Andrey Savchenko, General Director of the Russian division of Mattel: “I wanted to get an office with a complete concept - like a toy that you pick up and feel good about. In my opinion, everything worked out. The architects had a task - to create a light and spacious room, without dark colors, that would be pleasing to the eye. I wanted to create an atmosphere of light karma. I deliberately did not interfere with the design process. There was such an impulse when I saw on the renderings the chairs around the conference tables, which, in my opinion, look like country houses. But I followed the decision to completely surrender to the hands of professionals. In the end, I didn’t regret it. It would probably be possible to save on some things: for example, the carpet for the office was brought from Spain, but I didn’t understand why it couldn’t be bought in Russia. But the architect said that what we need, with this particular design, is not here.”

The office interior is designed in white and red colors, consistent with the company logo, with accents in the form of bright pink, Barbie-colored chairs at the entrance and colored poufs in the seating area. Meeting rooms are named and decorated after Mattel toys: in the Thomas area there is a floor-to-ceiling print of the famous train, and in Barbie there is a gallery of portraits from the very first modification of the iconic toy to the latest. The frosted film on the glass, the wall of vertical slats separating the seating area, and the decorative cladding at the entrance are made to order.

Most of the space is occupied by open space. In total, the company employs about 100 people: some employees work “in the fields”, 66 sit directly in the office. Work areas are organized taking into account possible additions to the team. It is also planned that, as in coworking spaces, incoming employees will use the same desks, while having their own bedside tables.

Employees of the Moscow representative office of Mattel regularly communicate with colleagues from Spain, Germany and England: according to corporate tradition, offices of all countries gather for large international video calls. Especially for such events, two meeting rooms are equipped with an adjacent sliding wall, together forming a spacious conference room.

The kitchen area is similar to a lounge cafe: a table in the form of a bar counter, large designer lamps, a slate wall. In theory, you can write on the wall with chalk, but the management does not allow this yet - so as not to spoil it.

To get into the spirit of the company and better understand the product, many employees keep toys on their desks. However, they are not taken home: these are samples for the office. Once a year, the company gives employees the opportunity to choose dolls and cars for a certain amount so that they can play at home.

The location of the office also works to maintain a corporate spirit and a special vision of the company’s mission: “The trains remind me of the old Nike slogan “Life is a journey,” says Andrey Savchenko. - Our company is constantly in motion and transformation: we come up with new toys, new approaches. We are now moving from physical toys to virtual ones. And this all fits with the office as one big playroom overlooking the station and departing trains.”

is an American multinational toy company founded in 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. In 2014, the company was ranked 403rd on the Fortune Global 500, a ranking of the world's 500 largest companies based on their revenue. The company's products include a number of main toy lines: Fisher-Price toys for babies and preschool children, Barbie dolls, Monster High dolls, Ever After High dolls , Winx Club dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe toys, American Girl dolls, board games and Wrestling toys (WWE Toys), Warner Bros products including Harry Potter, Batman, Superman, Looney Tunes products. The company also produces products under license from Disney. In the early 1980s, Mattel produced video game systems under its own brands under license from Nintendo. Mattel has its own factories in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and Thailand, as well as independent contractors located in the United States, Europe, Mexico, the Far East and Australia. The company has a presence in 40 countries and territories and sells products in more than 150 countries. It is the world's largest toy manufacturer in terms of revenue and market capitalization. The company name comes from Harold "Matt" Matson and Elliot "el" Handler.

From picture frames to toys 1945-1949

Mattel was founded in 1945 by Elliott and Ruth Handler. The youngest of ten children of Polish immigrants, Ruth was a secretary at Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles when she married Elliot Handler, an industrial engineer.

Handler had intended to start designing lighting fixtures, but soon began making furniture through garage sales. The business attracted four partners and quickly grew to $2 million, producing gift items and jewelry. By 1945, Elliot Handler became concerned and wanted a new approach to doing business to remain competitive in the fast-changing post-war world. Eliot's plans led to a dispute with his partners, and he sold his share of the company at a loss. Meanwhile, also in 1945, Ruth met with an old friend, Harold "Matt" Mattson, and they began the creation of Mattel, with Elliott designing the products. The name Mattel was formed by combining Mattson's last name with Handler's first name. Poor health soon forced Matson to sell his share of the company to the Handlers. Mattel first entered the photo frame business using pieces of plastic and wood. With the remaining wood planks and plastic, Elliott Handler began designing furniture for the dollhouse. Ruth Handler created a simple sales organization, and the company began its rise to the top. In the first year, a company that raised $100,000 ended up making $30,000 in profit.

The Handlers had little business experience and even less capital, but the demographics of the baby boom plus the post-World War II situation gave them a unique opportunity. Despite favorable conditions, it took them several years to see profits. In 1946, Mattel began producing inexpensive furniture, doll cosmetics, and clothing. Such toys as “Birdy Bank” and “Make-believe Makeup set” appeared.

