Toy Wars

The Epic Struggle Between G.I. Joe, Barbie and the Companies That Make Them

This is the real toy story, an unprecedented behind-the-scenes journey through a world of influence, fantasy, and multimillion-dollar Hollywood deals, a world where the whims of children make millionaires and topple titans. This is also the story of an unusual man. Alan Hassenfeld, the chief executive officer of Hasbro, never intended to run a Fortune 500 company. A free spirit who dreamed of being a writer and exploring Asia, he was content to remain in the shadow of his older brother Stephen, a marketing genius who transformed a family firm established by immigrant Jews into powerhouse and Wall Street darling. Then tragedy struck. Stephen, and intensely private man, died of AIDS, a disease he had not acknowledged he had, even to his family. Alan Hassenfeld was named CEO, just as Hasbro was facing a daunting onslaught of challenges. Toy Wars is about Alan's struggle to balance the demands of the bottom line with his ideals about the kind of toys children deserve, as well as the ethical obligations of management. Wayne Miller, an award-winning journalist and novelist, was granted unprecedented access to Hasbro, the maker of G.I. Joe, Star Wars toys, Mr. Potato Head, Batman, Monopoly, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, and countless other favorites. For five years, he sat in on design sessions, marketing meetings, and focus groups, and interviewed employees in every part of the company. He witnessed a major corporate restructuring; crucial deal with Dreamworks SKG; a hostile takeover bid by archrival Mattel; the collapse of a $45 million virtual reality game; and the company makeover of G.I. Joe, Hasbro's flagship product and one of the most popular toys of all time. Toy Wars is filled with many colorful characters, including: Hollywood moguls Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, whose kid-friendly movies can translate into licensing gold for toymakers Mighty Morphin Power Rangers creator Haim Saban, who tapped into a popular Japanese TV series and made it a worldwide television and merchandising phenomenon Mattel CEO Jill Barad, the second-highest-paid woman in corporate America, who promotes and defends Barbie with the zeal of a religious crusader Hasbro executive Al Verrecchia, the loyal second in command who did not let friendship or tradition stand in the way of a dramatic restructuring Larry Bernstein, arguably the best toy salesman ever, a riotous raconteur whose divisional presidency crumbled when he was unable to meet Hasbro's profit goals Rich in family drama and written with sly wit, Toy Wars is a deeply compelling business story, a fascinating tour through a billion-dollar industry that exerts tremendous influence on the lives of children everywhere.

AI narration but a great piece of insider toy industry history

I read the physical book up to chapter 6 and then bought this audio book since I don't get much reading time.

It's fascinating to learn what went on in the offices of Hasbro, Kenner and Mattel during the 1980s and '90s. I knew of the Hassenfelds, Kirk Bozigian, and Jill Barad, Haim Saban, but getting to peek behind the curtain and find out their ambitions, fears, strategies and deals was very interesting. The author had incredible access, and writes their stories with insight and background we'd never otherwise know. Even if you're not a toy fan, the corporate dealings are interesting. I often wondered what these VPs and high ranking people did. This book covers the relaunch of G.I. Joe, Hasbro's acquisition of Kenner etc., competition and a near merger with Mattel, through to Joe's decline and the birth of what we know as Power Rangers in the west.

My only complaint is the AI narration. It's actually impressive, and I didn't notice it right away. It sounds like an American male in his twenties, but it fails to read most Roman numerals (i is "eye", vi is "vy" for example, and it mispronounces Bozigian. But it's only slightly distracting. Overall I recommend it.

This book deserves a real narrator

I can’t give more than a 3 star ratings for AI narrated books. As you might imagine there are plenty of mispronunciations and off-putting speech cadence. If you can tolerate such annoyances this is an interesting book no doubt. More written from the POV of the Hasbro side of things there are lots of juicy tidbits about them and Mattel throughout the book.

Competition and Intrigue in a child’s world

Loved the story and level of detail. Access to the key player’s thoughts and motivations was terrific and insightful.

Virtual narration was often clumsy. Inconsistent pronunciation of Mattel was distracting. Phasing delivery was clearly virtual and not as it would be read by a real person. Nonetheless, was a great story.