Hasbro facts for kids
Logo used since 2008.
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Headquarters in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
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Formerly
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| Public | |
| Traded as | NYSE: HAS (until 2010) |
| Industry | Toys and entertainment |
| Founded | December 6, 1923 (as Hassenfeld Brothers) 1944 (as Hasbro) |
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| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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List
Action Man
Bop It! Cluedo Dungeons & Dragons (through Wizards of the Coast) G.I. Joe Jem and The Holograms Littlest Pet Shop Magic: The Gathering (through Wizards of the Coast) Monopoly My Little Pony Nerf Ouija Peppa Pig Playskool PJ Masks Play-Doh Potato Head Power Rangers Stretch Armstrong Tonka Transformers |
| Revenue |  US$4.136 billion (2024) |
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Operating income
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 US$690 million (2024) |
| US$386 million (2024) |
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| Total assets | US$6.340 billion (2024) |
| Total equity | US$1.185 billion (2024) |
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Number of employees
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5,600 (December 2023) |
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| Footnotes / references Financials as of December 31, 2024[update]. |
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Hasbro, Inc. is a huge American company that makes toys, games, and entertainment. It was started on December 6, 1923, by three brothers: Henry, Hillel, and Herman Hassenfeld. The company's name, Hasbro, comes from its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers. Its main office is in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Hasbro owns many famous brands like Transformers, G.I. Joe, Power Rangers, Nerf, Play-Doh, and My Little Pony. It also owns popular board games like Monopoly, Twister, and Dungeons & Dragons. In 2019, Hasbro bought Entertainment One, which brought in shows like Peppa Pig and PJ Masks. However, Hasbro sold most of Entertainment One in 2023, but kept the family brands.
Hasbro also creates TV shows and movies based on its toys. The company celebrated its 100th birthday on December 6, 2023. Hasbro is one of the biggest toy companies in the world, and its main competitor is Mattel.
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The Story of Hasbro
How Hassenfeld Brothers Began
In late 1923, three brothers, Herman, Hillel, and Henry Hassenfeld, started Hassenfeld Brothers in Providence, Rhode Island. They first sold leftover fabric. Over the next 20 years, they started making pencil cases and school supplies.
By 1942, the company mainly made toys. Their first toys were modeling clay and doctor/nurse kits. In 1952, Hassenfeld Brothers bought the idea for Mr. Potato Head from George Lerner, and it became their first big hit. In 1954, they started making toys for Disney.
In 1960, Henry Hassenfeld passed away, and his son Anthony Merrill took over the company. In 1964, Hassenfeld Brothers created the G.I. Joe toy. They called it an "action figure" so boys would want to play with it. G.I. Joe quickly became very popular, making up two-thirds of the company's sales in 1964 and 1965.
Hasbro Industries Takes Shape
On July 12, 1968, Hassenfeld Brothers changed its name to Hasbro Industries. In 1969, because of the Vietnam War, Hasbro changed G.I. Joe to be more about adventure and less about war. Hasbro also bought Burt Claster Enterprises, which made the "Romper Room" TV show and toy line.
In the 1970s, Hasbro tried new things. They even opened Romper Room Nursery Schools for a while. Some of their new toys had problems. For example, "Javelin Darts" were later banned because they were dangerous. Another toy, "The Hypo-Squirt," looked like a needle and was also recalled.
In 1974, Merrill Hassenfeld became the CEO, and his son Stephen D. Hassenfeld became president. Hasbro stopped making G.I. Joe in 1975 because plastic prices went up. The company faced financial difficulties in the late 1970s.
When Merrill passed away in 1979, Stephen took over as CEO and chairman. Stephen made big changes. He cut down the number of toys Hasbro made and focused on simple, long-lasting toys like Mr. Potato Head. This helped Hasbro avoid problems when electronic games became less popular in the early 1980s.
