Hasbro to Collaborate With 3-D Printing Company to Sell Artwork

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In the not too distant future, 3-D printers may provide the public with anything from a whole new wardrobe, to meat, to furniture — and evenhuman organs.

We aren’t there yet. But a few major retailers and brands, eager to keep pace with a potentially game-changing technology, and generate a bit of marketing buzz, have begun to explore this 3-D world.

One of those early experimenters is Hasbro, which plans to announce on Monday a partnership with a 3-D printing company, Shapeways, to sell fan art inspired by its long-lasting toy line My Little Pony.

“We have been investigating 3-D printing for quite a while, as have many people,” said John Frascotti, chief marketing officer at Hasbro. “What 3-D printing truly empowers is the creation of artwork that maybe wouldn’t make sense for mass production, but it makes sense for a unique item.”

For this project, which Mr. Frascotti described as “mass customization,” the company will start with five artists whose work will be available for order online and printed in a colorful plastic polymer that Shapeways executives describe as feeling similar to sandstone. The designs must be cleared with Hasbro to ensure they are not obscene, violent or hateful, but otherwise, the artists largely have free rein. Even the price for the figurines will be set by the artists.

One piece that will be available for sale beginning this week on the project’swebsite shows a perky, purple dragon named Spike standing on a pile of books in front of a tall table with a quill pen in his hand. (According to his official bio, Spike has an inexplicable ability to send and receive messages when he burps.) The piece is called “Spike, Take a Note.” Another piece is a blue and purple unicorn with a luxurious mane.

Hasbro hopes to expand the partnership to include more artists, more of its brands and other materials, given that Shapeways prints using everything from high-end plastics for iPhone cases, to gold for jewelry and ceramic for coffee cups.

The advent of 3-D printing has created enormous potential for sales, but it also creates a raft of new opportunity for theft, especially of intellectual property. Why go out and buy a doll if you can just print one yourself? But instead of snapping a tight lid over its characters, Hasbro’s collaboration with Shapeways may extend the reach of its trademarks while keeping control of what is associated with the brand.

“Instead of trying to prohibit it, they’re enabling it, and I think that’s awesome,” said Peter Weijmarshausen, chief executive of Shapeways. “By embracing this new technology, it’s good for everybody. The end-user is happy because he or she gets what they want, and we don’t get into a fight.”

While 3-D printers are largely new to the public, retailers and other companies have been using them behind the scenes for years. Target has a few at its headquarters in Minneapolis. They are about the size of a large refrigerator and are used by the company’s design team to make prototypes. Mr. Frascotti said Hasbro has some industrial 3-D printers for similar purposes.

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Target does not sell 3-D printers, but a spokesman for the company said it was an area it was “actively monitoring.” Other retailers have recently decided to sell the printers to consumers.

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