Toy World caught up with Hasbro’s Tim Kilpin to talk about the milestone-filled year ahead and how the company will stand out in 2024.
With Hasbro facing an exciting year of anniversaries, content releases and major new toy launches, Toy World caught up with Tim Kilpin, president of Toys, Licensing & Entertainment at Hasbro, to find out how the company is putting its franchise-first approach into action by bringing its hero brands to life in innovative new ways.
In this Q&A from the June issue of Toy World, we asked Tim how Hasbro is shaping up this year so far. Here’s what he said: “This is a big year for us and very much one of celebration: we’re celebrating Peppa Pig’s 20th anniversary, Transformers’ 40th, Dungeons & Dragons’ 50th and Clue’s [Cluedo’s] 75th. These multi-generational franchises continue to hold huge resonance beyond toys, even today, meeting the needs of fans all over the world.
“Key to maintaining that resonance is always seeking new ways to bring our franchises to life either via content or product. There’s a lot going on this year for Peppa Pig in this respect, including birthday parties at global trade shows and a 3-part wedding special, part of Nickelodeon’s Peppa Pig Wedding Week, which starred Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom and aired back in March.
“Transformers, meanwhile, is being supported by the new Transformers One feature film, which debuts at cinemas this September. Transformers One is the first time we’ve ever told the origin story of Transformers. We’re placing huge support behind Dungeons & Dragons too, in the form of new content for hardcore players, as well as development within the licensing programme, for fans who want to show their love for D&D via consumer products.
“All in all, we’re leaning into the celebratory nature of 2024 by finding fresh ways to make even bigger franchise statements.”
To read plenty more such as internal challenges to be addressed and new launches for autumn/winter, click here for the full Q&A with Tim.
