PAWTUCKET, R.I. – As part of a massive promotion to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the iconic Easy-Bake oven, Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) is searching for the next Easy-Bake Baker of the Year. The EASY-BAKE 2009 “Baker of the Year” contest invites kids to enter with their baking “sous chef” parents,MORE HERE
Many companies, large and small, are faced with the idea that a brand name might die off, might have died off or be struggling. At right, the logo for the venerable department store Abraham & Straus. The original A&S store in Brooklyn is still open, but it is now aMORE HERE
Since the advent of hormone free milk, new national brands of milk have been established. That’s great. And it proves there is a market for national brands. But there are some great milk brands that should have survived. Brands that would be PERFECT for marketing this new wave of milk.MORE HERE
The Children’s Museum of Manhattan is holding an exhibition on artwork from one of the great American publishing brands, the Golden Book. We all know the Golden Books for their gold leaf bindings and illustrations, and titles like The Little Red Hen. Every American family has Golden Books. Over 15MORE HERE
It’s time for Romper Room. Again. A Chicago company, River West Brands, has re-registered the defunct brand name, according to the USPTO. If you lived at the tail end of the baby boom and into Generation X, you remember Romper Room. It was a brilliant concept, led by Baltimore schoolteacherMORE HERE
Can Wal-Mart feel? Does Disney possess self-control? Researchers in psychology at Harvard University are interested in how people attribute mental capacities to corporations and brands, and whether those attributes influence how people act towards companies and their products. The folks at Harvard say that the survey will take about 10MORE HERE
Old venerable brand. Unionized workers. Well-known. Losing money. First-rate products. Legendary brand allure. Icon. Such is the case with Corning subsidiary, Steuben Glass. No longer is lead crystal the must-have bridal gift, and no longer is Corning willing to lose money. USA Today reports they have lost $30 million overMORE HERE
QUEENS – Egad. This is weird territory, but kind of fascinating. There was an elderly Brooklyn man who, in the 1980s, driving in a Mercedes coupe on the Grand Central Parkway, crashed and turned upside down. His distraction? He spied the Unisphere of the Queens World’s Fair, and was soMORE HERE
Below is a list of the best American brands that are no more. These are but a few, but we know there are hundreds more regional and niche brands that are no more but still have a name or following. Do you have a suggestion? If so, add one atMORE HERE