Mattel, Inc. (‘Mattel’), a global toy and family entertainment company, creates innovative products and experiences that inspire fans, entertain audiences, and develop children through play.
Mattel focuses on the following strategy to grow its intellectual property (‘IP’) driven toy business and expand its entertainment offering:
Grow the toy business profitably through scaling Mattel's portfolio, optimizing operations, evolving demand creation, and growing franchise brands; and
Expand the en...
Mattel, Inc. (‘Mattel’), a global toy and family entertainment company, creates innovative products and experiences that inspire fans, entertain audiences, and develop children through play.
Mattel focuses on the following strategy to grow its intellectual property (‘IP’) driven toy business and expand its entertainment offering:
Grow the toy business profitably through scaling Mattel's portfolio, optimizing operations, evolving demand creation, and growing franchise brands; and
Expand the entertainment offering to capture the full value of Mattel's IP outside the toy aisle in highly accretive business verticals, by growing franchise brands and accelerating content, consumer products, and digital and live experiences.
Mattel is the owner of a portfolio of iconic brands and partners with global entertainment companies to license other IP. Mattel's portfolio of owned and licensed brands and products is organized into the following categories:
Dolls—including brands, such as Barbie, American Girl, Disney Princess, Disney Frozen, Monster High, and Polly Pocket. Mattel's Dolls portfolio is driven by the flagship Barbie brand and a collection of complementary brands offered globally. Empowering girls, Barbie has inspired the limitless potential of every girl by showing them that they can be anything. Monster High, a character-driven franchise, engages fans of all ages, encouraging them to be their authentic selves and celebrate what makes them unique. American Girl, with an extensive portfolio of dolls and accessories, content, gaming, and lifestyle products, is best known for imparting valuable life lessons that instill confidence through its inspiring dolls and books, featuring characters from past and present.
Infant, Toddler, and Preschool—including brands, such as Fisher-Price (including Little People and Fisher-Price Wood), Imaginext, and Thomas & Friends. As a leader in play and child development, Fisher-Price is dedicated to giving families the best possible start to life by making the most fun, enriching products for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Thomas & Friends is an award-winning preschool train brand franchise that lays the tracks to inspire, entertain, and develop young train fans through toys, content, live events, and other consumer products.
In 2024, Mattel further divided its Infant, Toddler, and Preschool category into three subcategories. The first subcategory is Fisher-Price, the power brand, which includes the core Infant, Little People, and Newborn product lines, as well as the recently launched Fisher-Price Wood product line. The second subcategory is Preschool Entertainment, which includes owned IP, such as Thomas & Friends and Barney, Mattel's character-based Imaginext line, and partner entertainment brands. The third subcategory is Baby Gear and Power Wheels, in which Mattel is strategically out-licensing or exiting certain product lines.
Vehicles—including brands, such as Hot Wheels (including Hot Wheels Monster Trucks and Hot Wheels RC), Matchbox, and Cars (Disney Pixar). In production for over 50 years, Hot Wheels continues to push the limits of performance and design, and ignites and nurtures the challenger spirit of kids, adults, and collectors. From die-cast vehicles to tracks, playsets, and accessories, the Mattel Vehicles portfolio has broad appeal that engages and excites fans of all ages.
Action Figures, Building Sets, Games, and Other—including brands such as Masters of the Universe, MEGA, UNO, Jurassic World (NBCUniversal), Minecraft (Microsoft), WWE, and Star Wars (Disney's Lucasfilm). Mattel's Action Figures portfolio consists of product lines associated with licensed entertainment franchises, such as Jurassic World and WWE, as well as product lines from Mattel-owned IP, such as Masters of the Universe. As the challenger brand in Building Sets, MEGA inspires creativity through authentic building experiences for builders of all ages and fans of global franchises. Within Games, UNO is the classic matching card game that is easy to learn and fast fun for everyone. Other includes Plush, which contains products associated with movie releases from licensed entertainment franchises, as well as Mattel-owned IP.
Business Segments
In the first quarter of 2024, Mattel implemented an organizational change integrating the American Girl business into Mattel's North America commercial organization, which resulted in a change to Mattel's operating and reportable segments. Mattel's new reportable segments are: North America and International. The North America and International segments sell products across Mattel's categories, although some products are developed and adapted for particular international markets, and American Girl products are sold only in North America.
North America segment
The North America segment markets and sells toys and consumer products in the United States and Canada across all of Mattel's categories.
Dolls
Barbie continues to deliver innovation, purpose-driven marketing campaigns, and engaging toys connected to a strong system of play. Barbie has broad product offerings, with product lines designed to appeal to children of multiple age groups, complemented by a Barbie Signature line with high-quality dolls that appeal to fans of all ages.
Mattel is also excited to build upon its strong partnerships with Disney for the Disney Princess and Disney Frozen product lines. Monster High will look to build upon the success of its global re-launch, including planned new content and product offerings.
American Girl is a direct marketer, retailer, and children's publisher dedicated to its mission to help girls grow up with courage, confidence, and strength of character. In 2025, American Girl looks to build on its momentum from 2024 with quality product drops, multiplatform content launches, immersive omnichannel experiences, and new promotional campaigns geared towards kids, shoppers, and adult fans.
Infant, Toddler, and Preschool
In 2025, Fisher-Price will continue its focus on engaging consumers as a trusted partner for families with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, and remain dedicated to giving families the best possible start to life. Consumer-centric innovation will continue to drive new product offerings across the portfolio. Thomas & Friends will be celebrating its 80th anniversary with numerous activations throughout the year and will also launch exciting new products with classic characters and train play.
