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110-489: Allspark , formerly known as Hasbro Studios, LLC , was an American production and distribution company owned by toy and multimedia company Hasbro and based in Burbank, California that was in operation from 2009 to 2019. Originally just a television division, many of its shows were based on Hasbro properties and were broadcast on multiple media platforms, including Hasbro's joint venture Discovery Family . Allspark Pictures

220-629: A Clue film, released in 1985. Hasbro had previously licensed Transformers to DreamWorks for a live action film released in 2007. The Transformers franchise continued solely with Paramount Pictures , the distribution of and acquirer of DreamWorks, with the addition of the G.I. Joe property. Hasbro and Universal Pictures signed an agreement in February 2008 to derive and produce four films from seven Hasbro properties: Battleship , Candy Land , Clue , Magic: The Gathering , Monopoly , Ouija , and Stretch Armstrong . Hasbro

330-628: A Furby movie is in development as a live action/CG-animated movie produced under the TWC-Dimension label. After two attempts to purchase or merge with a filmed entertainment company, DreamWorks Animation and Lionsgate , fell apart due to pricing differences, Hasbro Studios moved to create a full-fledged movie studio. Thus in October 2017, the company hired Greg Mooradian, currently working at Fox 2000, as president of Allspark Pictures starting January 2018. Variety's sources also indicated that

440-490: A Dungeons & Dragons movie as a resolution to the lawsuit. The film will be based on the Forgotten Realms campaign world with Courtney Solomon and Roy Lee producing, David Leslie Johnson writing the screenplay, and produced by Sweetpea Entertainment and Allspark Pictures. In January 2014, Hasbro announced a franchise film deal with 20th Century Fox for Magic: The Gathering by its subsidiary Wizards of

550-499: A box office bomb , grossing less than half its $ 5 million budget, and was removed from theaters by Universal after two weeks. SF Weekly criticized the fan backlash as entitlement. Hasbro Studios with Legacy Recordings released its first non-soundtrack album, Truly Outrageous: A Tribute to Starlight Records on August 7, 2015. The record was part of the promotion of the Jem film . The album consisted of original songs that only had

660-457: A syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herman Hassenfeld and is incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island . Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of Kenner , Milton Bradley , Parker Brothers , and Wizards of

770-480: A Canadian channel dedicated to cartoons, announced that Jem would be part of its fall 2011 lineup. On April 5, 2012, Hasbro announced that Jem , along with several other Hasbro franchises, will be available on Netflix . Jem was the #1 Nielsen rated syndicated cartoon series in November 1986. In 1987, it was the third most watched children's program in syndication with 2.5 million viewers weekly. The show

880-510: A Monopoly film with Andrew Niccol writing the film as a family-friendly action adventure film co-financed and produced by Lionsgate and Hasbro's Allspark Pictures. Films' parent unit, Hasbro Studios, on December 15, 2015, agreed with Paramount Pictures to a deal creating a five-property movie universe by financing unit Allspark Pictures and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The properties in this movie-verse are G.I. Joe , Micronauts , Visionaries , M.A.S.K. and Rom . A writers’ room

990-558: A cassette tape, a few accessories and a poster, priced at $ 15 per doll. The cassettes contained the theme song "Truly Outrageous" and two other songs performed by Jem and The Holograms or The Misifts. The toy line also included the Jem Star Stage and Jem's Rockin' Roadster. As of June 1986, Jem's sales surpassed those of their competitor Barbie and the Rockers . By September 1987, more than three million dolls had been sold since

1100-642: A contest in which people were asked to call a toll-free telephone number and sing the theme song of the series. The grand prize was worth $ 7,000 and featured a trip to the MTV Video Music Awards in New York City. Other prizes included a 19-inch color television, a VCR and the Jem home video library, a dress identical to the one made for the Jem doll, and $ 1,000 cash. Carosi explained that

1210-407: A detailed article that Hasbro came close to buying Lionsgate , exploring options to expand its entertainment division and bolster its content production capabilities due to interest in film and television ventures, but the deal fell through. On February 16, 2018, Saban Brands appointed Hasbro as the global master toy licensee for Power Rangers with a future collaboration and option to purchase

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1320-482: A hypodermic needle-shaped water gun tagged by the press as a "junior junkie" kit. Both were recalled. Romper Room and its toy line had continued success, although Action for Children's Television citizens group considered the program to be an advertising channel for toys. Merrill Hassenfeld took over as CEO in 1974, and his son Stephen D. Hassenfeld became president. The company became profitable once again but had mixed results due to cash flow problems from increasing

1430-599: A makeover, with rides being redone and renamed to Hasbro properties. Construction was begun later that month and scheduled to wrap up in late 2020. On August 22, 2019, Hasbro announced its purchase of Entertainment One for about US$ 4 billion. The deal was completed on December 30, 2019. On October 24, 2019, Hasbro announced the closing of Backflip Studios, while its Wizards of the Coast subsidiary purchased Tuque Games in October. On February 28, 2020, Hasbro announced that Campbell Arnott's former CMO David McNeil had joined

1540-420: A manufacturer of infant products and the world's largest bib producer, and Knickerbocker Toy Company, a struggling Warner Communications subsidiary. Hasbro paid 37% of its stock to Warner, which was paid into Hasbro's executive-controlled voting trust, and also received a cash infusion. In 1984, Alan G. Hassenfeld took over as president from his brother Stephen, who continued as CEO and chairman. That same year,

1650-449: A market". Steven Eisenberg, a toy industry analyst at Bear Stearns , stated that the lineup would be "very successful" and "represent a potentially significant challenge to Barbie ." Alfred C. Carosi, Jr., former vice president of marketing services for Hasbro, also said, "Jem is getting as much push in terms of marketing muscle as any major line", explaining that the marketing services promoted several "Jem Coming Soon" advertisements. In

