Peazjelly
Super Smurf
Member # 3101
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posted 03-26-2025 09:00 PM
Arnold Greenberg, the former CEO of Coleco, passed away on March 19, 2025. Greenberg, who helmed Coleco during the 1970s and 1980s, is best remembered for steering the company into the video game market with the groundbreaking ColecoVision console and for capitalizing on the Smurf craze with an array of beloved toys and games.
Greenberg took the reins of Coleco, a family business founded by his father, Maurice, and initially focused on leather goods and swimming pools. In 1975, he made the pivotal decision to enter the video game industry with the Telstar console, a simple tennis game that found commercial success.
However, it was in 1982 that Greenberg's ambition truly shone with the release of the ColecoVision, a home console that easily bested Atari and Intellivision with its superior graphics and arcade-quality hardware and gameplay. Under his leadership, Coleco secured a landmark deal with Nintendo to bundle Donkey Kong with the ColecoVision, a move that drove sales past one million units by early 1983 and cemented the console's place in gaming history.
Greenberg's aggressive strategy—hiring talent from competitors and expanding into third-party game development for rival systems—kept Coleco competitive, but the ColecoVision remained his crowning achievement, a testament to his willingness to take risks.
Greenberg also tapped into the cultural phenomenon of the Smurfs, who had captured hearts worldwide via Hanna-Barbera's animated series. He oversaw the creation of a robust Smurf-themed product line that became a cornerstone of Coleco's success in the early 1980s. Among the standout offerings was 1982's Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle and 1984's Smurf Paint 'n Play Workshop for the ColecoVision.
Beyond video games, he flooded the market with Smurf toys—a rideable Smurf train, a Smurf pedal car, a Smurf snow sled and toboggan, Smurf beach balls and even a Smurf Power Cycle tricycle—transforming Coleco into a dominant force in licensed merchandise. These Smurf products became must-haves for kids, further solidifying Greenberg's reputation as a master of toy trends.
Greenberg's tenure wasn't without challenges. The 1983 video game crash and the ill-fated ADAM computer project strained Coleco's finances, though his earlier triumph with Cabbage Patch Kids briefly buoyed the company.
Yet, it's the ColecoVision and the Smurf empire that define his legacy as CEO. Described by colleagues as a driven, creative force—short in stature but towering in ambition—Greenberg's leadership turned Coleco into a household name. He stepped away from the company as it faced bankruptcy in 1988, but his impact endures with gamers and collectors who still cherish the ColecoVision and the myriad of Coleco Smurf toys and games. Arnold Greenberg's death marks the end of an era, but his contributions to the golden age of gaming and toy culture will live on.
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__It's PeazJelly Time
Posts: 439 | From: SC | Registered: Feb 2010
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