Kenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was purchased by Tonka in 1987 and both were purchased by Hasbro in 1991. It was in charge of G.I. Joe and Hasbro's other boys' toys brands from 1995 until 2000, when its Cincinnati offices were closed and all Kenner brands were moved back to Pawtucket, Rhode Island and merged under the Hasbro name.
When G.I. Joe was transferred to Kenner, the A Real American Hero brand stopped production and was replaced by Sgt. Savage and his Screaming Eagles. By the end of 1995, Sgt. Savage was retired and G.I. Joe Extreme was introduced.
Amongst the other brands produced by Kenner whilst an independent company was M.A.S.K.. The subsequent purchase by Hasbro included all the Kenner intellectual property and as a result in 2008 the figure Specialist Trakker was released, representing Matt Trakker, the lead character from M.A.S.K.
Kenner also produced a Six Million Dollar Man toyline in the 1970s that included figures for Colonel Steve Austin and Oscar Goldman. Both of whom appeared in the G.I. Joe vs. The Six Million Dollar Man comic series.
External links[]
- Hasbro's corporate history (includes information on the Tonka/Kenner buyout)
- Kenner's Ohio offices close for good (from the Cincinnati Enquirer)