Leaders in the Toy Industry

What could be cooler than talking about toys? Today I spoke to two gentlemen whose products dominate my household. With three boys -- ages 7, 5 and 2 -- I can think of no greater barometer for our household discretionary expenses than the performance of Hasbro (HAS) and LEGO. Two terrific companies who are doing very well in a difficult climate. How refreshing!

First on FOX Business, I talked to Brian Goldner, president & CEO of Hasbro. He's in town for the Toy Fair but also to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Transformers, 40th anniversary of Nerf and 60th anniversary of Candy Land. Three dominant names in the toy business. Ironically, all weekend my kids were playing Nerf tag. Just yesterday we had seven kids chasing each other around with Nerf lasers. They had a blast! Just before Goldner walked in, he orchestrated a deal at 5:30 in the morning extending a licensing agreement with Hasbro, Marvel and Spider-Man through 2017.

While Hasbro did experience weakness in the fourth quarter and have cited concern about the first quarter, they're still holding up much better than the competition. This year alone they have toys tied to licensing deals with the new Transformers movie, "Transformers Revenge of the Fallen." Also one of their timeless toys, G.I. Joe, makes into the movie theaters with "G.I. Joe, The Rise of the Cobra." Finally "Wolverine", the new X-Men movie, makes its way into movie theaters in May.

Take a look at the interview. Lots of fun!

Next up, Soren Laursen, LEGO Systems president, joined me to talk about the 145 new products that the company is launching at this year's Toy Fair. They're firing on ALL cylinders with sales up 38% last year defying the economic slowdown. (All attributed to the Glick family ). Seriously my oldest son has built almost every set. What a fantastic toy!! LEGO just announced a huge licensing deal too, only this one is with Disney. They'll be making products tied to movie franchises like "Toy Story" and "Cars" and out next year Jerry Bruckheimer's new movie "Prince of Persia."

Take a look at the interview and where they are headed with new technology. What's around the corner and why is it working?