ChanceMcCall
Member
ESCP
Empire State Consumer Project, Inc.
Protecting children, consumers, and the environment since 1971.
December 3, 2019
Brian D. Goldner, Chairman of the Board and CEO Edward M. Philip Kenneth A. Bronfin Michael Burns Hope Cochran Sir Crispin Davis John A. Frascotti Lisa Gersh Alan G. Hassenfeld Tracy A. Leinbach Richard S. Stoddart Mary Beth West Linda K. Zecher
Dear Hasbro Board of Directors:
As the holidays approach, we are reminded of our mission to protect the safety of children. As we watch holiday toy commercials, we see the Nerf Ultra One and other extreme Nerf machine guns for children and are reminded of mass shootings that have devastated American children and families for decades now. In these times, the TV ad for this product plays like a Saturday Night Live parody, except that it is not at all funny. https://www.ispot.tv/ad/Zw7R/nerf-holiday-gifts?fbclid=IwAR0Kc6_uZsD-DoQyKtSFmj25ZSONxOGpazmxatOnY4T1wtd2-KSWO0CpBP0 Toy guns are one thing, but these emblems of mass destruction take them to the next, horrifying level.
Hasbro’s stated mission is “to create the best play and entertainment experiences. The best play and entertainment experiences stand apart from anyone else’s and deliver joy, creativity and connection around the world and across generations.” Also from your website, “Hasbro is committed to making the world a better place for children and their families through corporate social responsibility and philanthropy.”
And this … “At Hasbro, we play with purpose. We are using our business as a force for good and building a safer, more sustainable and inclusive company and world for all.”
Your human rights statement says you aim to protect children’s human rights, wellbeing and dignity.
When your products themselves violate most of your proclaimed corporate values, something is very wrong. How does promoting play with huge automatic weapons create joy, creativity and connection around the world, and across generations, and make the world a better place for children? How do these weapon products use your business as a force for good? Who would this child be shooting with his cache of assault weapons? In one of the most creative industries on earth, how does one of the country’s largest toy producers fall so short in coming up with innovative toys that spark the peace-filled imaginations of children? If your research shows that children are craving toy assault weapons, you have missed the mark. Parents will tell you that many are afraid of going to school because of the stories they see and hear when a school shooting occurs. Surely, those of you who are parents understand.
Corporate social responsibility is not a slogan; it is what calls you to raise the bar in the interests of children and become a source for the non-violent creative playthings children deserve. Marketing assault weapon toys to this most vulnerable group of consumers is an assault on their dignity and their worth as human beings. We implore you to remove assault-style toy weapons from your product offering. Social responsibility asks for a connection between the hearts of board members and the people who generate their profits, in this case, the children. Be responsible to these children; be leaders on this issue your shareholders will thank you.
Sincerely,
Judy Braiman, President Carol Chittenden, Director
Empire State Consumer Project [email protected] 585-831-7124
Empire State Consumer Project, Inc. (ESCP) is a registered 501c3 Not-for-Profit Organization dedicated to reducing the use of unsafe products and chemicals toxic to human and environmental health. We accomplish this by educating consumers and industry, conducting product testing and reporting, and by advocating for regulation where needed to protect the public interest. ESCP is represented by Joel Kupferman, Esq., NY Environmental Law & Justice Project, [email protected]
Empire State Consumer Project, Inc.
Protecting children, consumers, and the environment since 1971.
December 3, 2019
Brian D. Goldner, Chairman of the Board and CEO Edward M. Philip Kenneth A. Bronfin Michael Burns Hope Cochran Sir Crispin Davis John A. Frascotti Lisa Gersh Alan G. Hassenfeld Tracy A. Leinbach Richard S. Stoddart Mary Beth West Linda K. Zecher
Dear Hasbro Board of Directors:
As the holidays approach, we are reminded of our mission to protect the safety of children. As we watch holiday toy commercials, we see the Nerf Ultra One and other extreme Nerf machine guns for children and are reminded of mass shootings that have devastated American children and families for decades now. In these times, the TV ad for this product plays like a Saturday Night Live parody, except that it is not at all funny. https://www.ispot.tv/ad/Zw7R/nerf-holiday-gifts?fbclid=IwAR0Kc6_uZsD-DoQyKtSFmj25ZSONxOGpazmxatOnY4T1wtd2-KSWO0CpBP0 Toy guns are one thing, but these emblems of mass destruction take them to the next, horrifying level.
Hasbro’s stated mission is “to create the best play and entertainment experiences. The best play and entertainment experiences stand apart from anyone else’s and deliver joy, creativity and connection around the world and across generations.” Also from your website, “Hasbro is committed to making the world a better place for children and their families through corporate social responsibility and philanthropy.”
And this … “At Hasbro, we play with purpose. We are using our business as a force for good and building a safer, more sustainable and inclusive company and world for all.”
Your human rights statement says you aim to protect children’s human rights, wellbeing and dignity.
When your products themselves violate most of your proclaimed corporate values, something is very wrong. How does promoting play with huge automatic weapons create joy, creativity and connection around the world, and across generations, and make the world a better place for children? How do these weapon products use your business as a force for good? Who would this child be shooting with his cache of assault weapons? In one of the most creative industries on earth, how does one of the country’s largest toy producers fall so short in coming up with innovative toys that spark the peace-filled imaginations of children? If your research shows that children are craving toy assault weapons, you have missed the mark. Parents will tell you that many are afraid of going to school because of the stories they see and hear when a school shooting occurs. Surely, those of you who are parents understand.
Corporate social responsibility is not a slogan; it is what calls you to raise the bar in the interests of children and become a source for the non-violent creative playthings children deserve. Marketing assault weapon toys to this most vulnerable group of consumers is an assault on their dignity and their worth as human beings. We implore you to remove assault-style toy weapons from your product offering. Social responsibility asks for a connection between the hearts of board members and the people who generate their profits, in this case, the children. Be responsible to these children; be leaders on this issue your shareholders will thank you.
Sincerely,
Judy Braiman, President Carol Chittenden, Director
Empire State Consumer Project [email protected] 585-831-7124
Empire State Consumer Project, Inc. (ESCP) is a registered 501c3 Not-for-Profit Organization dedicated to reducing the use of unsafe products and chemicals toxic to human and environmental health. We accomplish this by educating consumers and industry, conducting product testing and reporting, and by advocating for regulation where needed to protect the public interest. ESCP is represented by Joel Kupferman, Esq., NY Environmental Law & Justice Project, [email protected]
Even the 2A is being demonized at every turn. I will leave the gossiping and infighting to those poor souls that don't have a life.
This organization probably thinks it has the children's best interests at heart but I bet a lot of us see it as another episode of sky screaming to move their agenda.