And the next year a real hit appeared - the miniature ukulele “Uke-A-Doodle”. The toy was an unprecedented success and attracted large orders. In 1948, encouraged by the success of the ukulele, Mattel released a plastic piano, but it was prevented from becoming a hit by quality problems related to the sound mechanism. For every piano sold, the company lost 10 cents.
These early business lessons taught the Handlers some important lessons: avoiding obsolete products, keeping an eye on prices and competition, and monitoring costs and product quality. They realized that a successful business had to produce unique and original products of superior quality and durability that could not be easily copied by competitors.
The company moved to California in 1948. The Handlers, together with other inventors, began to develop a music box using a unique mechanism. A shortage of capital and the refusal of banks to lend to the young company suspended the project. But the Handlers did not give up, but borrowed $20,000 from Ruth's brother, this helped complete the project, and thus a new masterpiece from Mattel was born - the music box. By taking an Old World idea and adapting it to modern production methods, the Handlers knocked off the Swiss competition that had until then dominated the domestic music box market in the United States. As Elliott Handler later recalled: “Our music box had a patented mechanism that could play continuously as the child turned the handle. It was different, it was well made, and we were able to mass produce it at a lower price than imported products.” The success of the music box taught the Handlers several other lessons. First, they found that children's participation was important for any quality toy; children must be able to interact with the toy and want to play with it frequently and for long periods of time. Second, they recognized that a toy with a long lifespan is preferable to short-lived oddball products and can serve as a basis for continuation of other toys.

Innovation, diversification and success: 1950-69

Mattel achieved several important firsts in 1955: sales rose to $5 million; the company presented another hit, “Burp Guns.”
In what seemed like a risky venture, the Handlers agreed to sponsor a 15-minute segment of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on the ABC (American Broadcasting Company) television network. The Handlers signed a contract for a period of 52 weeks and for a sum of $500,000, equal to Mattel's net worth at the time. Until this time, toy manufacturers relied primarily on retailers to display and sell their products. Advertising was only included during the holiday season; Never before has a toy company spent money on advertising year-round. With television, toys could be marketed directly to children across the country. Thus, with the slogan "You can tell it's Mattel, it's swell," the Handlers began a marketing revolution in the toy industry that had immediate impact. The company sold many Burp Guns toy guns and made the Mattel brand name famous among the viewing audience. Mattel logo 1945–1969

Then in 1959, Mattel made a new hit in the toy industry with the Barbie doll, the best-selling toy of all time. The idea for the doll came from Ruth Handler, who noticed that their daughter preferred to play with adult-looking paper dolls rather than regular children's dolls. Elliot and Ruth Handler with son Kenneth and daughter Barbara

Throughout the 1960s, the company continued to introduce popular toys: Baby First Step (the first doll that could walk on its own), live-action dolls with moving eyes and mouths, the See 'N Say series of educational toys, the Vac-U-Form machine, and an entire line of Thingmaker toys, including Creepy Crawlers, Fun Flowers, Fright Factory and

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Another spectacular hit, Hot Wheels miniature model cars, was introduced in 1968, which turned out to be a major year for Mattel as a host of its products dominated the market, including its original toy music boxes, which sold more than 50 million. The company moved to Delaware, and by the end of the decade it was the number one toy manufacturer in the world.

During the 1960s, the company began to actively diversify its activities around the world with many acquisitions: Dee & Cee Toy Co. Ltd. (1962); Standard Plastic Products, Inc., Hong Kong Industrial Co., Ltd., and Precision Molds, Ltd. (1966); Rosebud Dolls Ltd. (1967); Monogram Models, Inc. and A&A Die Casting Company (1968); Ratti Vallensasca, Mebetoys, Ebiex S.A., H&H Plastics Co., Inc., and Metaframe Corp. (1969).

The difficult 1970s and 1980s

At the dawn of the 1970s, Mattel was still absorbing other companies such as Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus, and others. But the good times soon passed. In 1970, Mattel's manufacturing plant in Mexico was destroyed by fire, and the following year a strike at a Far East shipyard cut off supplies of toys. To support the corporate growth trend, Seymour Rosenberg, executive vice president and chief financial officer, reported orders as sales even though many orders were canceled and shipments were not made. For two years, Mattel issued false and misleading financial statements, until 1973, when the company reported a loss of $32 million just three weeks after shareholders were assured that the company was in good financial condition. Mattel shares immediately fell, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) became interested in the fraud. Ruth Handler and Seymour Rosenberg appeared before Judge Robert Takasugi of the Los Angeles District Court to defend themselves against SEC charges.
In 1974, Rosenberg was fired, banks pressured the Handlers to resign, and the court ordered Mattel to restructure its board so that its majority would be outside the company. In addition, the court fined Ruth Handler and Rosenberg each $57,000 and gave them 41-year sentences that were suspended on the condition that they both perform 500 hours of charitable work annually for five years. Finally, in 1980, the Handlers sold the majority of their shares, ending their involvement in the company they founded. Approximately 12 percent of the company's shares were worth about $18.5 million.
Ruth Handler founded Nearly Me, a company that produces prosthetic breasts for mastectomy patients.
A new management team under Arthur S. Spear, Mattel's vice president, replaced Handlers in 1975, and by 1977 the company had returned to profitability. By 1980, Mattel operated numerous other businesses, including Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus; Shipstad & Johnson's Ice Follies; Western Publishing, the largest publisher of children's books; and a whole line of electronic toys, primarily Intellivision video games.
Yet, unfortunately, Mattel stumbled horribly for much of the 1980s. Many of the company's acquisitions turned out to be unprofitable and had to be sold. Additionally, a large decline in video game sales in the early 1980s forced Mattel to exit video games with a loss of $394 million for 1983, bringing the company to the brink of bankruptcy. Mattel might have gone bankrupt if New York venture capital firms E.M. Warburg, Pincus & Co and Drexel Burnham Lambert did not step in with $231 million in 1984 to save the company from the video game fiasco. However, in 1985, the company fell behind , Inc. as the world's largest toy company.