1760-598: A new banner titled Hasbro Entertainment . In the early 1980s, when Hasbro began creating animated series based on their properties, they hired Sunbow Productions , who was already producing commercials for them, to create such series as G.I. Joe and The Transformers which would be syndicated by Hasbro's Claster Television subsidiary. In May 2008, Hasbro reacquired the Sunbow-produced animated series based on their properties from TV-Loonland AG for $ 7 million. The funds would help TV-Loonland AG (the owner of

1870-600: A new feature animation studio. The companies had bid on an old ferry terminal for the studio, but were turned down by the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in previous attempts. On December 30, 2019, Hasbro completed the acquisition of the Canadian entertainment company Entertainment One . On October 9, 2020, eOne took over as Hasbro's new production arm and began development and distribution of content based on Hasbro properties from

1980-414: A new five-year contract. As of fiscal year 2012, Goldner had a total calculated compensation of $ 9,684,285. On July 9, 2013, Backflip Studios sold a 70% stake in the company to Hasbro for $ 112 million in cash. On November 6, 2012, it was rumored that The Walt Disney Company was discussing a multi-billion dollar deal to acquire Hasbro. While Hasbro declined to discuss the rumor, advisors stated there

2090-523: A new subsidiary called Hasbro Entertainment , founded on August 16, 2023. The company celebrated their 100th anniversary on December 6, 2023. Three Polish-Jewish brothers, Herman, Hillel, and Henry Hassenfeld, founded Hassenfeld Brothers in Providence, Rhode Island , in late 1923, a company selling textile remnants. Over the next two decades, the company expanded to produce pencil cases and school supplies. On January 8, 1926, Hassenfeld Brothers

2200-604: A response to an analysis chart of toy sales, Paul Valentine, a toy analyst at Standard & Poor's Corporation , predicted the Jem toy line to be a flop. Hasbro's first Jem doll line was unveiled on February 10, 1986, at Hasbro's Madison Avenue showroom in New York City 's North American International Toy Fair . The showroom was filled with Jem dolls and decorated with neon colors, " Miami Vice -styled" fashions, and video screens with animation clips and commercials. In mid-1986, Nickelodeon partnered with Hasbro to sponsor

2310-630: A suggested retail price of $ 119, to begin shipping in late November 2012. Pre-orders were accepted through Integrity Toys' network of authorized dealers. As of October 2016, Integrity Toys has produced more than 40 different dolls based on the TV show. In 2011, Hasbro released a one-off comic book titled Unit:E as an exclusive at the New York Comic-Con; this was created by "HasLab" as a potential multi-brand crossover platform. The plot depicted Synergy, now an alien artificial intelligence, assisting

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2420-629: A television cooking show. Two new 1970s toys were public relations disasters. One of the toys was named Javelin Darts which were similar to the ancient Roman plumbata . On December 19, 1988, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned lawn darts from sale in the United States due to their hazards as a flying projectile with a sharp metal point causing multiple deaths. The other toy was named The Hypo-Squirt,

2530-570: The Super Sunday lineup. On May 4, 1986, Jem started to air as a television series. Starting in September 1987, the series aired five times weekly. It has aired in multiple countries including Australia , Canada , United Kingdom , West Germany , Netherlands , United States , Italy and France . The series aired reruns on The Hub Network/Discovery Family from May 31, 2011, to November 15, 2015. On July 25, 2011, Teletoon Retro ,

2640-706: The Entertainment One (now Lionsgate Canada ) acquisition on December 30, 2019, franchises like Peppa Pig and PJ Masks . Hasbro also spawned TV shows to promote its products, such as Family Game Night on the Discovery Family network. It is the former parent of mass media and entertainment company Entertainment One . Hasbro sold Entertainment One to Lionsgate on December 27, 2023, however, it kept eOne's family brands and eOne's stake in Astley Baker Davies , placing them into

2750-472: The G.I. Joe toy in 1964 which they termed an " action figure " in order to market it to boys who wouldn't want to play with dolls. In 1964 and 1965, G.I. Joe accounted for two-thirds of Hassenfeld's sales. The company had previously sold toys under the Hasbro trade name, and it shortened its name to Hasbro Industries on July 12, 1968, and sold a minor stake in the corporation to the public. The Vietnam War

2860-572: The Stretch Armstrong movie from their schedules. Hasbro filed suit against Sweetpea Entertainment and Warner Bros. on May 12, 2013, regarding the announced Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) movie based on Chainmail. Hasbro had asserted that rights had reverted to Hasbro, while Sweetpea felt they had the rights under a 1994 agreement with TSR . Hasbro had reportedly just agreed to license D&D movie rights to Universal. On August 3, 2015, Warner Bros. announced that they will be developing

2970-465: The 1983 International Tokyo Toy Show  [ ja ] , the company licensed the toylines and subsequently launched the successful Transformers toy line along with a children's animated TV series two years later. With the toys and TV series being popular, Stephen Hassenfeld posed with the toys for a People magazine cover photo. In 1982, Hasbro produced the successful toy franchise My Little Pony . In 1983, they purchased GLENCO Infant Items,

3080-643: The CEO and chairman of the board. Between 1978 and 1981, Stephen reduced the Hasbro product line by one-third and its new products by one-half. Hasbro focused on simple, low-cost, longer life-cycle toys like Mr. Potato Head. Hasbro thus stayed out of the electronic games field which went bust in the early 1980s. In 1982, Hasbro revived its G.I. Joe line with the help of Marvel Comics , as an anti-terrorist special forces team based on current events. Following an interest in Takara 's Diaclone and Micro Change toylines in

