John Warden Laid Off From Hasbro

[CodigoPostal]

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBerjsNyBO6/?img_index=1

What an absolutely foolish move on Hasbro's part, to get rid of a leader
who has gotten plaudits and sales for doing all the right things. No
good deed goes unpunished. Absolute fools running that company (into the
ground).

[Zobovor]

Post by CodigoPostal
What an absolutely foolish move on Hasbro's part, to get rid of a leader
who has gotten plaudits and sales for doing all the right things. No
good deed goes unpunished. Absolute fools running that company (into the
ground).

What was the point of putting him back in charge of the Transformers
brand just to turn around and give him the axe? That's idiotic.


Zob (I mean, you *can* shoot yourself in the foot, sure, but I can't
imagine why it would be considered a good idea...)

[GoBackaTron]

He had 25 years at the company. If it were the military he'd be
retiring as a 2 star general or very senior enlisted. I don't know how
much more he could have given to the company. Did we expect him to stay
there forever? Does anyone outside of management retire from Hasbro?

He gave us the golden age of G1 updates but I don't think Warden had
the same creative spark Archer had. That whole line where everybody was
a Headmaster even if they weren't was just really weird. His whole
shtick was milking G1 and giving it knees. He was great at it but you
stand by the knees you fall by the knees. We're at a point where there's
almost nothing G1 left to update. They gotta stop going to that well.
The bigger problem is that kids don't care about super poseable
Galvatrons no matter how many paint jobs it comes in.

Kids are the only market that really matters with toys. It's like us
the adult collectors thought we were enough to keep it going. We've been
living in some kind of dreamland and the reality is that Hasbro sales
are down. No matter how much adult toy collectors think they matter,
they're not spending enough nostalgia dollars to meet sales
expectations. So I can see why Warden and his approach was sacked for
something new.

[Zobovor]

I don't know how much more he could have given to the company. Did we
expect him to stay there forever?

Hasbro pulled the rug out from beneath his feet and caught him
completely by surprise. One day on Instagram he was posting "hey guys,
can't wait to see you all at ToyFair London in the UK! Come see us all
at the booth!" and the VERY NEXT DAY he was like, "uh, so I've been
affected by the Hasbro layoffs, so I'm actually not going to be there,
sorry." He had no idea. Didn't even see it coming.

If they were going to let him go, then why did they put him back in
charge of the Transformers brand? It just doesn't make sense. And, no,
I didn't expect him to stay with the company forever, but you don't just
give somebody the boot with zero warning after he gave so much of his
time and dedication to the company.

Kids are the only market that really matters with toys. It's like us
the adult collectors thought we were enough to keep it going. We've been
living in some kind of dreamland and the reality is that Hasbro sales
are down.

Hasbro's overall sales are down, but sales for the Transformers brand,
specifically, have actually been up. So they're clearly doing something
right.

In the interview with Evan Brooks over on the Triple Takeover channel on
YouTube, he said that G1 was selling very well. Retro reissues are
selling, Studio Series '86 is selling. I agree that eventually,
interest in G1 will wane and they won't be able to keep milking that
1984-1990 nostalgia any longer. But it would seem that time isn't over
yet. For 2025 we're getting new Constructions, new Aerialbots, a Studio
Series version of Megatron, and more. I don't think we're done yet!


Zob (it ain't over until "Five Faces of Darkness" Strika sings)

[CodigoPostal]

Post by GoBackaTron
He had 25 years at the company. If it were the military he'd be
retiring as a 2 star general or very senior enlisted. I don't know how
much more he could have given to the company. Did we expect him to stay
there forever? Does anyone outside of management retire from Hasbro?

I think it's more about compassion for someone who was abruptly laid off
without warning. He didn't get to choose the time and manner of his
departure, he was unceremoniously given the boot, which is unfortunately
all too common in a system that doesn't seem to value humans.

[JosephBardsley]

Agreed, Codigo. Right now, I feel for John and his family, who -
presumably - are navigating a substantial amount of change and
challenge.

JB

[Swivelbot]

Post by JosephBardsley
Right now, I feel for John and his family, who -

presumably - are navigating a substantial amount of change and
challenge.

As a matter of fact, they are.

And you should support them.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/Support-Warden-Family

Swivelbot

[GoBackaTron]

Post by Swivelbot
And you should support them.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/Support-Warden-Family

If he would throw in some tiers and make it like a Haslab I bet he'd see
more backing. Like really leverage how Hasbro screwed him over and throw
in some sketches or signed toys. And if they try to shut him down it'd
be a PR nightmare for them. They fire him and then shut down his
gofundme preventing him from helping his family? He can't lose.

[GoBackaTron]

Post by Swivelbot
And you should support them.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/Support-Warden-Family

Well just for posterity I wanted to note that he did in fact meet his
fundraising goal of $20,000. So congrats to him and everyone who
donated.

Also there was news coverage of his firing on local stations that
also posted to YouTube, I figure if news channels cover his situation in
particular it shows how important he was to many people.