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In the beginning, there was a potato. But not just any potato. IS
In 1952, the Hasbro coy company introduced Mr. Potato Head, the first toy product M|
advertised on television—and the cornerstone of a dynasty that would help define several gen- ■
erations of childhood with playtime icons such as G.I. Joe, My Little Pony, the Transformers {■
and hundreds of others. Today, the mighty Hasbro, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in (■
Pawtucket, ILL (pop. 72,958), has annual net revenues in the billions of dollars but continues II
its original mission: to help Americans have fun.
“It’s simple,” says Wayne Charness, Hasbro's vice president of corporate
communications. “Our job is to make people smile!"
Citizens of Pawtucket and folks all over Rhode Island smile with
pride about having Hasbro—producer of the world's greatest toys and
games—on home soil. In 2(X)0, the Rhode Island
Jjjfj# Tourism Board even installed 47 6-foot, 150-pound
Mr. Potato Head figures as landmarks around die
' state and named the toy its official ambassador. The
j| Hasbro Childrens Huspir.il. a first-cl.i\s children--
nearby Providence, opened m I' 1 ';
die company's generous Cliaritable Tium alleviates die
financial hardship of many local families.
According to Pawtucket Mayor James Doyle,
who worked for the company as a teenager. Has
bro has never lost sight of its small-town roots.
My Little Pony "They’re excellent citizens of the town,” he says, citing
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when brothers Henry and Helal Hassenfeld sold textile remnants, pencils boxes and
school supplies. Henry’s son, Merrill, took over as president in the 1940 s and widened
the company’s product line to include toys, paving the way for worldwide success. In
the last 20 years, Hasbro has strategically purchased other companies responsible for
introducing generations of Americans to memorable toys and games such as Tonka
trucks, Play-Doh, Easy Bake ovens, Nerf balls, Weebles and Furbys, among many
others. The acquisitions turned Hasbro into a multinational conglomerate with 7,000
employees in 30 locations and 20 countries.
Hasbro Games division, located in East Longmeadow, Mass. (pop. 14,010), is
the world's leading manufacturer of board games. Tlx- division employs nearly 1,800
people and manufactures more than 100 differ-
ent games, producing 80 million games a year.
Thanks to Hasbro's acquisition of two historic
game manufacturers—Milton Bradley in 1984
and Parker Brothers in 1991 —the division mils
out scores of classics, including the preschooler
favorite Candyland, which turns 50 this year.
Others include Clue, Trouble, Sorry!, Battleship
and the world's best-loved word game, Scrabble,
which has sold more than 100 million
copies globally.
"Board games have been a
part of people’s lives since they .
were kids,” says Mark Stark, the M
Games Division’s vice presi-
dent of marketing. “Genera
tions have come to trust
these brands. '
And customers put
their money where their
Hasbro’s Candyland
game turns 50
this year.
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the company’s numerous charitable programs
and ongiing contributions to the American
Gtncer Society.
Hasbro got its start in the early 1920 s
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