The Toy Fair Catalog that Hasbro provided to dealers, retailers, and other trade representatives highlighted the lines that defined the 1980s. Even though Hasbro exited the 1970s with significant debt and losses. However, the company turned things around by focussing on its core business: simple toys with no unnecessary electronics. Throughout the 80s, Hasbro built up its market dominance through its excellent toy lines and various mergers.
Moreover, they made waves when they revived their classic G.I. Joe toy line in 1982. Thanks to a collaboration with Marvel, the Joes gained a new narrative that propelled them through the 1980s. All aspects of this new G.I. Joe team, the toys, comics, and cartoons, became shining examples of success.
Thus, when Hasbro decided to introduce Takara’s unique robot toys as a reimagined Transformers brand, they used the same blueprint. Once again, Hasbro hit gold, as the Transformers became one of the most successful toy lines in the 1980s.
Thus, it is no surprise that both G.I. Joe and Transformers continued to appear on the pages of Hasbro’s toy catalogs in 1989. However, Hasbro still took chances by introducing new toy lines. For instance, the COPS toys appeared on the pages of this catalog. Hasbro also experimented with creating toys based on Nintendo’s hit characters.
Wheeljack’s Lab proudly presents high-definition scans of the 1989 Hasbro Toy Fair Catalog featuring G.I. Joe and Transformers.
Explore the pages of the 1986 Hasbro Toy Fair Catalog
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About Our Hasbro Catalog Scans
To promote their upcoming slate of products, Hasbro handed out catalogs to attendees of toy fairs and other events. Each catalog was filled with information about their newest toys, even ones still in development. Thus, they often provided the first looks at action figures, playsets, vehicles, and more from their lines. Therefore, they have become valuable and rare collector’s items.
These Hasbro Toy Fair Catalogs featured toys from their beloved lines. For instance, the company was responsible for one of the most popular action figures of all time: G.I. Joe. They also partnered with Takara to bring the Transformers to the Western market. The company also dipped into the fantastical worlds of Air Raiders, Inhumanoids, and Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light. After Hasbro acquired Kenner, they also became the home of toy lines like Jurassic Park and Star Wars.
Hasbro used in-production prototypes in their images, as these catalogs were prepared before the lines were released. This meant that the featured toys often differed from the retail releases. Moreover, toys sometimes appeared only on these catalog pages, as they were canceled or never hit retail store shelves.
While Hasbro only handed these booklets out to trade professionals, we have now made them available to all. You can explore the toys featured in these catalogs with our Hasbro Toy Fair Catalog Scans. This is a rare treat since catalogs like these have become increasingly difficult to locate with each passing year.