Schedule more playdates... with the Pawtucket, RI-based team over at Hasbro. The 2018 Toys 'R' Us bankruptcy dropped toy sales nationwide 2% last year. But Hasbro stock jumped 14% Tuesday on signs it survived the play-pocalypse.
- February 2019: Hasbro revealed its toy sales fell 13% over the holidays (blames Toys 'R' Us).
- Yesterday: Hasbro's 1st quarter sales rose 2% — Their first gain in six quarters.
Dust off the top-bunk play box... Hasbro has found new retail shelf-space in grocery and drug stores to replace losses at Toys 'R' Us. But here are the toys heroically headlining its comeback:
- Classics: Play-Doh and Monopoly sales rebounded hard.
- Hollywood: Transformers got another movie (BumbleBee made $470M @ the box office) and an action figure with big sales.
- Virtual: Forget cards. "Magic: The Gathering" now has a very real e-sports competition called "Arena" (and Hasbro's monetized it).
It's all about "The Disney Playbook"... Turn your childhood characters into profit ecosystems. Disney pumps out Star Wars theme parks and toys to complement its films. Hasbro rival Mattel's giving Barbie live-action big screen treatment this year. To keep up, Hasbro needs a movie/event/resort future for its Nerf/Twister/Furby past.