Aw, Phooey! Hasbro's Got the Blues Again! Layoffs Hit the Toy Biz!

What in the World is Going On?!

Aw phooey! It's your pal Donald Duck here reporting live from… well my houseboat! And let me tell ya the news ain't exactly making me wanna do a happy dance! Seems like my friends over at Hasbro the folks who make all those fun toys are having a bit of a… kerfuffle! They just axed 3% of their workforce. That's about 150 folks! Can you believe it? Why me?! Why always me?!

Blame it on China!

Apparently these layoffs are because of those pesky tariffs on toys coming from China! Now I may not be an economist (even though I am very smart) but it seems like those tariffs are squeezing Hasbro tighter than my Uncle Scrooge squeezing a dime! About half of Hasbro's toys come from China! And the company is trying to diversify. So you can say China is a part of the problem. As I always say 'Aw nuts!'

Trump's Tariff Tantrums!

It's all thanks to that Donald fellow with the funny hair and his tariff tantrum! He's got everyone in a tizzy! The toy biz was already struggling and now this? It's enough to make a duck lose his feathers! Hasbro's CEO Chris Cocks said it himself: tariffs mean higher prices job losses and less money for shareholders. Sounds like a triple whammy to me! 'This is the last straw!' as I always say! Or is it?

They're Changing the Course!

Hasbro ain't just sitting around squawking though. They're trying to find new ways to get their toys made and shipped and they are also thinking about where to manufacture. Smart thinking I say! It's like me trying to outsmart those pesky nephews Huey Dewey and Louie! You've gotta stay one step ahead! Quack! 'Oh boy oh boy oh boy!' They're thinking fast!

Déjà Vu All Over Again!

Hold on a minute this sounds familiar! Last December Hasbro canned 900 jobs! And before that they were talking about cutting 15% of their workforce! Goodness it's like a never ending quack tastrophe! The Wall Street Journal is even saying it's part of a "multi year restructuring." Sounds serious folks! 'What's the big idea?' is what I wanna know!

A Light at the End of the Tunnel?

But wait! There's a glimmer of hope! In April Hasbro actually did better than expected because of their digital and gaming businesses. Seems like those video games and online stuff are attracting the young'uns. Maybe there's still a chance for the toy business after all! 'Hot dog!' as Mickey would say! 'Everything's coming up roses!'