Hasbro’s Sally Carnota on new partnerships, taking risks – and what to expect from Play-Doh’s 70th anniversary

Sally, it’s great to catch up. We’re chatting here on the busy Hasbro stand at BLE. How has the show been?
We’ve had a brilliant show. We’ve had full schedules and seen so many good partners. Our keynote on Tuesday was oversubscribed and we were able to deliver some powerful messages. So yes, there’s been good energy across the show from our partners and we’ve welcomed a lot of new business too.

Is that always a key aim for a show like this? To connect and unearth new partners?
Absolutely, and the percentage of new business we have coming through this show is phenomenal. We used the booking portal quite a lot this year – more so than other years – and we’ve got some great conversations coming out of it. These trade shows are amazing because we get to see our strategic long-term partners as well as explore new opportunities in areas where we might be under indexed. We’ve had incredible outreach from partners this year – it’s been brilliant.

Back in the summer we had a chat about the introduction of Baby Evie and what it can do for the Peppa Pig brand. Creatively, it feels like quite a big swing… New character, new house! How important is it for Hasbro to continue to take these kinds of risks to keep IP exciting and relevant for consumers?
Very important, but only if that makes sense. We’re a business that’s built on heritage brands. If we weren’t continuously looking at ways to re-energise and reinvigorate them, our business wouldn’t keep moving forward at the pace that it is. As you say, Evie is the best recent example of that. It was brave and it was bold, but it’s been phenomenal. It’s been the feel-good story of 2025. We’re all incredibly proud of that story and for what it’s going to bring the brand in years ahead.

Looking ahead to the rest of the year, what launches are you excited to see land?
Monopoly continues to be a big focus for us this year as we celebrate its 90th anniversary. We’ve just launched two beautiful collaborations with iconic British brands — Royal Mail and Royal Mint — and the reaction to both has been fantastic. We’ll be closing the year strong on Peppa too, converting the momentum we’ve had since the arrival of Evie with more fashion launches and other activations that will continue into 2026.

You mentioned the Monopoly anniversary there – what anniversaries will you be celebrating in 2026?
The big one is Play-Doh’s 70th anniversary. This compound brand remains incredibly relevant and is a part of so many children’s lives – we even used it recently at a team meeting to help get us thinking creatively. So there’s lots planned for next year – including a really incredible partnership which I can’t reveal just yet!

Any clues?
It’s in the lifestyle space…

We’ll take that!
Ha! Well there’s so many strings for partners to pull on with Play-Doh – the creativity, the tactility, the colours…

The scent!
The scent! Exactly. Lots to play with.

And how did you nail down where the opportunities lie for Play-Doh? I imagine it could go almost anywhere…
We spent time thinking about the core values that make up Play-Doh – the imagination, the colours… And then we ask: How do we serve that way that moves the brand outside of dough and into categories that make sense. It wasn’t a fast process – we gave our ideas a proper workout! And our creative team played a huge part in that too.

And then we look at which brands we want to approach on opportunities. Who would we love to work with? We basically created a wish list and that wish list is what we’ve been working on this week. We’re approaching high-end stationery, high-end bags, looking at which retailers could execute something special and how we can create demand. It’s been an interesting process.

And has much launched already this year for Play-Doh in licensing?
Makeup with Trouble Maker has just launched in the UK in Superdrug – that’s all about colour. Categories like fragrance and makeup bring Play-Doh to a totally different demographic, so that’s been exciting.

Terrific. You mentioned the important role Hasbro’s creative team played in the development of Play-Doh as a licensing prospect. How key is it for commercial and creative teams to work closely together?
The close partnership between our commercial and creative teams is absolutely critical for our success. I am incredibly fortunate to work with Katie Frame, our Senior Director for Creative, who is an exceptional business partner.

We have a team of creative experts who deeply understand the necessity of this collaboration. We operate as one team, dedicated to sharing our commercial goals and aligning on our business planning. This allows us to determine what our brands require and ensure our creative needs are met – we truly work hand-in-hand.

In a fast-moving environment where we have many things in motion, this creative partnership is what makes the difference. Ultimately, we thrive on our creative output – if the creative isn’t hitting the mark, it simply won’t resonate in the market. Katie and I consistently discuss what’s working well, but just as importantly, we openly analyse initiatives that haven’t performed as expected. Although our business moves quickly, taking the time to pause, reflect, and embrace those learnings – the good and the challenging – is essential for continuous improvement.

Yes, the business moves so fast that while analysing the ‘misses’ is critical, I imagine you really have to carve out time to do so.
We do. And we have to make sure our teams know that it’s okay for things not to work sometimes – because not everything is going to work every time. But you’ve got to take the lessons from those moments. It’s important.

And going to back to the creative process, how does that collaboration manifest with your licensees?
It’s very hands-on and collaborative. Before we started recording, you mentioned the Peppa Pig Whizz-Around sets from Character.

Yes, they’re terrific!
Well, that’s a great example. It was a long process, but one that started on a piece of paper! We were sitting with Character Options’ Jon Diver and he said: “I’ve got this idea…” It’s gone from that, to now to landing in-store and expanding across many different markets. And it’s a great product.

Great example. And before we wrap up, what fuels your creativity? What helps you have ideas for where your brands can go?
I’ve just spent a little bit of time in our Valencia office because I look after Iberia as well. I’ve got an amazing team in Spain and just being out of the office and away from the typical day-to-day was inspiring. You can’t help but think differently, especially when going out to stores and looking at retail in a different country.

As a team we spend quite a lot of time ideating as well. We are really passionate about closing the doors, getting away from our emails down and just thinking – shackles off – about what we’d love to do with our brands. And I’d also add that I like to get outdoors – music on, get outdoors… That fuels my creativity too.

So more trips to Spain is what I’m hearing.
Ha! But it’s true. That change of scenary helps – I think that’s why it’s also important to have holidays. That’s when our brains have the space to think about different things. And our Iberia office is in the heart of Valencia which is lovely. It definitely fuels the imagination.

We should do the next interview in Valencia!
Leave it with me!

Ha! Fantastic! And one last question – how long have you been at Hasbro now?
10 years. I joined from Paramount back in 2015. I had worked on Transformers back there and that’s how I found my way to Hasbro.

Congratulations on the anniversary! Did you get a cake?
I did get a small gift from my amazing manager and team leader Marianne James referencing my 10-year anniversary. I’ve also promised my team I’d bring in some goodies at the next team meeting.

Ha! This interview might guilt-trip them into bringing the goodies in! Let’s see!
Ha! I’ll let you know!

Sally, huge thanks again – and congrats again on the 10-year work anniversary!
Thank you. I’ll get to work on that Valencia trip!