A Look Back at How a San Francisco Street Became Candy Land for a Day

On Aug, 19, 2009, the winding curves of San Francisco’s Lombard St. were transformed into the iconic path of Candy Land. Coyne PR, on behalf of Hasbro, executed the real-world activation to celebrate the 60th birthday of the beloved game. Following initial rejection from the city and residents, an agreement was made for a one-time-only event that would have to be constructed and dismantled all within just ten hours. In the premiere episode of the new digital series, What’s Behind the Big Idea?, the team at Coyne PR looks back on how one of its favorite activations came to be, and the national buzz and double-digit sales increases that followed.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.