matter, in the entertainment industry, was the widespread success of Kenner's Star Wars line in 1977. Star Wars radically changed the profile of the action figure market, taking the size of the figure down to 3-3/4" and bringing retail price down making it possible for the first time for kids to collect them all! |
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| Industry Focus | Infant Toys & Games, Toy Cars, Electrical Toys, Wooden Toys |
| Business Type | Distributor/Wholesaler |
| Products/Services | Toy, |
| Our Markets | Worldwide |
| No. of Employees | Above 1000 People |
| Annual Sales Range(USD) | Above US$100 Million |
| Year Established | 1920 |
| Legal Representative(CEO) | Alan Hassenfeld |
