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- All HBS Web
(209)
- News (72)
- Research (93)
- Multimedia (9)
- Faculty Publications (57)
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- February 1992
- Background Note
Virtual Reality and the General Manager: Toys Becoming Tools
Konsynski, Benn R. "Virtual Reality and the General Manager: Toys Becoming Tools." Harvard Business School Background Note 192-090, February 1992.
- November 2012 (Revised September 2013)
- Case
Learning Resources: A Hands-On Toy Company Deals with New Challenges and Opportunities
By: Boris Groysberg and Anahita Hashemi
Learning Resources is a family-owned educational toy company that, by late 2011, was facing a myriad of challenges, including increased competition, entry into new markets, new distribution methods, rising costs of production in China, and changing customer behavior.... View Details
Keywords: Leading Teams; Strategy Formulation; Strategy And Execution; Innovation; Corporate Culture; Industry Analysis; Organizational Alignment; Entrepreneurs; Sales Channels; Leadership; Strategy; Change Management; Innovation Leadership; Family Business; Entrepreneurship; Product Design; Sales; Retail Industry; United States
Groysberg, Boris, and Anahita Hashemi. "Learning Resources: A Hands-On Toy Company Deals with New Challenges and Opportunities." Harvard Business School Case 413-086, November 2012. (Revised September 2013.)
- 2023
- Article
Moral Escalation: Contested Category Emergence and Its Consequences in the Toy Industry
By: Ryann Noe
Preexisting research has outlined the cognitive, competitive, and economic barriers to market category emergence. Yet scholars have paid scant attention to the processes and consequences of moral resistance to nascent categories. Through a longitudinal, qualitative... View Details
Keywords: Moral Sensibility; Market Entry and Exit; Product Positioning; Technology Industry; Consumer Products Industry
Noe, Ryann. "Moral Escalation: Contested Category Emergence and Its Consequences in the Toy Industry." Academy of Management Proceedings (2023).
- September 2020 (Revised December 2020)
- Case
Hot Wheels at Mattel: Reinventing the Wheel
By: Elie Ofek, Andres Terech and Nicole Tempest Keller
In 2017, Chris Down, Global Brand General Manager for Hot Wheels, and his team from the Advanced Play Group within Mattel, Inc., were considering which innovation path to pursue in order to "future proof" the Hot Wheels franchise going forward. Hot Wheels was the... View Details
Keywords: Toys; Industry Evolution; Innovation Strategy; Product Development; Growth and Development Strategy; Technological Innovation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Decision Making; Digital Transformation
Ofek, Elie, Andres Terech, and Nicole Tempest Keller. "Hot Wheels at Mattel: Reinventing the Wheel." Harvard Business School Case 521-015, September 2020. (Revised December 2020.)
- September 2020 (Revised May 2024)
- Case
Hot Wheels: Launching The Mixed Play Experience
By: Elie Ofek, Andres Terech and Nicole Tempest Keller
Chris Down, Global Brand General Manager for Hot Wheels, and his team from the Advanced Play Group within Mattel, Inc., had developed an entirely new “mixed play” product experience that blended familiar Hot Wheels play in the physical world with breakthrough play in... View Details
Keywords: Toys; Go-to-market Strategy; Product Development; Technological Innovation; Product Launch; Product Positioning; Decision Making; Marketing; Strategy; Los Angeles
Ofek, Elie, Andres Terech, and Nicole Tempest Keller. "Hot Wheels: Launching The Mixed Play Experience." Harvard Business School Case 521-017, September 2020. (Revised May 2024.)
- November 2012 (Revised January 2014)
- Case
The LEGO Group: Envisioning Risks in Asia (A)
By: Anette Mikes and Dominique Hamel
On January 1, 2012, the LEGO Group announced a major new initiative to enhance its market penetration in Asia. Later in the year, a cross-functional group of senior managers gathered at company headquarters to discuss the status of the Asian initiative and the risks... View Details
Keywords: LEGO; Toy Industry; Fashion And Creative Industries; Organizational Structure; Risk Management; Supply Chain Management; Organizational Design; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Denmark; Asia
Mikes, Anette, and Dominique Hamel. "The LEGO Group: Envisioning Risks in Asia (A)." Harvard Business School Case 113-054, November 2012. (Revised January 2014.)
