Competition: Toyland's Savior?

THE ORIGINATOR OF FURBY IS BACK WITH A NEW ELECTRONIC PLAYMATE CALLED IZ. IS IT THE NEXT BIG THING?

The man who brought you Furby is back and getting ready to launch yet another cute little electronic gadget. When Roger Shiffman walked away from his job as president of worldwide marketing for Hasbro in 2001, having earlier launched such blockbuster toys as Giga-pets, Poo-Chis and the chatty Furby, the industry was stunned. The former CEO of Tiger Electronics had pioneered the development of high-tech toys and then gone on to help Hasbro steward its branding strategies. But at 48, Shiffman decided to leave toyland behind. For several years he took cruises and worked on his golf game. After successful surgery...

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