Tonka Corporation Chronology Page 3
| 1970 - 1979 | |
|---|---|
| 1970 | Parker Brothers introduce Nerf® ball as the "worlds first official indoor ball." Rainbow Crafts is merged into Kenner Products and Play modeling compound becomes part of the Kenner line. |
| 1971 | Kenner Products introduces Jukebox®, a toy that played songs recorded by Kenner employees including "Spoonful of Sugar" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocios." Tonka introduced Scramblers® the first Tonka series to use friction-powered motors. |
| 1972 | Tonka Corporation celebrates its 25th anniversary, 1947-1972. Tonka acquires Vogue Dolls® located in Melrose, Massachusetts. |
| 1973 | Tonka Corporation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (delists from the AMEX). Tonka Corp. establishes year-round New York showroom. Tonka introduces Gigglers® and Toddlers®, its first lines of plastic vehicles. Kenner Products introduces Baby Alive® doll, which becomes the number one baby doll of the year. Parker Brothers hosts first World Monopoly Tournament. |
| 1974 | Tonka Corporation passes the $100 million sales mark. |
| 1975 | Kenner Products breaks the $100 million sales mark. Kenner Products' Six Million Dollar Man® action figures lead the industry and also become the industry's first successful television license. Tonka operations were located in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States and West Germany. |
| 1976 | Kenner Products moves to its current headquarters at 1014 Vine Street, Cincinnati, Ohio. |
| 1977 | Kenner Products negotiates license for Lucas Films' Star Wars® property. Parker Brothers opens Beverly, Massachusetts headquarters. |
| 1978 | Kenner Products breaks the $200 million sales mark, doubling its sales in just 3 years, due in large part to the enormous success of Star Wars products |
| 1979 | Parker Brothers enters electronic game business with the Merlin® game. Parker Brothers surpasses $100 million in sales. |