3190-449: The Coast was bought in a deal worth $ 325 million. Wizards of the Coast is now a subsidiary of Hasbro and has Avalon Hill as its division. In 2001 money-losing Hasbro Interactive was sold to Infogrames , a French software concern, for $ 100 million. Hasbro entered the building block toy with its Built to Rule line in 2003, which did not hold together well or were too hard for the targeted age group, thus ended in 2005. In 2004,

3300-548: The Coast , among others. As of August 2020, over 81.5% of its shares were held by large financial institutions. Mr. Potato Head serves as Hasbro’s iconic, official mascot along with its preschool children’s subsidiary Playskool . Among Hasbro's products are Transformers , G.I. Joe , Power Rangers , Rom the Space Knight , Micronauts , M.A.S.K. , Monopoly , Furby , Nerf , Potato Head , Ouija boards , Play-Doh , Twister , and My Little Pony , and with

3410-558: The Coast . In October 2014, the studio announced its film self-finance/co-finance label Allspark Pictures with its first existing project Jem and the Holograms , along with My Little Pony: The Movie . Hasbro's first original film project, Hacker Camp , was assigned to writer Tripper Clancy in February 2015. By July 2015, the Monopoly satire film with Emmett/Furla was set aside with Hasbro announcing that Lionsgate will distribute

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3520-513: The Coast subsidiary "posted revenue of $ 816 million last year, up 24% from 2019, fueled by what Hasbro says were record years for" Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering . ICv2 reported, "the WotC and Digital Gaming segment is over $ 112 million more than the operating profit for Hasbro's entire consumer products segment" and that "Wizards of the Coast on its own is also more profitable than Hasbro's consumer products segment [...]. From

3630-566: The Far East as an important market to expand. In 1992, Hasbro purchased Nomura Toys Ltd. in Japan, and majority ownership of Palmyra, a Southeast Asian toy distributor. These increased the proportion of international sales from 22% in 1985 to 45% ($ 1.28 billion) in 1995. In 1993, Hasbro lost its bid for J. W. Spear & Sons , a U.K.-based game maker, to Mattel . In the US, Hasbro's growth since 1980

3740-776: The Hasbro Toy Group. Meanwhile, Mattel purchased Fisher-Price and retook the top spot in the toy industry. Hasbro Interactive was started in 1995 and released the Monopoly game on CD-ROM. Mattel also proposed a merger that year, but was turned down by the Hasbro board in 1996 due to antitrust issues and Justice Department investigation into exclusionary policies between toy manufacturers and toy retailers, particularly Toys "R" Us . In 1998, Hasbro bought Avalon Hill for $ 6 million and Galoob for $ 220 million. That same year, Milton Bradley merged with Parker Bros. to form Hasbro Games. In 1999, Hasbro paid $ 325 million for rights to Pokémon toys. The same year, Wizards of

3850-627: The Rockin' Roadster. Marx created the full character biographies and relationships, including the love triangle aspect between Rio and Jerrica Benton/Jem, Starlight Music and Starlight House, the Starlight Girls, the villain Eric Raymond and various secondary characters. Later, Marx was asked to develop new characters as they were introduced, with several of them named after pioneers in the history of holography. Samantha Newark provided

3960-788: The Sunbow catalogue) to pay off its debts, and for Hasbro to create programs in-house. Hasbro Studios was founded in 2009 for TV development, production and distribution, with Stephen J. Davis as president. On October 10, 2010, Hasbro Studios and Discovery Communications relaunched the channel formerly known as Discovery Kids as The Hub (Now known as Discovery Family). On November 9, 2010, Hasbro Studios signed an agreement with Canadian media company Corus Entertainment to broadcast their productions on YTV and Teletoon . On October 6, 2011, Hasbro Studios signed an agreement with seven US and international airlines, such as Continental Airlines and Qantas , to broadcast shows on their planes. In March 2012,

4070-620: The TV series. The special edition Hollywood Jem doll became available at the Hasbro Toy Shop booth during Comic-Con International in San Diego at an approximate retail price of $ 135. The Jem doll sold out on day two of the convention. On October 5, 2012, the four (then-upcoming) dolls in Integrity Toys' new limited edition collectible line were presented with pictures: Classic Jem, Jerrica Benton, Synergy and Rio Pacheco, with

4180-513: The Universal lot, Hasbro was able to take the Universal agreement properties to any studio. Universal paid a multimillion-dollar fee instead of the $ 5 million per property to depart from the agreement. On 31 January 2012, it was announced that Columbia Pictures , Happy Madison , and Adam Sandler were in final negotiations to develop the Candy Land film. In February, Stretch Armstrong

4290-462: The acquisition, a transaction that would place the distribution rights to the Allspark library and newer content back to Hasbro. It was ultimately decided that on August 3, 2023, Lionsgate announced that it would acquire Entertainment One for $ 500 million. The deal closed on December 27, 2023 and Entertainment One got rebranded as Lionsgate Canada on June 7, 2024. In August 2023, Hasbro announced

4400-542: The animated series with Universal Pictures , with which Hasbro had signed a six-film contract in 2010. On March 20, 2014, a live-action motion picture adaptation of Jem and The Holograms was announced, to be directed by Jon M. Chu . Filming on the production began in April 2014. On April 24, it was announced that Aubrey Peeples had been cast as Jem, with Stefanie Scott as Kimber, Hayley Kiyoko as Aja and Aurora Perrineau as Shana. On April 30, 2014, actor Ryan Guzman

4510-509: The backbone for a cohesive universe) has been somewhat erratic; IDW writers have generally indicated that, while characters from Jem will not show up in crossovers (including the Revolution mini-series that launched the universe), they do exist and will receive occasional references. The series ended on June 14, 2017, with issue #26, but a six-issue miniseries-- Jem and The Holograms: Infinite #1 and Jem and The Holograms: Misfits Infinite #1

