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The gap is widening between rival toy makers Hasbro

and Mattel

— thanks in part to a 30-year-old trading card game.

The toy giants have flip-flopped dominance in the space for decades, jockeying for the most coveted master licenses to put new fan favorites — Disney princesses and “Star Wars” characters among them — on store shelves. But as the industry recovers from a period of declining sales, Hasbro is the one winning over Wall Street.