Kenner Toys
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| Industry | Toys |
|---|---|
| Fate | Closed, properties and brand name sold. Product lines merged into Hasbro. |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Defunct | 2000 |
| Headquarters | Cincinnati, Ohio |
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Key people
|
Albert Steiner Phillip Steiner Joseph L. Steiner |
| Products | |
| Parent | Independent (1947–1967) General Mills (1967–1985) Kenner Parker Toys, Inc. (1985–1987) Tonka (1987–1991) Hasbro (1991–2000) |
| Website | hasbro |
Kenner Products was an American toy company founded in 1947. Throughout its history the Kenner brand produced several highly recognizable toys and merchandise lines, including the original series of Star Wars and Jurassic Park action figures. The company was closed by its corporate parent Hasbro in 2000.
Founded in 1947 in Cincinnati, Ohio by brothers Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, the company was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, just north of Cincinnati's Union Terminal. It was a pioneer in the use of television as a medium for advertising toys across the United States, beginning in 1958.
In the early 1960s, Kenner introduced its corporate mascot, The Kenner Gooney Bird, which would be used in both its company logo ("It's Kenner! It's fun!") and TV ads, in both animated form and puppetry. One commercial was produced by Muppets creator Jim Henson and the puppet featured there would later be used for the Sesame Street character Little Bird. The Bird was phased out by 1974.
The company was purchased by General Mills in 1967. In 1970, General Mills merged its Rainbow Crafts division into Kenner Products, bringing Play-Doh into the Kenner product line. In 1985, General Mills would spin-off both its Kenner and Parker toy divisions to form Kenner Parker Toys, Inc. The following year Kenner Parker sold off its Lionel Trains division.
Kenner Parker was acquired by Tonka in 1987. Under Tonka management, Kenner Products was reconstituted as a division. Tonka (including Kenner) was purchased by the toy company Hasbro in mid-1991. Hasbro closed the Cincinnati offices of Kenner in 2000, and Kenner's product lines were merged into Hasbro's.
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