Toys: Could Hasbro Be Our "Big Brother"?
From
Time Magazine, December 19th, 1983
Big Brother is watching, playing, and reading you...[1]
Just in time for Christmas, Stephen Hassenfeld, CEO and chariman of Hasbro Industries, Stan Lee, publisher of Marvel Comics, and David H. DePatie, president of Marvel Productions[2], collectively gave an exclusive meeting with the Time Magazine staff.
Starting in 1984, Hasbro is looking to reinvent itself as a multimedia juggernaut, helped profusely by the creators of X-Men's Juggernaut.
Oh, their toys and games will stay the same, but with Marvel's help, and the ownership of Claster Television for starters, the Hasbro name should hopefully remain in the minds of kids and adults for generations to come.
First things first: Next year, Marvel will debut two all-new labels for families: Star Comics and Hasbro Comics. Star Comics will have the likes of The Muppets, Heathcliff, Star Wars, and Marvel's own animation studio to bolster their lineup[3], while Hasbro Comics will be the new home for G.I. Joe, Micronauts, Transformers, and ROM: The Space Knight, plus other Hasbro IPs within the coming years. Spider-Ham might even get his own Star on the newsstand![4]
Second thing to note is that Marvel Productions will be making a Transformers cartoon next Fall, after seeing how successful the G.I. Joe series was in syndicated markets all over America. Maybe a My Little Pony series for the girls? Who knows?
Third, but not last, remember those lovable scamps that made Donkey Kong a few years back? Well, Hasbro's gonna help them launch a whole home console! Yes, this is after the E.T. video game made everyone sick of games. They'd better hope for a home run on this, but at least the Marvel connections and Hasbro's own toylines could try and recoup any losses that this may result in, and it probably will.[5]
So, keep your eyes on the lookout for Hasbro within the next 2-3 years, because after that point, you wouldn't want anyone else to make entertainment.[6]
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This is the POD for the timeline. In this world, Hasbro doubles down on their ties to Marvel, and even gives Nintendo a call for future reference.
[1] Yes, this joke was intentional. Although, I only recently made the humorous connection between 1984 and 1984.
[2] If you know your Marvel Productions history, he won't be the president much longer...
[3] Most of the Star Comics issues would be Muppet-related for the first year or two, but Star Wars would be the runner-up.
[4] Another intentional joke, but this time entirely wholesome and vaudevillian.
[5] The crash of 83 is the only thing preventing me from writing an optimistic side to this section.
[6] That would hopefully be true, if we have anything to say about it.
[7] Thanks for the article
@TheFaultsofAlts!