Sad news in the toy industry today, as one of the icons of the business throughout the latter part of the 20th Century and into the 21st passed away.
Hassenfeld was born in 1948 and after attending the University of Pennsylvania returned to Pawtucket to join the company in 1970. He began in sales and marketing positions and was named president in 1984. Following the death of his brother Stephen, he became chairman and CEO in 1989, a role he remained in until 2003. On his tenure, he guided th company through growth and acquisitions, including Tonka in 1991, which had acquired Kenner four years earlier. The 1998 acquisiton of Tiger Electronics announced on the first day of Toy Fair that year made headlines throughout the international toy business. A year later, Hassenfeld oversaw the acquisition of Wizards of the Coast.
After stepping down as chairman in 2005, Hassenfeld stayed with the company in an advisory, unpaid chairman role until 2008.
Hassenfeld will be remembered not merely for all the toys history he made during his career, but for the company’s exceptional charitable work, and the establishment of Brown University’s Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute. He was also very active in the work of the International Council of Toy Industries.
No few paragraphs can do justice to Alan’s role in the toy industry, his huge heart, and his dedciation to children. He will surely be missed.