New direction: 1987-92

By 1987, Mattel suffered a loss of $113 million when the company was forced to cancel the Masters of the Universe line. As a result of Mattel's problems, shares plummeted from their 1982 peak. $30 per share to $10 per share in 1987 But the company's fortunes took a sharp turn when John W. Amerman joined the company in 1980 as head of the international department. He was appointed chairman. Under his leadership, the division's sales quadrupled, far outpacing the profitability of Mattel's internal operations. Amerman cut Mattel's overhead costs by closing 40 percent of the company's manufacturing facilities, including plants in California, Taiwan and the Philippines. He cut payroll at Mattel's California headquarters, saving an estimated $30 million a year. Mattel also refinanced debt and reduced advertising costs.
Amerman turned the company around, focusing on core brand names such as Barbie and Hot Wheels and selectively investing in the development of new toys. An example of this choice was the revival of Disney toys, due to a chance meeting in Tokyo, which, starting in 1988, gave the licensing rights to Mattel for a new line of plush toys. The resumption of cooperation with Disney turned out to be more than successful for Mattel. Their alliance in the 1990s would prove far more beneficial than Amerman could have initially imagined.
Despite the lackluster economy and generally sluggish sales in the toy industry, Amerman's strategy was paying off. The Barbie line was maintained and expanded to include approximately 50 different dolls per year and approximately 250 additional products, ranging from shoes and clothing to backpack furniture and a line of cosmetics. An advertising campaign for Barbie's 30th birthday in 1989 propelled her to the cover of Smithsonian magazine, confirming her status as a true American icon. fisherman logo

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An enhanced strategic alliance with the Walt Disney Company allowed Mattel to sponsor and develop attractions and sell toys at three Disney theme parks. The agreement gave Mattel unprecedented exposure to the millions of children and adults who visited the parks each year. Mattel also agreed to exclusive rights to sell dolls, plush characters and preschool toys based on Disney film characters such as Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. The agreement was a boon for Mattel, and Amerman predicted that sales of the Disney line would exceed $500 million by 1995. In addition to Disney, Mattel also reached an agreement with Hanna-Barbera to market toys based on the cartoon characters Yogi Bear, Boo-Boo, and Cindy. Bear (Cindy Bear), and the Flintstones (Flintstones); Another agreement with Turner Broadcasting allowed Mattel to develop and market products based on the Tom and Jerry cartoon. The push into the board game market led Mattel to acquire International Games, Inc. in 1992, maker of such lucrative major franchises as UNO and the card game Skip-Bo.

Mattel executives believed that the company's best growth opportunity during the mid-1990s was in foreign markets. Thus, outside sales grew from $135 million in 1982 to $1.7 billion in 1992, with most sales through retail giants Toys 'R' Us and Wal-Mart. Total net sales of Mattel products reached $2.6 billion.

Bigger and better than ever: 1993-98

In 1993, the company made a landmark acquisition by purchasing venerable toy manufacturer Fisher-Price Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of toys for toddlers and preschoolers.
This acquisition literally cemented Mattel's position in the toy industry. At the end of the year, net sales reached $3.4 billion, of which Fisher-Price products earned $750 million. Barbie sales revenue was about $1 billion (35% of total revenue), Hot Wheels 5% or $150 million. Disney 10 % or $330 million Mattel also doubled the capacity of its manufacturing facility in Indonesia; opened offices in Austria, Scandinavia and New Zealand.
Mattel made two strategic acquisitions in 1994. J.W. Spear & Sons PLC is a British company that owns the international rights to the popular games Scrabble and Kransco, whose Power Wheels and Wham-O (which included Frisbee and Hula Hoop) brands completed its ever-growing list of products. The following year, Mattel became the new licensee of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, a top-notch addition to the company's large line of dolls. 1994 and 1995 were record years for the company, with net sales of $4 billion and $4.4 billion, respectively, and net income of $225 million in 1994 and $338 million in 1995.

Also in 1995, Mattel approached Hasbro about the possibility of merging the two largest toy companies in the world. Negotiations took place in secret for several months until Hasbro's board unanimously rejected a $5.2 billion merger proposal in early 1996 that would have given Hasbro shareholders a 73 percent premium over the then-current selling price.
In 1996, sales rose to $4.5 billion, with revenue of $372 million. The 38-year-old Barbie was once again the main source of revenue, with $1.7 billion, which was a 20 percent increase from the previous year. Hot Wheels sales also increased by nearly 20 percent, and Disney products rose 8 percent, surpassing the $500 million mark. International sales, however, were relatively weak due to the strengthening dollar. At the end of the year, Mattel initiated the acquisition of another major player in the toy industry, Tyco Toys, Inc., the third largest toy manufacturer in the United States. Tyco's merger with Mattel, completed in March 1997, made the latter an unprecedented industry leader, far ahead of any of its competitors. Tico's successful products, such as the Sesame Street brand toys and its radio-controlled and electric racing cars, supported Mattel's children's line and boys' toy line.
As the decade drew to a close, a changing of the guard was inevitable. John Amerman, who turned Mattel from slumping sales and mismanagement to the top of the toy business, has resigned as Mattel chairman after 17 years. The reins have passed to Jill Barad.

