“Christmas is a Video Game” in 1981

Earlier this year I shared a 1981 newspaper article by Sandra Salmans where we got some great info on the toy industry of the early eighties. It was that article where one of my favorite Bernie Loomis quotes popped up on my radar. I’ll repeat it here because it’s valuable info to anyone interested in today’s toy and game market:

“New merchandise is key,” Loomis said. “The way to keep properties alive is to come out with new themes and subthemes each year.”

Well, it turns out there was more to Salmans article than was in the version I found back in April. In this December 7, 1981 version of the newspaper article we find more text and some fantastic charts. Just look at how far Hasbro falls on that 1981 chart, and then look at how many companies above it (at the time) are now part of Hasbro today. The toy industry is nothing today like it was three or four decades ago.

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