Saban and NASCAR Name Hasbro as Master Toy Licensee
24 August 1998
Saban and NASCAR Name Hasbro as Master Toy Licensee For Kids Racing Television Series in Development For Fox Kids
Hasbro Products Will Help Bring America's Fastest Growing Sport to Kids
CINCINNATI, Aug. 24 -- Saban Entertainment and the National
Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) today announced that they have
named Hasbro, Inc. (Amex: HAS) as the master toy and game licensee for the
children's television series being jointly developed by Fox Kids Network and
NASCAR. Hasbro will manufacture and market program- related products
worldwide in a broad range of categories including action figures, vehicles,
playsets, games, puzzles, youth electronics, creative play, plush and more.
Currently, NASCAR racing is America's fastest growing sport, drawing
nearly 10 million attendees last season, including an increasing number of
families with children. Fox Kids Network, one of the nation's top-rated
children's (ages 2-11) broadcast television programming services in the U.S.,
airs to 97 percent of T.V. households on Fox Kids Network affiliates.
In June, NASCAR and the Fox Kids Network jointly announced an agreement to
develop the children's television series featuring NASCAR. Saban will manage
the merchandising rights for the series, and will jointly participate in the
design and execution of the marketing and promotional efforts with NASCAR.
Hasbro is the first major licensee to be announced for this series. The new
series will take the elements of NASCAR racing to make the sport relevant,
compelling, and entertaining to a younger generation of fans.
"Hasbro and Fox Kids are both recognized leaders in the children's
business and we're thrilled to welcome Hasbro into this exciting
partnership," said Elie Dekel, Executive Vice President, Consumer Products,
Fox Family Worldwide. "Together with NASCAR we're well positioned to bring
the thrill and spectacle of motorsports to kids."
"This partnership takes our already-successful relationship with Hasbro to
the next level," said George Pyne, Vice President of Marketing for NASCAR.
"Hasbro has experienced the excitement of NASCAR racing through its Winner's
Circle die-cast line, and we're looking forward to extending our relationship
with them through this new children's television series."
"This is a perfect combination of Hasbro's worldwide expertise in
delivering entertaining and fun children's products, the children's
entertainment expertise of Saban Entertainment and the Fox Kids Network,
together with the thrills and popularity of NASCAR," said Ginger Kent,
Hasbro's President, Global Brands and Product Development. "This unbeatable
combination will result in winning programming and an exciting product line."
"We've already seen first-hand, through the tremendous popularity of our
Winner's Circle die-cast line, the appeal of NASCAR to kids and families,"
said Kent. "We look forward to building upon our successes in this arena."
Hasbro's Winner's Circle(R) brand features a broad line of die-cast
vehicles from the top driver names in NASCAR. Winner's Circle debuted in 1997
and has sold briskly ever since, following the formation of Hasbro's exclusive
business alliance with Action Performance Companies, Inc. This alliance was
created in 1996 to jointly develop licensed motorsports products for mass-
market retail. Action Performance is the leader in the design, marketing and
distribution of licensed motorsports merchandise.
Hasbro is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of
toys, games, interactive software, puzzles and infant products. Both
internationally and in the U.S., its Playskool, Kenner, Tonka, OddzOn, Super
Soaker, Milton Bradley, Parker Brothers, Tiger and Hasbro Interactive products
provide children and families with the highest quality and most recognizable
toys and games in the world.
Saban Entertainment Inc., is a division of Fox Family Worldwide, Inc., a
fully integrated global family entertainment company which develops, acquires,
produces, broadcasts and distributes quality live-action and animated
television series, specials and motion pictures. Its principle businesses
include Fox Family Channel, one of America's first and most widely distributed
cable networks, reaching more than 72 million households; Fox Kids Network, a
top-rated children's broadcast television programming service in the U.S.,
airing to 97 percent of TV households on Fox Kids Network affiliates; and
Saban Entertainment, whose library of over 5,000 half-hours of programming and
hundreds of hours of movies is among the largest in the world. Saban
Licensing and Merchandising leads the industry in children's TV-based licensed
properties including: Power Rangers, Mystic Knights of Tir na Nog and the All
New Captain Kangaroo, among others.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary year, NASCAR is considered to be the most
competitive form of motorsports in the world. Close, side-by-side competition
is the foundation for NASCAR racing. Highly competitive, affordable and
entertaining, NASCAR offers approximately 2,200 events in thirteen racing
divisions at more than 130 tracks throughout the country each year. In 1997,
more than 10 million people attended NASCAR events around the country, and an
estimated 150 million people watched NASCAR events on television.
For additional information about Hasbro, visit the company's Web site at
http://www.hasbro.com.