Barad moved forward with new Barbie innovations and aggressive expansion. International sales grew a cautious 3 percent (in local currencies), with net sales of $1.2 billion in Canada and Europe, and $2.1 billion in net sales in Asia and Latin America, representing a 35 percent jump for Latin America and market entry in Japan. In the US, sales of the doll grew 14 percent to $1.9 billion, especially in the burgeoning interactive market, where the Barbie CD-ROM brand quadrupled to $20 million. Barbie outfits from Oscar de la Renta and Vera Wang were released .
In early 1998, Mattel celebrated Barbie's 39th birthday. Continuing its interactive success, a new website (Barbie.com) was introduced, as well as new dolls, including one with official Women's National Basketball Association uniforms. The year also marked the 30th anniversary of Hot Wheels with booming sales, as well as the 15th anniversary of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls. Mattel in July 1998 purchased Pleasant Company for $715 million, the Wisconsin-based manufacturer and direct marketer of the popular American Women's brand of books, dolls, clothing, accessories and American Girl magazine. Pleasant's founder and president, Pleasant Rowland, became Mattel's vice chairman. The company has also developed a reputation as a great employer, being named one of Forbes magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" and being praised by Working Mother for the fifth year in a row.

The collapse of the Learning Company and its aftermath: 1999 and beyond

Although Mattel's acquisition of Pleasant Company, which brought together the toy brands of two of the biggest girls in the world—Barbie and American Girl—proved to be a great success, the company's next acquisition turned out to be a disaster. In May 1999, Mattel took over the Learning Company in a $3.5 billion deal. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Learning Co. was a major player in computer games and educational software, creating such "edutainment" titles as "Reader Rabbit" and "Carmen Sandigo". This acquisition was intended to expand Mattel's product line and help Mattel sell more products that appeal to boys, but Learning Co. began reporting unexpected losses before the deal was even completed. In October, Mattel announced that its revenue would fall significantly below expectations, prompting the departure of two Learning Co. founders. For the year, Mattel reported a net loss of $82.4 million on sales of $5.52 billion, resulting in approximately 3,000 job cuts, and a fourth-quarter loss for Learning Co. in the amount of $183 million. The latter loss led to Barad's abrupt resignation in February 2000. Meanwhile, Mattel shares have fallen below $10 a share, down from $45 in 1998.
Robert A. Eckert was named chairman and chief executive officer in May 2000. He was the head of Philip Morris Companies Inc.'s Kraft Foods division. Meanwhile, Mattel entered into a global alliance in July 1999 with Bandai Co., Ltd., Japan's largest toy manufacturer and best known for Power Rangers action figures and Tamagotchi electronic virtual pets. Initially, the alliance meant that Bandai would handle marketing for Mattel in Japan, and Mattel would do the same for Bandai in Latin America. In February 2000, Mattel reached an agreement with Warner Bros., making Mattel the primary toy licensee for the best-selling Harry Potter book series and the first two Harry Potter feature films. That same year, the company received multi-year licensing rights to characters owned by the popular children's cable television channel Nickelodeon.
In October 2000, shortly after Eckert took the helm, Learning Co. was sold to Gores Technology Group. Mattel agreed to pay $500 million of Learning Co.'s debt, and the loss on the sale resulted in a net loss of $430.9 million in 2000. The fallout from this disastrous acquisition is widely regarded as one of the biggest corporate blunders ever, but it was not yet All. Numerous lawsuits were filed by shareholders in 1999 and 2000, accusing the company of mismanagement and breach of fiduciary duties by the company's management and board of directors. In November 2002, Mattel agreed to pay $122 million to settle these disputes.
Eckert took a conservative approach to running Mattel, concentrating more on returning the firm to profitability than on finding new toys that would significantly increase revenue. As a result, revenues were relatively flat during his first two years at the helm (2001 and 2002), but the net income numbers were respectable: $298.9 million and $230.1 million, respectively. Successes during this period included Harry Potter products, a product line derived from Nickelodeon, the hit SpongeBob SquarePants, and a line of talking dolls with big eyes called Diva Starz. As part of Eckert's strategy of expanding Mattel's core brands, the company released its first video in October 2001. Barbie, “Barbie in the Nutcracker”, which sold quite well. Overall, however, sales of the Barbie line were declining due to pressure from new competitive dolls, especially from MGA Entertainment with the Bratz dolls, which debuted in 2001.

In the video games sector, Mattel has taken a new partnership-oriented approach, entering into licensing agreements with video game makers Vivendi Universal and T-HQ Inc. in 2001 to develop interactive software games based on brands such as Barbie, American Girl, Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price. In terms of licensing, Mattel refused to license toys based on new Disney films, which tended to hit or miss, but retained the rights to famous Disney characters such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Eckert's other early initiatives included cost cutting, supply chain realignment, and an additional emphasis on international sales.
In early 2003, Mattel streamlined its operations by consolidating boys' and girls' entertainment into a new business unit known as Mattel Brands. Pleasant Company was separated from the Girls division and placed into a new unit called American Girl Brands. The firm's third division, Fisher-Price Brands, remained unchanged. Meanwhile, while Mattel's line of dolls competed with upstart Bratz dolls, Fisher-Price was under pressure from another upstart, LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc., which quickly became a leader in e-learning after its founding in the mid-1990s. years. Fisher-Price responded in August 2003 with the launch of the PowerTouch system, through which young people could play and learn from interactive books. The PowerTouch competed directly with LeapFrog's popular LeapPad system, and LeapFrog was concerned enough about the similarities between the two products to file a patent infringement lawsuit against Fisher-Price in October.
On August 14, 2007, Mattel recalled more than 18 million products because... their coating contained increased levels of lead. Additionally, certain toys have been recalled that could pose a hazard to children due to the use of strong magnets.
In early 2010, Mattel received a license from HiT Entertainment to produce Thomas & Friends toys. And in October 2011, Mattel agreed to acquire HiT Entertainment for $680 million.

