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
cachitter@aol.com
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, envjoel@ix.netcom.com.
www.empirestateconsumerproject.blogspot.com