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4620-623: The building block market since the failure of the Built to Rule line, Hasbro re-entered the market with the Kre-O line in late 2011, starting with some Transformers -based sets. In 2012, Hasbro received a $ 1.6 million tax credit from the state of Rhode Island with a promise to create 245 new jobs in the state. Instead, they laid off more than 125 workers. This was followed in 2013 with further layoffs of North American workers, amounting to 10% of its salaried employees. Meanwhile, CEO Brian Goldner signed

4730-403: The chairman position. However, the executives clashed and Shea left after a few months, and Stephen and Alan returned to their previous positions. On June 6, 1985, the company changed its name again to just Hasbro, Inc. The Jumpstarters toys were the subject of a lawsuit in 1985 when Hasbro sued a toy manufacturer for selling toys based on their Transformers design. Hasbro won the suit. In

4840-683: The company as the managing director for Pacific operations. On September 30, 2020, Renegade Game Studios announced they had acquired licensing for creating tabletop games for multiple Hasbro brands. Several of the games would be using the 5E role-playing system owned by Hasbro's subsidiary Wizards of the Coast. On February 25, 2021, during the 2021 Investor Event, Hasbro announced a company reorganization with three divisions: Consumer Products, Entertainment, and Wizards & Digital. The Wall Street Journal reported that "Hasbro's net revenue fell 8% last year to $ 5.47 billion, due in part to retail shutdowns related to Covid-19," however, its Wizards of

4950-439: The company entered into a deal with Paramount Home Entertainment to release its programs based on its games and toys on VHS and DVD. In 2008, Hasbro acquired game maker Cranium, Inc. for $ 77.5 million. The deal was announced on January 4 and closed on January 25. Hasbro and Universal Pictures signed an agreement in February 2008 to derive four films from seven Hasbro properties for production. In May, Bennett Schneir

5060-522: The company having gone from sales of $ 104 million in the year he took control to 1989 sales of over $ 1.4 billion. Alan succeeded Stephen as chairman and CEO. In 1991, Hasbro purchased Tonka Corp. for $ 486 million, along with its units Parker Brothers , the maker of Monopoly , and Kenner Products . Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers were merged into one division. Alan moved to expand Hasbro overseas with new units in Greece, Hungary, and Mexico. Alan saw

5170-490: The company introduced Flubber , but reports of sore throats and rashes from the product and knock-offs prompted an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration and a voluntary recall by Hassenfeld Brothers. The company was approached in 1963 to license a toy based on The Lieutenant , which they turned down because they did not want to be tied to a possibly short-lived television series. Instead, Hassenfeld Brothers produced

5280-485: The company praise from Greenpeace executive director Phil Radford , who said: "The new Hasbro policy will also increase the recycled and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper in its toy packaging. Hasbro's new commitments are great news for Indonesian rainforests and the people and wildlife that depend on them." By April 2011, Hasbro started 360 Manufacturing Services, a contract OEM game manufacturing operating out of Hasbro's USA plant. Having been absent from

5390-553: The company to post a $ 1 million loss for the year. In 1970, Hasbro began a plan of diversification and opened the Romper Room Nursery School franchise chain to cash in on President Richard Nixon 's Family Assistance Plan which subsidized day care for working mothers. By 1975, the company had ended the nursery chain. Hasbro also entered the cookware field with the Galloping Gourmet line based on

5500-401: The company was looking for financing for a while in the hundred million dollars range. By November 2017, a five-year exclusive distribution and production pact was signed between Hasbro and Paramount Pictures for Allspark Pictures and Allspark Animation films. Plus Meghan McCarthy was promoted to head up for Allspark Animation. Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. ( / ˈ h æ z b r oʊ / ;

5610-503: The company was the nation's sixth best-selling toymaker, and then acquired the Milton Bradley Company , which was the nation's fifth best-selling toymaker. This brought The Game of Life , Twister , Easy Money , and Playskool into the Hasbro fold and on September 10 transformed Hasbro into Hasbro Bradley . Stephen Hassenfeld became the merged company's president and CEO, with Milton Bradley chief James Shea Jr. taking

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5720-528: The company's treatment of the Empire Pencil subsidiary as Empire received lower levels of capital spending relative to profits than did the toy division. With Merrill's death in 1979, Harold did not recognize Stephen's authority as the successor to the chairman and CEO position. As a solution, Hasbro spun off Empire Pencil in 1980, which was the nation's largest pencil maker, with Harold trading his Hasbro shares for those of Empire. Stephen then became both

5830-552: The control of its chief content officer. Hasbro announced that it would launch its own convention, named HasCon , and featuring "all things Hasbro" in 2016, with the inaugural event being held at the Rhode Island Convention Center in September 2017. On November 15, 2017, Mattel, Inc. rejected an offer from the company. At the time, Mattel's worth was $ 5 billion, while Hasbro's worth was about $ 11 billion. On February 27, 2018, Variety reported in

5940-455: The daughter of Engelbert Humperdinck . Ellen Bernfeld provided the singing voice of Pizzazz. The Stingers' speaking voices were provided by Townsend Coleman (Rory "Riot" Llewelyn), Ellen Gerstell (Phoebe "Rapture" Ashe), and Kath Soucie (Ingrid "Minx" Kruger). Gordon Grody, a vocal coach who later worked with Lady Gaga , provided the singing voice for Riot. Other notable cast members included Charlie Adler as Eric Raymond. He also provided

6050-506: The descendant of Acroyear and a Biotron from Micronauts in searching for heroes to help him combat Baron Karza. She shows them characters from G.I. Joe , Transformers , Battleship Galaxies , Stretch Armstrong , Action Man , M.A.S.K. and Candy Land among others. Jerrica herself is shown as not having taken up the Jem identity yet, but will eventually compose the "Music of the Spheres" (presumably with Synergy's aid). The comic