In July 2010, Mattel presented its hit collection of Monster High dolls. Monster High was created by Garrett Sander, with art by Kellee Riley and illustrator Glen Hanson. In addition to dolls, the line included many consumer products such as stationery, bags, keychains, various toys, play sets, video games, web series and DVD movies. The main characters are the children of famous monsters, such as: Frankenstein, Count Dracula, Mummy, Zombie, Werewolf, etc. The entire franchise was rebooted in 2016.
In 2011, Robert Eckert left his post as president of the corporation. He was replaced in January 2012 .

In July 2013, the company introduced a series of Ever After High dolls. This is a companion line to Monster High dolls. However, in this line the characters are based on fairy tales and fantasy stories instead of monsters.
In July 2016, NBCUniversal announced that Mattel had acquired the license to produce toys based on the Jurassic Park franchise after Hasbro's rights expired in 2017.

The site's observer studied the history of the development of the American toy manufacturer Mattel: from the family business of selling photo frames to the release of the world-famous Barbie doll and contracts with Disney.

The essence of every company is to provide its customers with excellent products. This could be anything from food to underwater travel. But there are companies on the market whose products are most valued by children, and adults help make a child’s dream come true. Having a wide variety of toys has always been considered a sign of a happy childhood.

In most cases, children dream of toys produced by a company that has long been a symbol of this industry. Its name is Mattel, but even those who do not know this name have, in any case, heard about its most famous product - the Barbie doll. Of course, the company's range is not limited to just this toy - it also produces figurines of famous comic book, film and cartoon characters, from Superman to Woody the cowboy from Toy Story, video games, toy cars and much more.

Mattel's story begins in the post-war crisis years, when many children who had lost their parents and living in poverty needed a reason to celebrate. The company was founded by a married couple, Elliot and Ruth Handler, and their close friend Matson Harold, who was engaged in the production of furniture.

In 1945, in a garage, the trio created a company that made frames for portraits and photographs. The founders thought for a long time about the name of their own business, looking through options suitable for their activities. Not agreeing on this issue, they approached the solution more creatively, combining the first syllables of the names Matson and Eliot.

It is not enough for a company to have a name and a product - it also needs money. The founders took a risk and invested about $100 thousand in their own business, which was a huge amount for the post-war period. The first year can safely be called a failure: the company with a narrow niche earned only $30 thousand, but the young managers did not give up hope that things would improve.

A new product was needed that would interest a larger number of customers. Such a product was the fashionable music boxes, which children loved very much, and adults happily began buying them as gifts. Noticing this trend, Eliot Handler decided to abandon the production of frames and came up with a new toy - doll houses. However, to make them interesting for children, it was necessary to come up with an original story and involve them in the process.

Soon things went much better for Mattel, and their new products began to appear on the market: at first it was doll furniture. In 1946, due to health problems, Harold was forced to leave the growing business, selling his share to Eliot and Ruth. Subsequently he will understand what mistake he made.

In 1947, another product from Mattel appeared - the ukulele (Hawaiian string instrument) Uke-A-Doodle. The label on the box said it was a children's version of a musical instrument. The toy was simply swept off store shelves, and the couple, according to them, understood what they had to do in this world.

In 1950, the Handlers re-registered the company and borrowed $20,000 to further promote the business. This money was spent on increasing production volumes and improving music box technology. The resulting product was not only beautiful, but also original. The couple rushed to patent a new version of the box to protect themselves from competitors.

In 1955, the company's annual profits grew to $5 million. The lion's share of the profits came from advertising that ran between cartoons in the Mickey Mouse Club. Mattel used a model that was unique at the time: instead of advertising only before the holidays, like all other companies, the Handlers showed their toys year-round for $500,000 a year. The high level of investment allowed the company to become, in fact, one of Disney's sponsors.

Mattel's large-scale approach to advertising certainly ensured continued success, but there was more to it than that. One of the main reasons for the rapid growth was that the founders understood the industry. They tracked children's reactions to new shows and programs. For example, the popularization of Westerns led the company to produce toy revolvers, shotguns, holsters and cartridges. Thanks to this approach, by 1958 the profit level reached $14 million.

This growth was only the threshold of further development. In 1959, the first version of the famous Barbie doll appeared, which provided Mattel with worldwide fame. The idea of ​​​​creating this toy is also connected with the observation skills of the spouses and knowledge of children's interests. One day, Ruth noticed their daughter Barbara enthusiastically playing with a doll made of paper. The girl called her Barbie and used houses and furniture from Mattel to play with. Ruth fully appreciated the looming prospects of launching her own doll. Naturally, the paper version was not suitable here: Mattel produces high-quality toys and therefore Barbie had to be more durable.

There was some plagiarism: for the first version of Barbie, a plastic doll from another company was simply recycled. For the first time, the Mattel doll was presented at the American Toy Fair - then the audience perceived it without obvious interest. However, when Barbie went on sale, her popularity increased. There were originally two versions of the doll: brunette and blonde. They were sold in swimsuits, and other outfits could be purchased for $3. However, the idea of ​​selling clothes separately led to girls starting to sew dresses for dolls on their own.

