‘Toy Wars’ Limited Series Coming From Josh Gad, Josh Schwartz & ‘King Of Kong’ Director
By Peter Sciretta/Sept. 20, 2016 4:00 pm EST
Hasbro is the company behind toy franchises like GI Joe, Transformers, and My Little Pony, while Mattel produces Fisher-Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls and board games. Anyone who knows anything about the battle between these two toy companies during the 80’s and 90’s knows that there is a compelling story to be told in a television series. The companies have had a long and fascinating history and most recently we reported on the rumblings of a possible merger.
The limited television series will be based on the non-fiction book Toy Wars: The Epic Struggle Between G.I. Joe, Barbie, and the Companies that Make Them by G. Wayne Miller. The official book description follows:
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.