6160-530: The end of 2015, Disney gave Hasbro a chance to gain the license given their work on Star Wars , which led to a Descendants license. DCP was also attempting to evolve the brand from one of them less as damsels and more as heroines. In September 2014, Disney announced that Hasbro would be the doll licensee for the Disney Princess line starting on January 1, 2016. On July 13, 2016, Hasbro acquired Dublin-based Boulder Media Limited and placed it under

6270-401: The entirety of Entertainment One up for sale, including all of their non-Hasbro assets ranging from scripted and unscripted television and films, but would exclude the company's ex-children's properties, which were already consolidated under Hasbro. Four months later, it was reported that Fremantle , Lionsgate and Legendary Entertainment are interested in the buyout. The following month, it

6380-399: The founders of Sunbow Productions , to create the 65-episode animation series. Griffin-Bacal ( Sunbow ), as well as Marvel Productions , had previously created the successful G.I. Joe series for Hasbro . G.I. Joe writer Christy Marx was hired to create the series based on the line of dolls and the original concept, which consisted of the two girl bands, Synergy, the boyfriend Rio, and

6490-401: The franchise. On May 1, 2018, Hasbro agreed to purchase Power Rangers and other entertainment assets from Saban Brands for $ 522 million in cash and stock with the licensing fee recently paid with credit. The sale, which also collaborated with My Pet Monster , Popples , Julius Jr. , Treehouse Detectives and additional properties, was expected to close in the second quarter until it

6600-535: The holographic technology, and support the twelve foster children known as the Starlight Girls who live with her and Jem and The Holograms. The Misfits frequently attempt to upstage Jem and the Holograms' endeavors, often nearly resulting in physical harm to members of the group. This rivalry is encouraged and manipulated by their manager and central villain in the series, Eric Raymond, the former half-owner of Starlight Music who runs Misfits Music (later Stinger Sound) while working under Pizzazz's father, Harvey Gabor. During

6710-748: The hotel when it opened in 2019. Hasbro granted Kingsmen Creatives a license to build a chain of NERF Action Xperience family entertainment centers, with the first to be opened in Singapore in fall/winter 2019. In November, the company issued a license for family entertainment centers to Kilburn Live, who were to launch a new division for the centers. That December, the company granted a license for theme parks to Imagine Resorts and Hotels, co-founded by Bruce Neviaser. Neviaser had previously co-founded Great Lakes Companies, which launched Great Wolf Resorts indoor waterpark resorts. On December 18, 2019, Hasbro and West Edmonton Mall announced that Galaxyland would get

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6820-520: The intent to sell its last two factories, in Ireland and East Longmeadow, Massachusetts (including its 360 Manufacturing Services), to Cartamundi . The deal was set to close in sixty days. Hasbro signed a five-year deal with Cartamundi to produce their board games at the East Longmeadow plant. With Mattel adding two competing lines, and the expiration of their Disney Princess license at

6930-650: The late 1980s, Hasbro moved to increase international sales by taking toys overseas that had failed in the US market and selling them for as much as four times the original price. This increased international sales from $ 268 million in 1985 to $ 433 million in 1988. In 1988, Hasbro purchased part of Coleco Industries' indoor and outdoor children's furniture and ride-on toy product lines for $ 21 million including two just closed manufacturing plants in Amsterdam, New York. In July 1989, Hasbro acquired bankrupt Coleco for $ 85 million. Stephen Hassenfeld died later that year with

7040-438: The leadership of Entertainment One president Darren Throop , president of family brands Olivier Dumont and former HBO head of programming Michael Lombardo. As a result, Allspark was absorbed into Entertainment One. However, in late-2022, Hasbro announced their intent to sell eOne with companies such as Fremantle (who dropped out of the bid), Lionsgate , Legendary , CVC Capital Partners and GoDigital Media Group bidding for

7150-521: The mid-1980s, Hasbro moved past Mattel to become the world's largest toy company. Hasbro then moved to outsell Mattel's Barbie in the fashion doll market with the 1986 introduction of Jem , a record producer/rock musician dual identity fashion doll. Jem initially posted strong sales but plummeted and was withdrawn from the market in 1987. Hasbro followed up in 1988 with Maxie , a Barbie-sized blonde doll, so that Barbie clothing and accessories would fit. Maxie lasted until 1990. Under Alan's initiative in

7260-675: The new film finance production label Allspark Pictures. Hasbro Studios released its first non-soundtrack album, Truly Outrageous: A Tribute to Starlight Records , with Legacy Recordings on August 7, 2015. This promotion album for Jem film consisted of remakes of classic Jem TV series songs. On December 15, 2015, Hasbro Studios and Paramount Pictures have signed a deal to create a five-property movie universe produced by Hasbro's Allspark Pictures and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The properties in this movie-verse are G.I. Joe , Micronauts , Visionairies , M.A.S.K. and Rom . After two attempted films for Stretch Armstrong ,

7370-526: The number of toys in the line to offset G.I. Joe's declining sales. Hasbro ended the G.I. Joe line in 1975 because of the rising prices of plastic and crude oil. In 1977, Hasbro's losses were $ 2.5 million, and the company held a large debt load. That same year, Hasbro acquired licensing rights to Peanuts cartoon characters. With the financial situation poor, Hasbro's bankers made the company temporarily stop dividend payments in early 1979. The toy division's losses increased Harold Hassenfeld's resentment regarding

7480-539: The outside, Hasbro looks like a toy company, but with these numbers, it's revealed to be a geek game company with toy and entertainment divisions". In April 2021, Hasbro agreed to sell eOne Music unit to Blackstone for $ 385 million, offloading part of the Entertainment One operations that it acquired in 2019. Jem (TV series)#Music The series revolves around Jerrica Benton, the owner and manager of Starlight Music, and her alter-ego Jem, lead singer of

