Electronics products at K-B Toys.
Hasbro is heading into the holiday shopping season with its hopes
high.
Both Toys “R” Us and K-B Toys stores have included toys from
the Pawtucket-based company on their lists of hot items for this season. And,
holiday toy trends seem to mesh nicely with Hasbro market offerings.
“Kids are changing all the time,” said Wayne Charness, senior
vice president of corporate communications for Hasbro. “But, I think we are
experts at developing products. We try to get an (idea of what they want) before
they do.”
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Analysts say there is no one toy expected to rule the shelves this holiday
season. According to Toys “R” Us, the holiday season is more about trends, including
classics, small toys and products aimed at a relatively new, and lucrative,
“tween” market.
Tweens are defined as boys and girls between the ages of eight and 12. These
children are considered by toy makers and the likes of Toys “R” Us as growing
out of their desire for Cabbage Patch Kids and in search of something more sophisticated,
like home décor and video games.
According to marketing information company the NPD Group, the tween market
represents 20 percent of toy sales in a year, or $21.3 billion.
Hasbro has turned to technology to meet the demands of this population of
youngsters. One example of this is VideoNow, a portable video player that plays
3-inch discs with 25 minutes of programming of kid favorites like SpongeBob
SquarePants and Hillary Duff.
There are also numerous other tech-related gizmos on the market, including
video games aimed at the young male market through Hasbro’s Tiger Electronics.
There are also gadgets like the new FurReal Friend, Go Go My Walkin’ Pup and
a new dance version of Twister.
But, Hasbro has stayed away from the “dolls with attitude” scene, which also
caters to tweens.
Bratz, produced by MGA Entertainment, and Flavas, a new line by Mattel, have
edgier outfits like low-cut jeans, hip-hop inspired clothes, pouting lips and
a general “whatever” expression on their faces.
Charness said his company tends to focus on its own “innovative” pursuits
rather than come up with an answer to another company’s products.
“We’ve gone in the opposite direction of Bratz,” he said. “Hasbro has put
a lot of time and effort on developing My Little Pony.”
Reissuing this retro toy, he says, has paid off.
Sales have exceeded expectations since they were introduced earlier this year.
It has also been a factor in the company’s 18 percent increase in revenues in
the last three quarters, which have topped $971 million.
Hasbro’s stock was at a 52-week high of $22.63 on Nov. 4, up from $10.37 last
year at this time.
According to K-B Toy spokesman John Reilly, neither Hasbro nor other toy makers
have created a star product that has led to a Tickle-Me-Elmo-like mania like
that of a few years back.
“It’s something very tough to emulate. There’s no formula,” Reilly said.
This lack of a dominant product or genre was instrumental in increasing this
year’s list of hot toys from 10 to 20.
“We’re seeing business spread out a little more,” Reilly said. “There’s sell-thru
on a lot of different items as opposed to just a couple hot toys.”
Although a single favorite hasn’t surfaced, Charness says the season is still
young.
“I don’t think it will happen any time before the end of November. It could
still happen,” he said.
However, he said Hasbro does not focus on creating that one toy that creates
the craze.
“To bet on one toy is ridiculous,” he said. “You hope one of yours translates
into something unbelievable, but you can’t count on it. We come out with a number
of different items … focusing on driving our core products and offering new
products and innovations.”
Rob Slye, a former employee at Hasbro and owner of Toys Ahoy in Barrington,
says Hasbro’s move toward the classics is right on target based on what he’s
seen in his store.
“There are good, high-quality products made back then,” he said. “Kids sit
in front of TVs so much nowadays and I think parents are looking for toys to
get them active and use their imagination.”
This motivation, he says, may be behind sales of imagination-friendly items
like My Little Pony.
