RC2’s Train Wreck

The company that recalled Thomas the Tank Engine wooden trains, which were contaminated with paint containing lead, is learning about crisis management.

New York Times, June 19, 2007 — In the toy business, RC2 was the little company that could.

Though much smaller and less prominent than Mattel and Hasbro, RC2 has grown steadily and its stock price has soared over the last five years, thanks largely to a strategy of sewing up licensing deals with big-name brands like Sesame Street, Winnie the Pooh, Disney, Nickelodeon, and Thomas & Friends.