7590-489: The plastic fields during World War II to support its toy line. The Hassenfeld brothers, immigrants from Ulanów , Poland, also spent the war years helping to rescue and employ fellow Jews from Ulanów; Jacob Klapper, a holocaust survivor born in Ulanów, recalled being told when he arrived in the United States that Hassenfeld Brothers would employ any survivor from Ulanów, no questions asked. Hassenfeld Brothers' first popular toy

7700-403: The promotion "added proof of Jem 's popularity", garnering more than 375,000 phone calls and breaking the telephone system once during the eight weeks of the contest. The contest winner was Keri King of Seymour, Indiana , who was chosen out of 325,000 children aged 12 and under. Jem started airing 1985, in syndication. It consisted of one seven-minute short that aired every week as part of

7810-800: The property was picked up by Netflix in January 2016 for a full order as a 26-episode animated series, making it the first deal between the company and the streaming service. By March 2017, Hasbro Studios' executive staff and its animation and toy prototyping teams moved to the Burbank office building. In 2017, Hasbro Studios launched its first franchise through YouTube called Hanazuki: Full of Treasures . On November 3, 2017, Hasbro Studios and Paramount extended their relationship, with an exclusive five year production deal for Allspark Pictures and Allspark Animation to create original and franchise-based films. Both Allspark units were newly formed (Allspark Pictures

7920-675: The revival of the My Little Pony franchise, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic , which became the network's highest-rated program and attracted a significant cult following among teens and adults . The Hub Network was rebranded as Discovery Family on October 13, 2014. In 2013, Hasbro renewed its deal to produce Marvel Comics and Star Wars toys through at least 2020. In 2011, Greenpeace accused Hasbro of purchasing paper for its packaging from ancient forests in Indonesia. Hasbro changed its paper purchasing policy, earning

8030-414: The rights to the Jem properties. I would like to see that happen. I don't want to go into a lot of detail, but the whole rights situation for Jem is very, very complicated. Believe me, if there were a simple straightforward way to do it, it would be done. But there are some very big complications that are in the way at the moment. Hasbro's first Jem toy line consisted of eight dolls, each packaged with

8140-423: The rock group Jem and The Holograms. Jerrica adopts the persona of Jem with the help of a holographic computer, known as Synergy, which was built by Jerrica's father and is bequeathed to her after his death. Jem and The Holograms consists of Kimber Benton, Jerrica's younger sister, keyboardist , and main songwriter for the band; Aja Leith, Asian-American guitarist ; Shana Elmsford, African-American, who plays

8250-477: The second story arc. In addition, Kimber and Stormer begin a romantic relationship. As of Issue #16, which is Campbell's final issue as regular artist, The Stingers have been introduced to the series with Raya featured as a fourth member of the band. The title's current status within the new Hasbro Comic Book Universe (consisting of several new or relaunched titles, using the IDW Transformers comics as

8360-410: The series, Eric Raymond constantly plots to become owner of Starlight Music and get revenge on Jem and The Holograms for having cost him control of the company. Jerrica also deals with a complex and emotionally draining faux- love triangle involving her alter identity, Jem, and Rio Pacheco, Jerrica's longtime boyfriend. Rio romantically pursues both women, not knowing they are one and the same. Later in

8470-432: The series, Jem is also romantically sought after by Riot, who becomes infatuated with her – adding further complications to her relationships. The series' format included three songs for the featured music videos in each episode. The theme song "Truly Outrageous" was the opening and closing theme for the show until late 1987, when "JEM GIRLS" became the series' opening theme for the majority of episodes and "Truly Outrageous"

8580-449: The singers and musicians, created a pop sound for Jem and The Holograms supported by acoustic instruments. The sound for The Misfits was crafted as strictly electronic other than the addition of guitars and an occasional sax solo when the character of Jetta was introduced into The Misfits. This was done to create an identifiable punk electronica style in stark contrast to their rival singing groups. In season three, Bryant introduced

8690-783: The singing voices. Britta Phillips , who had never before worked professionally as a singer, was cast as the singing voice of Jem after obtaining an audition through her father who worked on jingles in New York. The initial take from the audition was used as the first opening theme song "Truly Outrageous". The remaining Holograms speaking voices were provided by Cathianne Blore (Kimber Benton/Aja Leith), Cindy McGee (Shana Elmsford), and Linda Dangcil (Carmen 'Raya' Alonso). The Misfits' speaking voices were provided by Patricia Alice Albrecht (Phyllis "Pizzazz" Gabor), Samantha Paris/Bobbie Block (Roxanne "Roxy" Pellegrini), Susan Blu (Mary "Stormer" Phillips), and Louise Dorsey (Sheila "Jetta" Burns),

8800-407: The slower funky groove for the third group that entered the show, The Stingers. According to Newsday in 1986, the budget for the first year of advertising the franchise totaled approximately $ 10 million — a large sum for a multifaced line at the time. Along with the series, Hasbro promoted Jem with a complete line of toys and accessories, hoping to create the "next fashion doll superstar in

8910-452: The speaking voices of Jem and Jerrica. Despite having toured as a child singer in Africa, she did not do the singing for Jem. The voiceover cast never auditioned for the music side of the series and vice versa. The music for Jem was all cast and recorded in New York and Atlanta and the voiceover actors were cast and recorded in Burbank, California. They matched the speaking voices of the cast to

9020-469: The studio laid off three staffers in its Game & Reality Show Production & Development department, which was moved under vice president Kevin Belinkoff along with the animation department's management and outside creative consultants. In August 2014, Josh Feldman was appointed as head of development for Hasbro Studios, as he will oversee live-action and TV series. On October 20, the studio announced

