Hasbro Women Innovators of Play Returns with New Event, Challenge

Hasbro has announced its Hasbro Women Innovators of Play 2024  lineup of events, networking moments and other opportunities to celebrate and connect women toy and game innovators worldwide. 

Hasbro’s Women Innovators of Play launched last fall to promote a more inclusive and equitable toys and games community, encourage more women’s participation in the space, inspire the next generation of young women and girls to unleash their creativity and increase awareness and exposure to creative career paths. 

“We are on a mission to attract more women and girls to the toy and game industry, and I could not be more inspired by the response to our Women Innovators of Play event and Challenge,” says Kim Boyd, president, global brands and franchise management, Hasbro. “As a true testament to the power of women inventors everywhere, Hasbro is thrilled to be investing in an incredible game by one of the Challenge’s winning inventors, Ellie Dix, and we will be partnering with Ellie to further develop her game concept. We are making the 2024 program even bigger and better and can’t wait to share more details soon.” 

Hasbro’s 2023 Challenge saw a total of 130 submissions from women innovators around the world. Submissions were judged on innovation, mass marketability, fun factor and playability, design and aesthetics and manufacturability. Each of the three winners received a prize of $10,000 and visited Hasbro’s Pawtucket, R.I., headquarters for a full day with Hasbro’s leadership and inventor relations team and a mentorship session with a Hasbro woman leader. 

Hasbro Women Innovators of Play 2024 will advance Hasbro’s mission while expanding to a full schedule of programming that leverages Hasbro’s global community of women innovators and leadership. This includes ongoing networking and creative programs for women innovators ages 18 and up, as well as educational and mentorship programs under Hasbro’s recently announced Girl Innovators of Play. This year’s collaboration with Girl Up will engage aspiring and emerging young women innovators ages 13 to 24. 

Key 2024 events for Hasbro Women Innovators of Play will include: 

Hasbro Women Innovators of Play 

Hasbro Girl Innovators of Play (with Girl Up) 

As a kickoff for 2024, Hasbro recently hosted the three winners of the 2023 Hasbro Women Innovators of Play Challenge, including Ellie Dix (a family card game inventor from Hertfordshire, U.K.), Sandra Harewood (a family word game inventor from London, U.K.) and Mandy and 6-year-old Maggie Goddard (mother and daughter preschool game co-inventors from Carmel, Ind.). Dix’s winning game has been selected by Hasbro Games. Hasbro will work closely with Dix to further develop the game with the goal of publishing it in the future. 

Additional details on 2024 programming will be announced soon.