Another phenomenon is associated with the appearance of Barbie: her fan clubs began to appear in the United States: female fans waited for new versions of their favorite doll and wrote stories about her. In general, it soon became clear that this toy was a real hit. Obviously, there was an urgent need to expand the “Barbie world” - not only with outfits, but also with new toys. In 1961, Ken appeared (by the way, that was the name of Eliot and Ruth’s son), who was positioned as Barbie’s boyfriend. Later, her sister, friend, cousins ​​and many other characters were added to the doll.

In 1963, Mattel's initial public offering took place, turning it into a public company. The growth of Barbie's popularity was so phenomenal that already in 1967 the company's turnover amounted to $100 million. Although the famous doll provided the majority of Mattel's income, it is impossible not to mention that in addition to it, such famous products as Hot Wheels cars and Creepy Crawlers appeared in the 1960s (beetle factory). They allowed the company to expand significantly and become one of the largest toy manufacturers in the world.

The early 1970s rode the wave of success achieved in the previous decade. The small company, which turned into a real corporation, began to expand rapidly. For further development, the simplest path was chosen - purchasing smaller toy manufacturers and large show programs, including Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

However, the quiet times soon passed for Mattel. It all started in 1970, when a toy factory in Mexico was seriously damaged by fire. Further worse - due to strikes and unrest in supplier countries, the company was unable to provide the required level of production. As a result, the corporation's profits fell sharply, which should have affected the stock price. To prevent this, Ruth Handler and Mattel vice president Seymour Rosenberg began to deliberately inflate profits, thereby breaking federal law. It didn't take long to wait for punishment.

In 1973, the real financial condition of the company became known: it turned out that the annual loss amounted to $32 million. There was a sharp collapse in Mattel shares. In addition, the Securities Commission began investigating the matter, and Handler and Rosenberg were brought to trial. The verdict was quite harsh: both culprits were sentenced to 47 years in prison. However, in the end the sentence was reduced to a fine of $57 thousand and 500 hours of community service over five years.

The board of directors did not tolerate the presence of Rosenberg and the Handlers at the head of the company: the former was fired in 1974, and the couple left in 1980 of their own free will, having previously completed the restructuring of their brainchild. Arthur Spaa became the new vice president of the corporation, who was able to make Mattel profitable in two years. However, the blow dealt to the company’s reputation did not pass without a trace, and it lost a number of partners and employees, which affected the quality of the products. In the early 1980s, Mattel was on the verge of bankruptcy.

The company was saved by venture funds that invested more than $235 million in it. However, Mattel failed to return to the market: financial injections did not correct the mistakes of the managers, and the production line required new ideas. In the mid-1980s, many analysts agreed that the company was in its last years. In 1987, the level of losses reached $394 million. However, a way out of the situation was soon found and a person was able to cope with the problems of the corporation.

The savior turned out to be the former head of the international department, John Emerman, who took over as CEO in 1987. The first thing he did was abandon a number of products, video games and toys, produced by the company. The bet was placed on new versions of toys from famous brands like Barbie and Hot Wheels.

An alliance was again formed with Disney, which allowed Mattel to begin producing their toys. In addition, the salaries of the company's top management were significantly reduced. Gradually, Mattel stabilized its financial condition - many even started talking about the fact that the corporation, rising from the ashes, could aim at regaining leadership in the global market.

An important part of the new work model was the relocation of factories that produced toys to countries with cheap labor. Let's say Barbie dolls are now made in Indonesia. Thanks to this, it became possible to significantly expand the range of well-selling products without increasing costs. This, in turn, brought more attention to Barbie dolls and increased the company's profits.

After some time, the head of the company realized that due to the concentration on Barbie and accessories for her, the company did not produce enough toys for boys. Hot Wheels and comic book characters alone are not enough to reach this audience. Therefore, soon Mattel begins to produce a variety of trucks, machines, robots - everything in order to attract the attention of boys. However, Barbie's sales levels could not be reached.

Things were much better with sales of Disney characters, which increased noticeably in the 1990s thanks to feature films. In addition, the company was able to sell its own works at Disneyland.

Seeing a positive trend in the sale of cartoon characters, Mattel management enters into an agreement with other cartoon producers - Hanna-Barbera and Nickelodeon. Famous characters from The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo and many others appear on sale. This move solved the company's financial problems for some time.

The new step was a departure from the traditional concept of Mattel's work: previously the US remained the main market and there was no focus on other countries. In 1992, most of the products were sent to other states.

A successful 1992 allowed the corporation to once again begin acquiring companies suitable for expanding its own production. Mattel's first acquisition was leading preschool doll developer Fisher-Price. Along with the purchase, the corporation received the rights to the most popular types of their products, which affected net sales, which reached $2.7 billion.

The following year, the corporation continued its international integration by acquiring several video game companies. In addition, production at the Indonesia plant was expanded. In general, as the press noted, Mattel was slowly turning on all its power.

In 1995, the company's income reached a record level of $335 million. This became possible primarily due to work in the markets of Europe and Latin America. Mattel was able to enter into an agreement with the large global chain of toy stores Toy "R" US back in 1992, but only now the profit margins confirmed that this decision was the right one. Another reason for the increase in income was the company’s current contract with Disney, which released several famous cartoons: children simply swept figurines of their favorite characters off store shelves.

