Merrill Hassenfeld
Merrill Hassenfeld · Economics & Business
President of Hasbro from 1943 and its head from 1960; oversaw Mr. Potato Head, the Disney licence and G.I. Joe
United States — 1979
United States
Merrill Hassenfeld is recognized among Jewish contributors to Economics & Business — President of Hasbro from 1943 and its head from 1960; oversaw Mr. Potato Head, the Disney licence and G.I. Joe
Anthony Merrill Hassenfeld was the son of Henry Hassenfeld, the Polish Jewish immigrant who founded Hassenfeld Brothers with his brothers in 1923, and the husband of Sylvia Grace Kay, who became the first woman to serve as president of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. He was made president of the company in 1943, the year his uncle Hillel died and his father became chief executive, and took over the parent company when Henry died in 1960.
The firm's decisive years were his: Mr. Potato Head bought from George Lerner in 1952, the Disney licence in 1954, and G.I. Joe in 1964, which within a year was two-thirds of sales. His sons Stephen and Alan ran Hasbro after him. Wikipedia's own articles disagree about the end of his life — Sylvia's gives 1979, Stephen's 1980 — so this card does not settle it.
Verify and go deeper with these external references.
Source: Wikipedia (EN) — Hasbro
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President of Hasbro from 1943 and its head from 1960; oversaw Mr. Potato Head, the Disney licence and G.I. Joe
Source: Wikipedia (EN) — Hasbro
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