Vehicles
In 2025, industry leader Hot Wheels expects to continue its strong momentum as a multigenerational franchise with consumer interest that remains at historic highs. Hot Wheels product offerings are expected to excite consumers with innovation in both die-cast vehicles and tracks and playsets. These offerings will be supported by the animated children's series on Netflix, Hot Wheels Let's Race, and the new exciting partnership with Formula 1, bringing fans of the sport a full range of Hot Wheels products. Hot Wheels also seeks to further expand die-cast vehicle distribution, targeting fans of all ages.
Die-cast pioneer Matchbox expects to continue to bring exciting new products to market, including new sustainable die-cast products and toys tied to the theatrical release of NBCUniversal's Jurassic World: Rebirth.
Mattel will continue to partner with Disney Pixar for Cars to drive innovation, including fresh new product offerings to support key promotional events in 2025.
Action Figures, Building Sets, Games, and Other
Mattel Action Figures will continue to collaborate with key licensor partners, such as Disney Pixar, Microsoft, NBCUniversal, and WWE to bring innovative products to the global marketplace. Mattel's 2025 Action Figures product lines will include toys tied to theatrical releases for NBCUniversal's Jurassic World: Rebirth and Microsoft's Minecraft (Minecraft the Movie), as well as new releases within Masters of the Universe and WWE.
In Building Sets, MEGA inspires creativity through authentic building experiences for builders of all ages and fans of global franchises. Partnerships with some of the world's top franchises, including Pokemon, invite consumers to try MEGA building sets, while innovative building play, authentic details, compatible quality, and accessible value encourage consumers to stay in the MEGA building set collection.
Mattel Games consists of some of the most beloved Games IP in the world, including UNO, Pictionary, Skip-Bo, Phase-10, Blokus, and many others.
International segment
Products marketed and sold by the International segment are generally the same as those marketed and sold by the North America segment, although some are developed or adapted for particular international markets. Mattel's products are sold directly to retailers and wholesalers in most European, Latin American, and Asian countries, in Australia and New Zealand, and through agents and distributors in those countries where Mattel has no direct presence.
Competition
The North America segment competes with several large toy companies, including Hasbro, Jazwares, LEGO, the Pokemon Company, Spin Master, many smaller toy companies, and manufacturers of digital games and consumer electronics.
The International segment competes with global toy companies, including Hasbro, Jazwares, LEGO, the Pokemon Company, Spin Master, other national and regional toy companies, and manufacturers of digital games and consumer electronics.
Seasonality
Mattel's business is highly seasonal, with consumers making a large percentage of all toy purchases during the traditional holiday season. A significant portion of retailer purchasing typically occurs in the third and fourth quarters of the year in anticipation of holiday buying. These seasonal purchasing patterns and requisite production lead times create risk to Mattel's business associated with the underproduction of popular toys and the overproduction of less popular toys that do not match consumer demand.
In anticipation of retail sales during the traditional holiday season, Mattel significantly increases its production in advance of the peak selling period, resulting in a corresponding build-up of inventory levels in the first three quarters of the year (year ended December 31, 2024).
Sales
Mattel's products are sold throughout the world. Products within the North America segment include products sold directly to retailers, including omnichannel retailers, discount and free-standing toy stores, chain stores, department stores, other retail outlets, and, to a limited extent, wholesalers. Mattel also operates small retail outlets at certain corporate offices as a service to its employees and as an outlet for its products. The North America segment also includes American Girl products and its children's publications, which are sold directly to consumers and select retailers in the United States. Mattel has retail space in Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; and New York, New York for its flagship American Girl stores, and in four other cities across the United States for its American Girl boutique stores. Products within the International segment is sold directly to retailers and wholesalers in most European, Latin American, and Asian countries, in Australia and New Zealand, and through agents and distributors in those countries where Mattel has no direct presence. Mattel also has retail outlets in Latin America that serve as outlets for its products. Additionally, Mattel sells certain of its products directly to consumers through its e-commerce platform and various third-party e-commerce channels.
During 2024, Mattel's three largest customers (Walmart, Target, and Amazon) accounted for approximately 44% of worldwide consolidated net sales.
License Agreements
Mattel has license agreements with third parties that permit Mattel to utilize the trademark, characters, or inventions of the licensor in products that Mattel sells. A number of these licenses relate to product lines that are significant to Mattel's business and operations.
Mattel has entered into agreements to license entertainment properties, including among others, Disney Consumer Products (including Disney Princess and Disney Frozen, Star Wars, Disney Pixar (including Cars and Toy Story) and certain other Disney films and television properties), NBCUniversal (including Jurassic World, Wicked, and Fast and Furious), Warner Bros. (including DC Universe and Harry Potter), Microsoft (including Minecraft and Halo), WWE, Pokemon, and Paramount (relating to its Nickelodeon properties).
Advertising and Promotion
Mattel supports its product lines with extensive advertising and consumer promotions. Advertising takes place at varying levels throughout the year and peaks during the traditional holiday season. Advertising includes television commercials, social media, catalogs, and internet advertisements. Promotions include in-store displays, merchandising materials, major events focusing on products, and tie-ins with various consumer products companies.
Government Regulations
Mattel's products sold in the United States are subject to the provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Act, as amended by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, and the Federal Hazardous Substances Act.
Mattel's advertising and promotion activities are subject to the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Children's Television Act of 1990.
In addition, Mattel's web-based products and services and other online and digital communications activity are subject to the U.S. and foreign privacy-related regulations, including the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 and the EU General Data Protection Regulation and related national regulations. Privacy-related laws also exist in some U.S. states, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, and other state laws that are in effect, or are yet to take effect.
History
Mattel, Inc. was founded in 1945. The company was incorporated in 1948.