In 1982, Hasbro brought back G.I. Joe as an anti-terrorist team. This was a big success. In 1983, Hasbro launched the very popular My Little Pony toy line. They also licensed toys from a Japanese company called Takara, which led to the creation of the successful Transformers toy line and a cartoon TV series in 1985.
In 1984, Hasbro bought the Milton Bradley Company, which made games like The Game of Life and Twister. This made Hasbro a much bigger company.
Hasbro, Inc. Grows
From 1985 to 2007
On June 6, 1985, the company officially became Hasbro, Inc. In the mid-1980s, Hasbro became the world's largest toy company, even bigger than Mattel. Hasbro tried to compete with Mattel's Barbie doll by introducing fashion dolls like Jem and Maxie, but they didn't last long.
Hasbro also started selling toys overseas that hadn't done well in the U.S. This helped their international sales grow a lot. In 1989, Stephen Hassenfeld passed away. He had helped the company grow from $104 million in sales to over $1.4 billion.
His brother, Alan Hassenfeld, became the new chairman and CEO. In 1991, Hasbro bought Tonka Corp., which owned Parker Brothers (makers of Monopoly) and Kenner Products. This made Hasbro even larger.
In 1995, Hasbro started a video game division called Hasbro Interactive. They released a CD-ROM version of the Monopoly game. In 1998, Hasbro bought Avalon Hill and Galoob. That same year, Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers joined to form Hasbro Games.
In 1999, Hasbro bought the rights to Pokémon toys and also purchased Wizards of the Coast, the company behind Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons. In 2001, Hasbro sold its video game division, Hasbro Interactive.
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From 2008 to 2018
In 2008, Hasbro bought Cranium, Inc., a game maker. They also made a deal with Universal Pictures to create movies based on Hasbro toys. Brian Goldner became the CEO of Hasbro in 2008, the first person outside the Hassenfeld family to hold that job.
In 2009, Hasbro created Hasbro Studios to develop and produce TV shows. They also worked with Discovery to launch a TV channel called The Hub (later renamed Discovery Family). This channel became very popular with the show My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.
In 2011, Hasbro changed its paper buying rules to be more environmentally friendly after discussions with Greenpeace. In 2012, Hasbro re-entered the building block market with its Kre-O line.
In 2014, Hasbro gained the license to make dolls for the Disney Princess line, starting in 2016. In 2016, Hasbro bought an animation studio called Boulder Media Limited. Hasbro also started its own fan convention called HasCon in 2017, celebrating all things Hasbro.
From 2018 to Today
In 2018, Hasbro bought Power Rangers and other entertainment brands from Saban Brands. This deal was completed in October 2018. Hasbro also started making deals for hotels and entertainment centers based on its brands, like a Monopoly hotel and NERF action centers.
On August 22, 2019, Hasbro announced it would buy Entertainment One (eOne) for about $4 billion. This deal was completed in December 2019. eOne brought popular shows like Peppa Pig and PJ Masks into the Hasbro family.
In February 2021, Hasbro reorganized into three main parts: Consumer Products, Entertainment, and Wizards & Digital. The Wizards of the Coast division, which includes Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, became very profitable.
Sadly, Hasbro's longtime CEO, Brian Goldner, passed away in October 2021. Chris Cocks, who used to lead Wizards of the Coast, became the new CEO in February 2022.
In August 2023, Hasbro announced that Lionsgate would buy most of Entertainment One for $500 million. This deal was completed in December 2023. Hasbro kept eOne's family brands and created a new division called Hasbro Entertainment.
In November 2023, Hasbro announced it would lay off about 1,100 employees to save money and focus on more profitable areas like licensing and digital entertainment. In January 2024, Hasbro launched new Star Wars figures for the 25th anniversary of The Phantom Menace.
In November 2024, Hasbro announced it would stop helping to pay for future movies based on its brands. Instead, it will focus on mobile games and digital entertainment.
What Hasbro Owns
Hasbro has several different parts that focus on different things:
Consumer Products
This part makes and sells toys and games.