Another important event in 1995 was the attempted merger of Mattel with longtime competitor Hasbro. Having united, the companies would become the largest player in the market, which no one could approach in the next few years. However, this did not happen. The official reason was that the companies did not agree on the price. In addition, Hasbro was afraid of the actions of the Antimonopoly Committee, which might be interested in the merger of the two giants.

The failed merger did not affect the company's sales, which reached $4.5 billion in 1996. Mattel's net income that year was $372 million. At the same time, another important event occurred: John Emerman resigned, citing fatigue. He was replaced by Jill Barad, who previously served as chief operating officer.

The new leader abandoned the cautious approach of her predecessor and began aggressive expansion. The expansion of the Barbie line began, to which several new doll models, accessories and much more were added. To celebrate the toy's upcoming 40th anniversary, a documentary film and a special website were launched. In general, the new management decided to rely on Mattel's strongest products, which made the company's name.

Jill Barad's next step was to merge with one of America's largest doll manufacturers, American Girl, which expanded the range for girls. It also acquired Learning, one of the largest producers of educational and entertainment video games in the United States.

The deal for $3.8 billion turned out to be reckless and, instead of strengthening its position, brought the company losses in the amount of $82 million. As a result, Learning was sold to Gores Technology Group for only $200 million. To prevent a further drop in revenue, the corporation began another personnel purge and narrowing of the product line - but this did not save Barad from being fired in 2000. As a result, by the end of the decade, Mattel was again in crisis and needed a new leader.

This was Robert Ecker, who took the position of chairman of the board of directors, and before that worked in a similar position at Kraft Foods. Ecker set about immediately restoring the company's profitability by focusing on producing time-tested toys. However, most of the profits came from a contract concluded with Warner Bros, under which Mattel was given the opportunity to produce action figures of the Harry Potter saga, which had been gradually gaining popularity since 2001. Thanks to this approach, the company made a profit of $230 million in 2002, but this was still far less than expected.

In 2003, a partial restructuring of the corporation took place. The so-called Mattel Brands was created, which included the Girls and Boys divisions. The third component of the brand was Fisher-Price. As a result of all the changes, the company's net profit for the year reached $537 million, which was the best figure in history.

In 2003, two important events occurred that influenced the further history of Mattel. Firstly, the changed approach to the release of new toys led to Disney deciding to renegotiate the agreement with the corporation. Mattel retained all of the studio's old characters, but the right to produce figures of new characters had to be obtained on a case-by-case basis. Secondly, Fisher-Price had a serious competitor in the form of Bratz dolls, which were produced by MGA.

Despite these changes, thanks to Barbie dolls (which provided a third of profits) and other brands, the company was able to achieve leadership in the toy market in three years. In 2006, the company received a net profit of $592 million, essentially restoring its pre-crisis levels.

The optimism of management was shaken in 2007, when Mattel became involved in a serious scandal: an examination determined that a batch of Barbie dolls contained an increased level of dyes that were harmful to health. As a result, the corporation had to recall 20 million toys from sale, and management publicly apologized and promised to begin to strictly control the quality of goods. Despite the admission of guilt, the investigation continued, and in 2009 the company had to pay a fine of $2.9 million.

The toy safety scandal had little impact on annual operating income, which reached $730 million. This can be attributed to the release of a new part of the Barbie cartoon, through which the corporation promoted its own toys, as well as an effective approach to online sales. Eventually, online shopping will become one of Mattel's main sources of income.

In 2008, the competition between Mattel and MGA reached a new level: the Barbie manufacturer sued its rival, explaining the lawsuit as a violation of its own patent rights. Initially, the judge sided with Mattel, banning the distribution of Bratz dolls and ordering the latter to pay $100 million in compensation, but the ban began to take effect after the New Year holidays, so MGA managed to sell most of the products.

Despite the verdict, the case continued to the appeals court, where it was ultimately determined that Mattel could not have the right to all the fashionably dressed dolls in the world. In 2011, MGA won a case accusing the Barbie manufacturer of corporate espionage and awarded $175 million.

In addition, in 2011, Greenpeace launched a campaign against Mattel products, which caused serious damage to the company's international reputation. It turned out that one of the suppliers of the American giant is engaged in cutting down the unique tropical forests of Indonesia, which harms the ecology of the planet and leads to the destruction of rare species of animals. Mattel executives tried to justify themselves by saying that they were trying to find more environmentally friendly methods of obtaining the necessary raw materials and were not happy with the fact that they were harming the environment.

In the same year, the corporation acquired HIT Entertainment, a cartoon producer that owns the rights to a number of characters popular with American and British children. The transaction cost was $680 million. The new brand diversified the company’s product range, strengthening its leadership in the market.

By the beginning of 2012, Mattel was already represented in 44 countries, and some analysts predicted it to be the sole leader in the toy market. To strengthen its status, the company began integrating into the Russian market by opening an official representative office and entering into a deal with the local toy distributor Grand Toys.

In 2012, the company's operating income exceeded $1 billion. At the same time, the company faced a new difficulty caused by the protests of feminist organizations against the corporation's main product - Barbie.

Feminists have previously criticized the doll for its unnaturalness and propaganda among girls of an image that is inappropriate for a modern woman. In 2012, the trend intensified significantly and a year later manifested itself in the action of the FEMEN movement. A protest was held at the Barbie Museum that opened in Berlin, during which a doll tied to a cross was burned. On their official website, FEMEN called the image of Barbie fascist and imposed on girls all over the world.