- February 2013 (Revised March 2015)
- Case
The LEGO Group: Publish or Protect?
By: Willy C. Shih and Sen Chai
Senior managers at the LEGO Group are faced with a quandary: Should they patent inventions coming out of their manufacturing process development work, should they keep them as trade secrets, or should they publish them so that they would go into the public domain and... View Details
Keywords: Plastics; Injection Molding; Toys; LEGO; LEGO Group; Tools; Additive Manufacturing; 3D Manufacturing; Toolmaking; Patenting; Spillovers; Knowledge Spillovers; Change; Trends; Engineering; Machinery and Machining; Intellectual Property; Patents; Operations; Production; Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Technology Adoption; Consumer Products Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Technology Industry; Europe; Denmark
Shih, Willy C., and Sen Chai. "The LEGO Group: Publish or Protect?" Harvard Business School Case 613-079, February 2013. (Revised March 2015.)
- 18 Mar 2013
- HBS Case
HBS Cases: LEGO
Although it isn't part of the admissions criteria, experience playing with LEGOs can come in handy at Harvard Business School. When Stefan H. Thomke teaches his new case about the iconic toy company, he gives students eight-studded LEGO... View Details
- August 1995 (Revised July 1997)
- Case
Passion for Learning
Describes the challenges confronting a recent HBS graduate who has started a direct-mail toy company. The entrepreneur must evaluate industry conditions in both toys and direct mail, and determine whether he has developed a viable business concept. Presents detailed... View Details
Keywords: Entrepreneurship
McGahan, Anita M., Dale Coxe, Israel Yellen Ganot, and Greg Keller. "Passion for Learning." Harvard Business School Case 796-057, August 1995. (Revised July 1997.)
- February 2025
- Teaching Note
Barbie: Reviving a Cultural Icon at Mattel
By: Elie Ofek and Sarah Mehta
Teaching Note for HBS Case Nos. 525-006 and 525-020. View Details
- January 2023 (Revised May 2023)
- Case
Learning Resources: Driven by Purpose
By: Boris Groysberg, Sarah Mehta and Heather Poco
In January 2023, CEO Rick Woldenberg must make several strategic decisions for his family-owned toy company Learning Resources. View Details
Keywords: Change; Change Management; Ownership; Family Ownership; Leadership; Decisions; Consumer Products Industry; United States; Chicago; Illinois
Groysberg, Boris, Sarah Mehta, and Heather Poco. "Learning Resources: Driven by Purpose." Harvard Business School Case 423-053, January 2023. (Revised May 2023.)
- February 2013
- Case
LEGO (A): The Crisis
By: Jan W. Rivkin, Stefan H. Thomke and Daniela Beyersdorfer
As this case opens, iconic toymaker LEGO stands on the brink of bankruptcy. Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, LEGO's young and newly appointed CEO, must size up changes in the toy industry, learn from the company's recent moves, and craft a strategy that will put LEGO back on... View Details
Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Competitive Strategy; Crisis Management; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Consumer Products Industry
Rivkin, Jan W., Stefan H. Thomke, and Daniela Beyersdorfer. "LEGO (A): The Crisis." Harvard Business School Case 713-478, February 2013.
- February 2008 (Revised September 2010)
- Case
LeapFrog Enterprises
By: Lynda M. Applegate and Elizabeth Collins
Explores the success factors leading to the company's rise to the number three ranking in the aggressively competitive toy industry. LeapFrog has made the strategic decision to expand beyond the toy industry and enter the educational technology and services industry.... View Details
Keywords: Business Model; Entrepreneurship; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Expansion; Consumer Products Industry; Education Industry
Applegate, Lynda M., and Elizabeth Collins. "LeapFrog Enterprises." Harvard Business School Case 808-109, February 2008. (Revised September 2010.)
