Hasbro will start making Play-Doh in Massachusetts
Hasbro will begin churning out Play-Doh in Massachusetts starting in late 2018, marking the first time the company has manufactured its iconic clay product in the U.S. since 2004.
The company will produce Play-Doh at a facility in East Longmeadow, according to The Wall Street Journal. Around 20 new employees will be hired as a result of the move, the WSJ reports.
“Given the growth of our North American business and the Play-Doh brand, we are creating plans to bring some of the production of Play-Doh to the U.S. by the second half of 2018,” said Julie Duffy, senior vice president of global communications for Hasbro, in a statement to Boston.com.
The $25 billion U.S. toy industry is known for its overseas production. According to Fox Business, nearly 99 percent of all toys are manufactured outside of the United States.
According to the WSJ, Hasbro said that manufacturing in Massachusetts will supplement the company’s current production and is not in response to President Donald Trump’s election.
Trump made trade one of the core focuses of his presidential campaign, and he has frequently expressed that he wants to heavily increase domestic manufacturing, often tweeting about the subject.
The company still plans on producing Play-Doh in China and Turkey, reports the WSJ, and it will continue to import some of its Play-Doh to America.
The total number of employees at the East Longmeadow facility will increase to about 480, with 20 anticipated new hires.
Looks like Massachusetts will have to get used to that signature Play-Doh smell.
