Mattel.com
Mattel
Mattel Inc. is the largest toy company based on revenue based in the United States. To its credit, the company has a wide range of children products including Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars, Barbie dolls, board games, and in 1980s, video game consoles. The name of the company Mattel is derived from the name of its founders Harold "Matt" Matson and Elliot Handler who established the firm in the year 1945. The most popular product line of the company is Barbie doll the credit of inventing this innovative concept goes to Handler's wife Ruth Handler who later became the president of the company. As of today, the Barbie line and associated products alone are responsible for more than 80% of Mattel's profits.
History
In 1945, Ruth and Elliot Handler and Harold Matson launched a new company in the year 1945 out of a garage workshop in southern California and named it Mattel. Initially, the company produced picture frames. Elliot developed a side business in dollhouse furniture made from scraps of pictures. Encouraged by the success of the doll furniture, Handlers laid a great emphasis on toys production. Mattel was incorporated in the year 1948 with its headquarters in Hawthorne, California. In 1955, Mattel began advertising its toy products through Mickey Mouse club television show creating a market revolution. The company also introduced Burp Gun, an automatic cap gun. In 1959, Ruth Handler was inspired by her daughter’s fascination with cutout paper dolls and created three dimensional doll enabling little girls to play their dreams through it. The doll was named Barbie after her own daughter Barbara’s nickname. In 1960, Mattel became a public enterprise. With See N say talking toy, Mattel entered the educational preschool market in the year 1965. In 1968, the company began a series of acquisitions like Monogram models, Metaframe, Turco, Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus, Western Publishing Company and Radnitz/ Mattel productions. All these acquisitions equipped the company with a range of products and services, all targeting young children. In 1972, the company restructured to create Mattel, Inc. with one division and seven subsidiaries. In 1977, Mattel ventured into electronic gaming market. In the following years, Mattel acquired Corolle, Corgi Toys, Aviva Sports, International Games, Inc., Fisher Price, Krasco, J.W. Spear & Sons and Bluebird Toys. In 1999, the company entered licensing and marketing deals with Ferrari Toy company and Brandai Co., Ltd. The company secured the licensing agreement for Harry Potter in 2000.
Products & Services
Mattel, Inc. innovates, produces and sells a wide range of toy products globally through sales to its customers and also through direct sales. The portfolio of the company’s brands and products comprise Girls and Boys Brands, Barbie, Wheels, Entertainment, Fisher-Price brands, Core-fisher price, Fisher-Price Friends, American Girl Brands, and Radica. The most popular products of the firm are Barbie fashion dolls and accessories, Polly Pocket, Pixel Chix, Winx Club, Disney Classics, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Tyco, R/C vehicles and playsets, Batman, CARS, Superman, and games and puzzles in addition to Little People, BabyGear, View-Master, Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, Go-Diego-Go, Winnie the Pooh, InteracTV, See N Say, Power Wheels, Just Like You, historical collection and Bitty Baby.
Company Profile
The annual sales of the company are $5,650.2M with annual growth of 9.1%. The net income of the company is over $592.9M (2006). The principal competitors of the company are Hasbro, JAKKS Pacific, and LEGO. The International segment revenue of the company amounts to around 44% of the company’s revenue worldwide. Income growth: 42.2%
Official Website
The official website of the company is Mattel.com. The site gives a broad overview of the company’s growth and achievements and the range of products. To know more about the corporate profile, market research topics and media research information, the other sites listed under references and additional readings can be consulted.
Languages
English
Address
- 333 Continental Blvd., M1-0408
- El Segundo CA 90245 US
Additional Information
Related Domains
External Links
- Stock: MAT
- Alexa: Mattel.com
- Reuters
- Google Finance
- Yahoo! Finance
- NY Times
- Business.com
References
- 1. Mattel.com
- 2. [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattel Wikipedia.org]
- 3. Reuters
- 4. Hoovers
- 5. Google Finance