- July 2012
- Case
LEGO
By: Jan W. Rivkin, Stefan Thomke and Daniela Beyersdorfer
LEGO has emerged as one of the most successful companies in the toy industry. The case describes LEGO's gradual rise, rapid decline, and recent revitalization as it is keeping up with a changing market place. Central to LEGO's management model is the ability to find... View Details
- October 1971 (Revised June 1985)
- Case
Fisher-Price Toys, Inc.
Reviews new product introduction and pricing decisions for a riding toy designed for preschool children. Designed to provide background in buyer behavior, market analysis, and corporate strategy. View Details
Ward, L. Scott. "Fisher-Price Toys, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 572-029, October 1971. (Revised June 1985.)
- September 2003 (Revised June 2005)
- Case
Learning from LeapFrog: Creating Educational and Business Value
By: Lynda M. Applegate, Christopher Dede and Susan Saltrick
Explores the success factors leading to one's company's rise to the number three ranking in the aggressively competitive toy industry. LeapFrog has made the strategic decision to exploit its educational model in two industry sectors: consumer toys and educational... View Details
Keywords: Transformation; Decisions; Education; Entrepreneurship; Innovation and Invention; Growth Management; Media; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Research; Value Creation
Applegate, Lynda M., Christopher Dede, and Susan Saltrick. "Learning from LeapFrog: Creating Educational and Business Value." Harvard Business School Case 804-062, September 2003. (Revised June 2005.)
- 2004
- Case
Hasbro Interactive
By: Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble
In the mid 1990s, Hasbro created Hasbro Interactive, a new business unit chartered to develop video games for PCs and other gaming systems based on Hasbro's many toy and game brands. After a few successful years, ambitions for Hasbro Interactive escalated dramatically.... View Details
Govindarajan, Vijay, and Chris Trimble. "Hasbro Interactive." 2004. (Case No. 2-0021.)
- June 2008
- Case
Mattel's Long Hot Summer
In the summer of 2007, Mattel performed three major recalls of toys, mostly due to lead paint and other manufacturing issues in China. This case examines specifically how those recalls were perceived by consumers, and responded to by Mattel, as well as what effect they... View Details
Keywords: Safety; Quality; Production; Price; Manufacturing Industry; Consumer Products Industry; China
Wei-Skillern, Jane, Sonia Marciano, and Barbara Passy. "Mattel's Long Hot Summer." Harvard Business School Case 308-129, June 2008.
- December 2004 (Revised October 2005)
- Case
Hasbro Games -- POX (A)
By: David B. Godes and Elie Ofek
Hasbro's newest toy is so unique it requires a unique launch strategy. Comparing traditional media (TV, print) with a non-traditional viral campaign, Matt Collins must weigh the risks and benefits of doing things the way they've always been done or blazing a new path... View Details
Keywords: Risk and Uncertainty; Cost vs Benefits; Marketing Strategy; Advertising Campaigns; Product Launch; Innovation and Invention; Entertainment and Recreation Industry
Godes, David B., and Elie Ofek. "Hasbro Games -- POX (A)." Harvard Business School Case 505-046, December 2004. (Revised October 2005.)
- March 2009 (Revised November 2021)
- Case
The Walt Disney Company and Pixar Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire?
By: Juan Alcacer, David J. Collis and Mary Furey
Soon after Robert Iger took over as CEO of the Walt Disney Company in late 2005, he turned his attention toward Pixar, the animation studio with which Disney had worked since 1991 and was responsible for producing hits such as Toy Story and Finding Nemo. Disney's own... View Details
Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Decision Making; Animation Entertainment; Film Entertainment; Contracts; Distribution; Partners and Partnerships; Vertical Integration; Motion Pictures and Video Industry
Alcacer, Juan, David J. Collis, and Mary Furey. "The Walt Disney Company and Pixar Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire?" Harvard Business School Case 709-462, March 2009. (Revised November 2021.)