BY SHERRY DEAN CURRERI
Hasbro, Inc, the toy company, has a long history of philanthropy for causes supporting kids and their families, dating back almost 90 years, according to Stephen Davis, the President of Hasbro Studios. Last November, Davis was honored by the Zimmer Children’s Museum for being a strong advocate of the museum.
“My kids volunteer here,” says Davis proudly, explaining that the Zimmer is the perfect opportunity for both his family and the company he works for to give back to children. Hasbro is a major sponsor of Zimmer’s youTHink initiative.
As President of Hasbro Studios, Davis oversees production and development of television shows based on Hasbro brands. “Our shows are about great story telling and great characters. It’s about making compelling programming that kids and their families watch and that is exactly what is happening,” says Davis.
Much of the programming created by Hasbro Studios is aired on the brand new network “The HUB”— a joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications. Although it’s only been on the air since last October—10/10/10—the HUB is getting noticed. “The HUB is the number one network in co-viewership, meaning that we have more kids and their parents watching our shows together than any other kids network in the country. What we have found is that there are very few options for kids and their families to come together and watch programming that the whole family enjoys, so that’s an area where we feel like we have an advantage, because that’s our whole programming philosophy.”
This philosophy is easily seen in Family Game Night, a live-action game show in which kids and adults compete in games based on Hasbro classics including Cranium, Bop-it and Connect4. There’s also TRANSFORMERS PRIME; G.I. JOE Renegades; MY LITTLE PONY Friendship is Magic and Pound Puppies.
While they are all based on enduring Hasbro lines, Davis explains, “We have tried to create something that is unique in every show, whether its a unique perspective, a unique character, a unique voice, story angle, or way of animating a show.”
So, does he have a favorite among them? With a coy smile, Davis reveals, “I love all my shows.”
