You've seen it at virtually every carnival, amusement park, and arcade center, and I'm going to bet you've used up your spare change to play a few games. After all, there are more than 100,000 Skee-Ball games around the world.
Now Hasbro
Hasbro's partner in the multiyear deal is Dimensional Branding Group, which has gathered under its banner a cornucopia of established brand names, including Whac-a-Mole, Big Wheel (my first ATV), and a personal cartoon favorite, Batfink, who would hunt down the evil Hugo A-Go-Go. If Skee-Ball is successful, Hasbro has a number of opportunities for going retro here.
The company is tapping into a multigenerational market, since the love for Skee-Ball crosses a wide range of ages. The game provides a sense of nostalgia for grandparents thinking back to playing in their younger years, while kids enjoy the thrill of earning more prize tickets from hitting the 100-point center ring just as much as their parents did decades ago. The game has even made an appearance in an episode of The Simpsons -- pretty good evidence in itself that the game is still popular with today's generation.
Given the number of toy recalls lately, well-known brands from RC2
Perhaps, though it won't be anytime soon. The company won't be releasing its first Skee-Ball products until 2009. But we can at least hope that lining the shelves of Wal-Mart
More than 80% of the toys sold in the U.S. are made in China, and while Hasbro hasn't released where production of the Skee-Ball products will be produced, let's just hope this one's a safe haven from recalls.
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