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Donald Levine, the Hasbro executive credited as the father of G.I. Joe for developing the world's first action figure, has died. He was 86. He died of cancer early Thursday at Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island, said his wife, Nan. They were just about to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. Levine shepherded the toy through design and development as Hasbro's head of research and development. He and his team came up with an 11½-inch articulated figure with 21 moving parts, and since the company's employees included many military veterans, it was decided to outfit the toy in the...

CHILDREN'S NETWORK LAUNCHES TRANSSEXUAL SUPERHERO SHOW Nothing says “child-appropriate material” quite like gender-bending underage superheroes. At least that’s the theory over at the Hub, the network co-owned by Discovery and Hasbro, which is trotting out its latest soon-to-be-dud, SheZow. That show follows the adventures of a 12-year-old boy named Guy who uses a magic ring to transform himself into a crime-fighting girl. Yes, you read that correctly. When Guy says the magic words – “You go girl!” – he becomes SheZow, wearing a purple skirt and cape, as well as pink gloves and white boots. The chief executive of the...

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) -- Scottie dog has a new nemesis in Monopoly after fans voted in an online contest to add a new cat token to the property trading game, replacing the iron, toy maker Hasbro Inc. announced Wednesday. The results were announced after the shoe, wheelbarrow and iron were neck and neck in the final hours of voting that sparked passionate efforts by fans to save their favorite tokens and businesses eager to capitalize on publicity surrounding pieces that represent their products. The vote on Facebook closed just before midnight on Tuesday, marking the first time that fans have...

Incredibly, Tonka Trucks is the latest toy brand that’s set to be turned into a movie. Plans for the Tonka Trucks movie from Sony follows the success of 'Transformers' and the not-so-successful 'Battleship' movie. The Tonka line of colourful trucks was originally created in 1947, with the iconic yellow and black vehicles becoming a standard plaything for toddlers across the world. Sony are looking to produce an animated film, which would cut costs by a considerable margin, and have hired writer Fred Wolf to come up with a script. “In its 65 years, Tonka has become more than a toy...

Two days after posting lowered earnings for the first quarter of 2012, Hasbro Games reportedly will not recall approximately 150 union employees who had been out on temporary layoffs. The employees received notification earlier this week that their layoffs would now be considered permanent. The company, which said the East Longmeadow facility “has been operating very efficiently” with a workforce of about 330 unionized employees. “Hasbro expects this facility will continue to operate at this level of employment, which means that we will not be recalling certain employees who have been out on temporary layoff.” Hasbro Inc. posted a first-quarter...

Today Hasbro unveiled it’s latest children’s board game, Steele Trap. It’s a fun and frolicking political romp that is sure to entertain children ages 8-13 as they learn about the crazy world of United States politics. Steele Trap has the players compete to see who can fill up their bus with voters first and deliver it to the polling station intact. Along the way children navigate obstacles like the SEIU Roadblock, Pelosi Plastic Surgery Clinic, and the Lindsey Graham border crossing. Each turn the player spins a wheel and can either end up moving forward 2-4 spaces, drawing a “principle”...

Friday February 5, 2010 Pink Ouija Board 'Toy' Targeting Young Girls Sparks Boycott By Kathleen GilbertPAWTUCKET, Rhode Island, February 5, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A boycott has been launched against toymaker giant Hasbro and Toys R Us for making and marketing a pink Ouija board targeting girls as young as eight years old.The board's Toys R Us webpage - which has evidently been recently removed - boasted: "It has always been mysterious. It has always been mystifying. And now the OUIJA Board is just for you, girl."  The board comes with 72 "fun questions" to ask, including: "Who will call/text...

It promises to be the biggest game of Monopoly the world has ever seen. In a 21st century twist on the popular board game, toymaker Hasbro and tech giant Google have made the game available online, allowing players to compete in a worldwide, real-time version of the game. Launched today, Monopoly City Streets uses the Google Maps platform to let users "buy" any street in the world. Once players create an online profile, they receive a handsome -- albeit make-believe -- $3 million to purchase, build and trade in neighborhoods close to home or the farthest-flung cities. The site went...

LOS ANGELES--The director of the new movie "G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra" thinks President Obama is "a Real American hero," but apparently wants Republicans to stay home..... When it comes to selling "G.I. Joe" outside the U.S., the message is "this is not a George Bush movie -- it's an Obama world," director Stephen Sommers said. "Right from the writing stage we said to ourselves, this can't be about beefy guys on steroids who all met each other in the Vietnam War, but an elite organization that's made up of the best of the best from around the world."...

Globalism: The experts said China and India were the new economic "juggernauts" — strong, independent and insulated even from America's financial woes. The experts were wrong.The Chinese and Indian economies are in a free fall, proving that when America booms, the world booms; and conversely, when she sneezes, the world catches a cold. Stripped of all the hype, the "China Miracle" now looks more mirage, and the "Shining India" rather dull. Both countries, it turns out, have been desperately dependent on America for their growth. Nearly 60% of China's total exports are churned out by plants not owned by the...

pinch Related Quotes Symbol Price Change HAS 30.12 +0.03 MAT 14.45 -0.01 ^GSPC 940.55 -5.88 Chinese police officers stand guard as hundreds of workers gather outside a AP – Chinese police officers stand guard as hundreds of workers gather outside a government building after … DONGGUAN, China – Unemployed worker Wang Wenming was angry at his boss for shutting down a massive Chinese factory this week that made toys for Mattel Inc., Hasbro Inc. and other American companies. But the assembly line worker was also furious at the United States. "This financial crisis in America is going to kill us....