9130-513: The studio started venturing into foreign co-productions starting with Play-Doh (DoPei Le Doh), mixed animation and live action series with Toonmax, part of the Shanghai Media Group . In December 2012, Hasbro transferred all entertainment divisions to Hasbro Studios, including their Los Angeles–based film group, and Cake Mix Studio, the company's Rhode Island–based producer of commercials and short form content. On February 28, 2013,

9240-442: The synth drums . Carmen "Raya" Alonso became the band's synth drummer after Shana briefly leaves the group to pursue a career in fashion. Upon her return to Jem and The Holograms, Shana becomes the band's bassist . Jem and The Holograms have two rival bands: The Misfits and The Stingers: Episodes of the series frequently revolve around Jerrica's efforts to keep her two identities separate, protect Synergy from those who might exploit

9350-538: The time, which began airing four years prior. The show contains a total of 187 music videos with 151 unique songs. Over 200 original songs was written for the series. Several songs are featured on cassette tapes of Hasbro's Jem toy line. Sunbow Productions employed several musicians and songwriters. Ford Kinder and Anne Bryant composed the music, and Barry Hamon wrote the lyrics of the songs. Britta Phillips performed as Jem, Ellen Bernfeld performed as Pizzazz, and Gordon Grody, performed as Riot. Anne Bryant, who chose

9460-471: The toy company, resulting in Allspark being absorbed into the acquired company. On August 22, 2022, Bloomberg reported that Hasbro was seeking to sell or restructure its media assets, including eOne, On the same day Darren Throop was announced to be stepping down as the company's CEO by the end of the year. On November 1, 2022, Hasbro sold Boulder Media to Australian media company Princess Pictures. On November 17, 2022, Hasbro announced they were putting

9570-468: The toy line was introduced. On September 8, 2011, Hasbro issued a press release announcing its attendance at the New York Comic Con from October 13 -16, 2011, where it would be showing new and upcoming products at its booth, including those from Jem and The Holograms . On June 27, 2012, Integrity Toys, Inc. announced their plans to release a new series of collectible fashion dolls based on

9680-459: The voices of both of Eric's major henchmen Zipper and Techrat. Vicki Sue Robinson , famous for the 1970s discothèque-oriented hit " Turn the Beat Around ", provided the singing voices of both Rapture and Minx. Ari Gold, pop singer and songwriter, gave the singing voice of Ba Nee. The inclusion of music videos in Jem was a result of the success and popularity of MTV (Music Television) at

9790-603: Was Mr. Potato Head , which the company purchased from George Lerner in 1952. In 1954, the company became a Disney major licensee. In 1960, Henry died and Merrill took over the parent company, and his older brother Harold ran the pencil-making business of Empire Pencil. Hassenfeld Brothers expanded to Canada with Hassenfeld Brothers (Canada) Ltd. in 1961. In 1962, Hasbro purchased the former Potter & Johnston manufacturing company building on Newport Avenue in Pawtucket, Rhode Island . The Pawtucket plant facilities were eventually expanded to over 300,000 square feet. In 1963

9900-489: Was "absolutely nothing going on" they knew of between the two companies. Additionally, financial analysts said the deal was illogical, as the rumor came out just a week after Disney had acquired Lucasfilm . Hasbro was named by Fortune magazine as one of the top 100 companies to work for in 2013, citing that the "company enhanced its vacation policy by giving new employees three weeks off in their first year instead of having to wait five years." On November 12, 2014, it

10010-416: Was Allspark's live-action production label, while Allspark Animation was its animation production label. Cake Mix Studio was the company's Rhode Island –based producer of commercials and short form content. Production and distribution of film and television content based on Hasbro properties shifted to Entertainment One (or eOne for short) following its acquisition by Hasbro on December 30, 2019 and under

10120-598: Was a frontrunner to acquire Entertainment One . On August 3, 2023, Lionsgate announced that it would acquire Entertainment One for $ 500 million. The deal closed on December 27, 2023. Allspark Pictures , formerly Hasbro Films , or Hasbro Film Group , was a film production within Allspark, a subsidiary of Hasbro tasked with developing films for Hasbro properties. In 1986, The Transformers: The Movie and My Little Pony: The Movie , animated theatrical films based on Hasbro properties, were released. Waddingtons , later purchased by Hasbro in 1994, Clue's US licensee, licensed

10230-431: Was at its height in 1969, so Hasbro redesigned GI Joe to be less militaristic and more adventure-oriented. Its promotional efforts included the catchphrase "Boy Oh Boy! It's A Hasbro Toy!" in television commercials and print ads. Also in 1969, Hasbro bought Burt Claster Enterprises which produced " Romper Room " and had just begun a Romper Room toy line. A month-long Teamsters strike and Far Eastern supplier troubles caused

10340-400: Was cast as Rio. On May 20, Juliette Lewis and Molly Ringwald joined the film. The film was theatrically released on October 23, 2015; it received generally negative reviews from critics and fans, with criticism targeted at the angsty teen drama, strayed too far from the source material as well as original series fan content being manipulated into reaction to the in-film characters. It was

10450-482: Was completed on June 12, 2018. At the time, Power Rangers was renewed for three more seasons until 2021, and the animated series Treehouse Detectives had nearly two seasons produced. On March 26, 2019, Stephen Davis announced that Hasbro Studios would be rebranded as "Allspark", named after the fictional artifact featured in the Transformers franchise. On May 7, 2019, Allspark and Boulder Media announced

10560-546: Was finished with Saban's collab. On October 19, 2018, the company announced plans to cut jobs amounting to less than 10% of its 5,000-plus global workforce in response to changes in how consumers buy toys. In 2018, Hasbro signed a number of licensing agreements for hospitality deals based on Hasbro brands. On May 1, 2018, the Monopoly Mansion hotel agreement was announced by Hasbro, with M101 Holdings overseeing construction and M101's Sirocco Group assigned to manage

