Lonely at the Topps
What do you think about Michael Eisner heading up a group to take Topps (NASDAQ:TOPP) private? The move came just as Topps was starting to turn the corner -- making the timing of the deal a bit surprising -- but I guess it was Bazooka Joe's time to go.
Wouldn't it be a hoot if Eisner's next move at Topps were to roll out a set of trading cards of key Disney (NYSE:DIS) executives who bolted for greener pastures under his watch? The list is a lot longer than you may think. Among others:
- Meg Whitman went on to run eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY).
- Jeffrey Katzenberg launched DreamWorks Animation (NYSE:DWA).
- Steve Burke became a star at Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA).
- John Lasseter, once a Disney animator, became the heart of Pixar.
OK, so maybe that won't happen. One can always dream, though. I can almost hear, "I'll trade you my Whitman for your Lasseter" out in the sandlot.
Where a kid can be a kidder
One of the many earnings reports that caught my eye this past week came from Chuck E. Cheese parent CEC Entertainment (NYSE:CEC). I was enamored by the stock a few years ago; the concept was growing quickly, while other kid-based concepts like Discovery Zone faltered.
It was a recession-resistant escape in a world where parents often enter the weekend with a briefcase loaded with guilt. Oh, and the pizzas are pretty good. And now that every game only costs a single, inexpensive token, older patrons can really stretch their gaming dollar by playing the same racing games for which some arcades charge several quarters a pop.
Anyway, it's sad to see the company's growth cheese moved lately. CEC expects to tack on just 10 new stores to its empire of 529 noisy eateries. Comps actually clocked in higher for the year, and that's comforting. CEC had taken a hit a year earlier on a poorly received summer promotion.
I'll keep watching the story there. Meager growth is better than no growth at all. And those pizzas really are pretty good.
Until next week, I remain,
Rick Munarriz
Disney, DreamWorks Animation, and eBay are Stock Advisor recommendations. CEC is a Hidden Gems stock pick. Try any of our Foolish newsletters free for 30 days.
Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz recommends windshield-wiper fluid when trying to look back. He is also part of the Rule Breakers newsletter research team, seeking out tomorrow's ultimate growth stocks a day early. He does not own shares in any of the companies in this story, save for Disney. The Fool has a disclosure policy.
