CINCINNATI

Kenner Products is the hugely successful toy company founded in Cincinnati in 1946.  It was founded by three Steiner brothers.  They named the firm after the street on which their first office was located.  Kenner Street is on the western side of I-75 near Music Hall.  The company is now a division of Hasbro - the largest toy company in the world.

In case you don't know much about Kenner, here are some highlights.  They started with their "Bubbl-matic Gun" and morphed it into the "Bub-L-Rocket."  These weapons shot bubbles.  They sold a million units by 1949.

In 1958, they became the first toy company to use nationwide TV advertising.  They were the first sponsors of the Captain Kangaroo Show.  

In 1963, they came out with the "Easy-Bake Oven."  In 1964, they introduced the "Gun that Shoots Around the Corner" and in 1966, they gave us "Spirograph."

In 1967, they were purchased by General Mills.  Three years later, General Mills merged Rainbow Crafts, maker of  Play-Doh and also of Cincinnati, with Kenner.  In 1973, they produced the number one doll of the year, "Baby Alive."

In the 1970s, they really struck it rich.  The acquired the rights to all "Star Wars" products.  They followed this with familiar products called "Nerf", "Batman", "Jurassic Park", "Stretch Armstrong", "Real Ghostbusters", and "G.I.Joe." 

It gets more complicated after this as they were purchased by Tonka and then giant Hasbro in 1991.  Hasbro shut down the Cincinnati operation in 2000.  In any case, Kenner is a proud product of Cincinnati.
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