- Hasbro Games (includes Avalon Hill)
- HasLab (for special crowdfunding projects)
- Hasbro Pulse (online store for fans)
- Playskool (toys for younger children)
- Tonka (tough toy trucks)
Entertainment
This part creates TV shows, movies, and other media.
- Hasbro Entertainment
- Discovery Family (Hasbro owns 40% of this TV channel)
- Astley Baker Davies (makes Peppa Pig and PJ Masks)
- Cake Mix Studios (makes commercials and short videos)
Wizards & Digital
This part focuses on digital games and popular tabletop games.
- Wizards of the Coast (makes Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons)
- D&D Beyond (digital tools for Dungeons & Dragons)
Brands Hasbro Used to Own
Hasbro has bought and sold many companies over the years. Some of the well-known brands they used to own include:
- Entertainment One (most of it was sold to Lionsgate)
- Hasbro Interactive (their old video game division)
- Allspark (their former entertainment studio)
- Backflip Studios (mobile game developer)
- Kenner Products
- Milton Bradley Company
- Parker Brothers
- Saban Brands (which included Power Rangers before Hasbro bought it)
- Tiger Electronics
Toys and Games You Might Know
Hasbro makes many different kinds of toys and games for all ages. Here are some of their most famous toy lines:
- Action Man
- Beyblade
- Dungeons and Dragons
- Easy-Bake Oven
- Furby
- G.I. Joe
- Ghostbusters
- Jurassic Park
- Littlest Pet Shop
- Marvel toys
- Mr. Potato Head
- My Little Pony
- Nerf
- Play-Doh
- Pokémon toys
- Power Rangers
- Peppa Pig
- PJ Masks
- Sesame Street toys
- Star Wars toys
- Stretch Armstrong
- Transformers
Hasbro is the biggest maker of board games in the world. This is because they own many famous game companies like Parker Brothers, Milton Bradley, and Wizards of the Coast. Here are some of their best-selling games:
- Axis & Allies
- Battleship
- Candy Land
- Cranium
- Clue (Cluedo)
- Dungeons & Dragons (role-playing game)
- The Game of Life
- Guess Who?
- Hungry Hungry Hippos
- Magic: The Gathering
- Monopoly (one of the best-selling board games ever)
- Mouse Trap
- Operation
- Ouija
- Risk
- Scrabble (in the U.S. and Canada)
- Trivial Pursuit
- Trouble
Hasbro also makes many different versions of their games. For example, you can find "Scrabble Deluxe Edition" or "Scrabble Junior."
They also offer games of skill like:
- Bop It
- Jenga
- Simon (a memory game with lights and colors)
Hasbro used to have a video game division, Hasbro Interactive, but they sold it in 2001. Now, Hasbro works with other video game companies like Activision and Electronic Arts to make games based on its brands. With the rise of smartphones, Hasbro also licenses its brands to mobile game developers.
In November 2023, Hasbro made a deal to create toys and games for people over 65. These "Generations" versions of games like Scrabble and Life have bigger fonts and pieces, and content that older generations will enjoy.
In February 2024, Hasbro announced a new board game called Life in Reterra.
Helping Others
Hasbro is known for being a good company that helps others. Corporate Responsibility Magazine has often ranked Hasbro as one of the best companies for its charitable work.
Fan Events
HasCon (2017)
HasCon was a special convention created by Hasbro for fans of its brands like Transformers, G.I. Joe, and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. The first HasCon was held in September 2017 in Rhode Island. A HasCon event was planned for 2019 but was later canceled.
Hasbro Pulse Con (Since 2020)
Since 2020, Hasbro has held a virtual convention called Hasbro Pulse Con. This online event started because of the COVID-19 pandemic and allows fans to connect with Hasbro brands from home.
More About Hasbro
- List of comics based on Hasbro properties
- List of television programs based on Hasbro properties
- List of films based on Hasbro properties
See also
In Spanish: Hasbro para niños
