Hasbro, the company behind My Little Pony, Lite-Brite, and Furbies, has expanded into the world of gangster rap.
According to Rolling Stone, the toy and board game brand is now the unlikely owner of Death Row Records, the storied West Coast imprint that launched the careers of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Daz Dillinger, and more. Hasbro reportedly acquired Death Row's discography with the $4 billion purchase of Entertainment One, a multimedia company that has its hands in TV, film, and music.
As pointed out by Rolling Stone, eOne became Death Row's parent company when it bought the label's catalog for approximately $280 million in 2013, about seven years after Death Row declared bankruptcy.
"The acquisition of eOne adds beloved story-led global family brands that deliver strong operating returns to Hasbro’s portfolio and provides a pipeline of new brand creation driven by family-oriented storytelling," Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner said in a statement.
"Family-oriented storytelling"? It's unclear if Goldner is aware that many Death Row projects come with a Parental Advisory label.
With the eOne acquisition, Hasbro now owns popular kids brands like Peppa Pig and PJ Masks.