American toy and game giant Hasbro has given Clue an overhaul, murdering Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum, and the rest of the 60-year-old board game's famous cast of characters. As reported by The BBC in Britain and National Public Radio in the States, designers have updated the classic murder mystery game for a "modern audience." In other words, it's no longer classic. Clue now takes place in a mansion with a spa and a home theater where the rich and famous have gathered for some sort of in-crowd shindig. Military man Colonel Mustard is now Jack Mustard, a former footballer. The...

(PROVIDENCE, R.I.) -- Hasbro Inc., the world's second-largest toy company, plans to place a newspaper ad to distance itself from a string of lead paint recalls that have plagued its competitors, Hasbro Chief Executive Alfred J. Verrecchia said Thursday. The ad, in the form of a letter to consumers, will appear in newspapers next week, Verrecchia said. He did not immediately have details on where and when it would appear, but said the message will be that Hasbro has had no recalls for lead or other dangerous chemicals, and people can feel good about buying Hasbro toys and games. "Our...

Hasbro has released to following message to fans regarding Paramount Pictures' live-action G.I. Joe adaptation: Hasbro's G.I. Joe Team wanted to take this opportunity to clarify some of the facts regarding the G.I. Joe live-action movie that we are developing with Paramount Pictures. First and foremost, we are not changing what the G.I. Joe brand is about. The name "G.I. Joe" will always be synonymous with bravery and heroism. The G.I. Joe brand has enjoyed a successful 43-year history, spanning two key generations. The first was the line of 12-inch "realistic military" figures that were popular with kids in the...

Dear President Alfred J. Verrecchia (Fax 1-401-727-5544 of Hasbro and President Brad Grey (Fax 1-323-862-1381) of Paramont Pictures; I am very sorry to hear that Hasbro and Paramount pictures have decided to de-Americanize GI Joe. I am a disabled from Vietnam, Retired Marine and have seen the effects from this sort of America-hate emanating from companies such as Hasbro and Paramount. It appears that "Globalist Joe," Hasbro, and Paramount will have a new enemy other than the fabled cartoon nemesis, "Cobra," and that will be us - the American Public. We will not stand for this unpatriotic bulldozing of our...

America's battered international image has claimed a new casualty: the tough-talking comic book patriot named GI Joe. GI Joe the movie is scheduled to go into production next year The muscular character was created as a comic strip for US military publications during the Second World War and has been fighting America's foes ever since. But in a new film version, scheduled to go into production next year, the all-American will no longer work for a covert US special forces unit. Paramount Pictures and Hasbro, which makes GI Joe toys, have reportedly discussed the challenges of marketing a film about...

Oct. 28, 2007 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal VIN SUPRYNOWICZ: G.I. Joe was just a toy, wasn't he? Hollywood now proposes that in a new live-action movie based on the G.I. Joe toy line, Joe's -- well, "G.I." -- identity needs to be replaced by membership in an "international force based in Brussels." The IGN Entertainment news site reports Paramount is considering replacing our "real American hero" with "Action Man," member of an "international operations team." Paramount will simply turn Joe's name into an acronym. The show biz newspaper Variety reports: "G.I. Joe is now a Brussels-based outfit that stands...

Who needs A Real American Hero? Not Paramount or Hasbro it seems. The studio's live-action feature film version of G.I. Joe will no longer revolve around a top-secret U.S. special forces team but rather an international operation. In a follow-up to their confirmation that Stephen Sommers will direct G.I. Joe, Variety offers this new description of the team: "G.I. Joe is now a Brussels-based outfit that stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, an international co-ed force of operatives who use hi-tech equipment to battle Cobra, an evil organization headed by a double-crossing Scottish arms dealer. The property is closer...

What Does G.I. Joe Stand For? More details surface on the live-action film. by Stax August 24, 2007 - Who needs A Real American Hero? Not Paramount or Hasbro it seems. The studio's live-action feature film version of G.I. Joe will no longer revolve around a top-secret U.S. special forces team but rather an international operation. In a follow-up to their confirmation that Stephen Sommers will direct G.I. Joe, Variety offers this new description of the team: "G.I. Joe is now a Brussels-based outfit that stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity, an international co-ed force of operatives who use...

For the last several months, G.I. Joe fans have been voicing their concerns and outrage online over rumors that Paramount may make drastic changes to the franchise when they bring it to the silver screen as a live-action tentpole release. A new report recounting the political and marketing challenges facing a G.I. Joe movie will likely do little to quell their fears. AdAge.com spoke with Hasbro and Paramount execs about the challenges of marketing a film about the U.S. military at a time when the current U.S. administration and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are at a low-point in...