In 2013, Fortune magazine named the company one of the best places to work, highlighting its good infrastructure, childcare facilities and high salaries.

In the same year, several new animation projects of the studio were launched, designed to attract a children's audience. The company's revenue increased compared to last year, reaching $2.1 billion. However, in the 4th quarter, a decrease in income was recorded, which will have a negative impact on the corporation in the future.

In 2014, Mattel remains one of the leaders in the toy market. Nevertheless, in pursuit of strengthening its position, the company received another competitor - Lego. The fight between the two corporations intensified after Mattel absorbed Mega Brands, one of the leading manufacturers of construction toys in the world. During the year, companies replaced each other in the ranking of the largest toy manufacturers. There was no winner, although Lego gained some advantage after the release of its feature-length cartoon. As a result, Mattel's revenue for the year dropped to $2 billion.

In 2015, poor performance in 2014 (caused by Disney transferring the rights to several of its new characters to Mattel rival Hasbro) resulted in the firing of Brian Staunton, the company's CEO. The company has begun a new round of confrontation in the toy market. To achieve this, a partnership was entered into with Quirky, an original platform designed to embody people’s ideas: in fact, anyone can become a toy creator.

Currently, Mattel is one of the largest toy creators in the world, along with other famous brands. The corporation, celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, is a living history of the gaming industry.

The company, which was created in a garage back in 1945, remains a manufacturer of popular figurines of famous characters for children. Despite the release of new characters, Mattel remains true to tradition, creating new versions of its most famous doll - Barbie. However, the company appears to be going through a difficult phase again, as evidenced by falling revenues and the loss of sole market leadership, leading to the replacement of the CEO. It is impossible to say how this crisis will end for Mattel, but from all previous ones the corporation emerged with honor and returned to the top.

In 2017, the company will release 14 character dolls, which will be sold both individually and in various sets. Books and coloring books will be available for sale later this year. Enchantimals, and at the beginning of the next one - plush toys. The brand has great potential in many categories, such as “creativity” and “puzzles”, and for the “children's fashion” segment, original designs with animal prints have already been developed.

HOT WHEELS

Marketing Manager at Mattel Artem Frolov spoke about successes and plans for brand development Hot Wheels, which turns 50 next year.

Basic machine HotWheels became the best-selling toy in the world and in Russia. To promote content, we now have our own YouTube channel - Hot Wheels Russia, which hosts more than 300 videos, with 90% of the content produced by fans of the product - children. Mattel recently launched the Race Off gaming application, which in six months has already accumulated 1.5 billion downloads in Russia alone.

Several major promotional campaigns are planned for the brand’s anniversary year 2018, for example, a collaboration with Uber. Additionally, a new product launching next year is Hot Wheels City, which includes a series of playsets based on iconic cityscapes.

Guzel Davletshina : "Hot Wheels is the most growing brand in the licensing direction, and this trend is observed in almost all categories". Last year the magazine went on sale Hot Wheels, quickly became one of the three most popular magazines for boys in Russia. Among other categories, FMCG products are actively developing. Another important area was clothing for boys; the brand is widely in demand in the mass market: this year Gap offered customers a collection of branded clothing Hot Wheels.

FISHER PRICE

Fisherprice- the No. 1 brand in terms of turnover for Mattel. Toys for the youngest consumers are produced in 37 languages, with annual sales exceeding $2 billion. In 2017-2018, Mattel is conducting a promotional campaign under the working title “Keeping the Nature of Childhood.” Margarita Lapidus talks about the goals of this action: “We are returning to the origins of the brand, recalling the history of its creation, the first toys of the brand. At the same time, remembering the special importance and value of communication between mother and child in the first years of a baby’s life, we continue to convey the brand values ​​to the target audience of mothers and, thanks to this, the trust of the target audience in the brandFisher-Price" remains and continues to grow.

Brand recognition FisherPrice in Russia is more than 80%, which allows you to use this success in the development and promotion of licensed products. New packaging for products Fisher Price, as well as style guides for licensed products were developed by the world famous Western designer Jonathan Adler. At the same time, the packaging design for licensed toys is completely identical to the packaging design for the main range.

MegaBlocks became one of the most exciting launches of the last two years. Brand Mega includes two lines aimed at different age groups: MegaBlocks is positioned as the very first construction set for children from 12 months to 5 years, and a product was released for children from 6 to 14 years Mega Construx, which will continue to strengthen its position in 2017, including with the help of popular franchises DespicableMe And Pokemons. In 2018 in the lineup Mega Construx a new ambitious project “Universe” will be launched. This project, designed for both boys and girls, will feature a large number of characters and exciting stories.

TOMASANDFRIENDS

This year's animated series Thomas and his friends airs in the best time slot on the Karusel channel, the ratings of the animated series have doubled. In addition, the brand is actively conquering the digital space. Number of unique website users Thomas&Friends today reached 9 million. This year a Russian-language channel about Thomas was launched, which already has 466 thousand subscribers.

Thomas and his friends- a brand based on content, and brand development is impossible without developing the plot of a popular cartoon. In 2018, Thomas will make his first transcontinental journey. The story will receive large-scale support on TV and on its own YouTube channel.

Product line Thomas and his friends includes magazines, reading books, coloring books, scooters, bicycles, food, art supplies, puzzles, clothes, including for girls.