10670-486: Was formed for TV development, production and distribution. On December 11, 2012, Hasbro transferred all entertainment divisions to Hasbro Studios, including their LA-based film group, and Cake Mix Studio, the company's Rhode Island–based producer of commercials and short form content. Hasbro collaborated with Discovery on The Hub , a cable television network targeting younger children and families, which launched on October 10, 2010. The venture found unexpected success with

10780-585: Was formerly a film finance label), with the film unit led by Greg Mooradian and the animation unit led by Meghan McCarthy . Paramount and Hasbro would also work together on TV series. With the loss of the Jurassic Park license in 2016, Hasbro launched a new dinosaurs based franchise, its second new studio property, with its Chomp Squad animated series on January 6, 2018. On May 1, 2018, Hasbro announced that they were acquiring Power Rangers and other entertainment assets from Saban Capital Group , which

10890-458: Was from acquisitions and the leveraging of the new assets. New product development was not as successful except for film and TV tie-in product lines with Jurassic Park and Barney . Thus, US sales were stagnant in the early 1990s, falling from 1993 to 1995. To turn domestic performance around in 1994, Hasbro merged the Hasbro Toy, Playskool, Playskool Baby, Kenner, and Kid Dimension units into

11000-604: Was hired to lead its Hasbro Films division, while Hasbro also reacquired series based on their properties from Sunbow Productions . The year of his promotion to CEO of Hasbro, Brian Goldner was named CEO of the year by News Corp affiliate website MarketWatch .com. Goldner became the first person not from the founding Hassenfeld family to hold the position. In 2009, the Milton Bradley and Parker Bros. brands were retired after eleven years and eight years of Hasbro ownership respectively. That same year, Hasbro Studios

11110-547: Was incorporated in Rhode Island; Hillel left for another textile business while Henry took charge of the corporation. They began making their own pencils after their pencil supplier began making pencil cases as well. Hassenfeld Brothers produced modeling clay and then doctor and nurse kits as their first toys, and they became primarily a toy company by 1942. Hillel died in 1943 and Henry Hassenfeld became CEO, while his son Anthony Merrill became president. The company entered

11220-491: Was kept as the show's permanent closing theme. Music videos featured an "in-your-face" style that was directed at the viewer or the more traditional style. The music videos paralleled the style of rock videos found on MTV at the time featuring fast editing, a quick pace, and special effects. Hasbro and an outside investor started developing Jem in response to an interest that children were showing in music videos. Hasbro hired advertising agency Griffin-Bacal Advertising ,

11330-473: Was never followed up. The Jem comic book was released by IDW in March 2015: written by Kelly Thompson , art by Sophie Campbell and colors by M. Victoria Robado. The comic book offers a modern re-imagining of the series with new character designs and different situations, such as Jem and The Holograms and The Misfits being unsigned bands at the start with Eric Raymond being hired as The Misfits' manager during

11440-547: Was nominated for the Young Artist Award twice, once in 1986 for "Exceptional Young Actresses in Animation: Series, Specials, or Film Features" for Samantha Newark 's performance, then in 1988 for "Best Animation Series". Christy Marx has long expressed a desire to make a modern-day revival of the animated series, but stated in a 2004 interview that there are a great deal of complications concerning

11550-455: Was organized to develop a "creative roadmap". On April 21, 2016, The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Michael Chabon , Brian K. Vaughan , Nicole Perlman , Lindsey Beer, Cheo Coker, John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein , Joe Robert Cole, Jeff Pinkner , Nicole Riegel and Geneva Robertson has joined the writers room. On November 2, 2016, The Weinstein Company has announced that

11660-410: Was released later in the month. A one-shot Jem and The Holograms: IDW 20/20 was published in January 2019 as part of IDW 20/20 which celebrated the 20th anniversary of IDW Publishing. The comic takes place 20 years after the final issue of the ongoing comic. After the success of G.I. Joe and Transformers films, Hasbro began considering a live-action film adaptation or a new incarnation of

11770-457: Was reported Lionsgate and Legendary remained among the four potential buyers, the other two being CVC Capital Partners and GoDigital Media Group. Fremantle however dropped out of contention following an increase in the selling price, which was beyond what the company was willing to pay for the assets. However, on April 20, 2023, Hasbro entered talks to sell eOne back to its founder Darren Throop. On July 17, 2023, Deadline reported that Lionsgate

11880-417: Was reported that Hasbro was in talks to buy DreamWorks Animation . The proposal reportedly calls for the combined company to take the name "DreamWorks-Hasbro" and for Jeffrey Katzenberg to become its chairman, but as a matter of policy, neither Hasbro nor DWA publicly comment on mergers and acquisitions. Two days later, the talks were reported to have fallen through. On July 14, 2015, the company announced

11990-498: Was set up with Relativity Media . In October, Hasbro signed a three picture co-production two-year deal which includes a first look provision with Emmett/Furla for Monopoly , Action Man , and Hungry Hungry Hippos , with Envision Entertainment's partners Stepan Martisoyan and Remington Chase as co-financiers. In December, Hasbro transferred the feature films division into Hasbro Studios along with its other short film division. By October 10, 2013, Relativity and Hasbro had removed

12100-473: Was to pay for all development costs for the films and Universal was supposed to pay $ 5 million per property not made into films. In May, Bennett Schneir was hired to lead its film division while Hasbro also reacquired animated series based on their properties from Sunbow Productions . By January 2012, all Hasbro properties at Universal — except for Battleship and Ouija — were halted in development. While Hasbro's film division continued to have an office on

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