Company Mattel was founded in 1945 by Elliot and Ruth Handler. The youngest of ten children of Polish immigrants, Ruth was working as a secretary at Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles when she married production engineer Elliot Handler. Elliot started his business making lamps, but soon began making furniture and selling it straight out of his garage. His business interested four partners and quickly grew to a $2 million venture, generating revenue from handmade souvenirs and costume jewelry.

By 1945, Elliot Handler's business concerns were growing and he was looking for a new approach to stay competitive in the rapidly changing post-war world. Handler's plans led to disputes with partners, and as a result, he sold his assets in the company. Also in 1945, Ruth Handler teamed up with an old friend, Harold "Matt" Matson, and together with Elliot they created Mattel Creations. The new company was named after the first syllables of the names of the co-owners - Mattel (Matt - Eliot). Health problems soon forced Matson to withdraw from the venture.

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

The essence of the work of each company is to provide its customers with excellent products. It can be anything from food to underwater travel. But there are companies on the market whose products are most appreciated by children, and adults help to make a child's dream come true. The presence of a wide variety of toys has always been considered a sign of a happy childhood.

In most cases, children dream of toys made by a company that has long been a symbol of this industry. Her name is Mattel, but even those who don't know the name have heard of her most famous product, the Barbie doll, anyway. Of course, the company's range is not limited to this toy - it also produces action figures of famous comics, films and cartoons, from Superman to Woody the cowboy from Toy Story, video games, toy cars and much more.

The history of Mattel begins in the post-war crisis years, when many children who have lost their parents and live in poverty needed a reason to rejoice. The company was founded by a married couple - Elliot and Ruth Handler, as well as their close friend Matson Harold, who was engaged in the production of furniture.

In 1945, the trio set up a company in a garage that made frames for portraits and photographs. The founders thought for a long time about the name of their own business, sorting out options suitable for their activities. Not agreeing on this issue, they approached the solution more creatively, connecting 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 $100,000 in their own business, which was a huge amount for the post-war period. The first year can be safely called a failure: a company with a narrow niche earned only $30,000, but young leaders did not give up hope that things would get better.

A new product was needed that would be of interest to a larger number of buyers. Such a product was the music boxes coming into fashion, which were very fond of children, and adults gladly began to buy them as a gift. Noticing this trend, Eliot Handler decided to abandon the production of frames and came up with a new toy - dollhouses. However, in order to make them interesting for children, it was necessary to come up with an original story and involve them in the process.

Mattel soon did much better, 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. Later he will realize what a mistake he made.

Who doesn't know the Barbie doll? Perhaps everyone knows her. Regardless of gender and age. This doll is the most successful product in the history of toys, conquering the entire globe. And it belongs to the pen of Mattel.

Today, Mattel is one of the largest toy manufacturers in the world. The products of the famous brand are sold in 150 countries. Among the company's toys, not only Barbie dolls stand out, but also a collection of Hot Wheels cars, as well as branded toys that the company produces under an agreement with Warner Brothers: Superman, Batman, Harry Potter and many others.

Mattel products are manufactured in factories in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Mexico. Roughly speaking, where it costs much less than in developed countries. At the same time, about half of Mattel's sales are generated by the three largest retail chains in the world (in terms of toys): the ubiquitous Wal-Mart, Target and Toys'r'Us. We will tell you about how one of the largest brands in the gaming industry was born.

Start: 1945-1949

Mattel was founded in 1945 by the young Handler couple. Ruth Handler came from a Polish family, where she was already 10 children. Prior to Mattel, she worked as a secretary at Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles, where she met her future husband, Elliot, who was then an engineer. Elliot started his first business immediately after the wedding. He began making furniture and selling it straight out of his garage. Things went well, and soon Handler had partners.

True, immediately after the end of World War II, Elliot quarreled with his partners, and sold his stake in the company. By some happy coincidence, fate brought him together at this time with an old friend, Harold "Matt" Matson, who became a partner in the young couple at the founding of Mattel (although health problems soon forced Matson to leave the business).

Mattel began its activity with the production of picture frames. Having invested about 100 thousand dollars in the first year, the founders will receive an exhaust in the amount of 30 thousand. The business was going quite well. At the same time, the company begins to create doll houses. It was a very timely step, since after the end of the Second World War, life began to slowly improve. People are starting to invest more money in entertainment, including buying toys for their children.

The early years of the company provided an invaluable service to the Handler family, as they were able to gain invaluable experience. The handlers realized that they needed to keep track of costs, competent delivery, but most importantly, they came to understand that only a great product guarantees success. One of these products was a music box produced by the company in the second half of the 1940s. This casket resembled analogues from Switzerland, but cost much less. In addition, the child himself put it into action using a special mechanism in the form of a crank. The product, which was completed with the money of the "brother-in-law", paid off with interest.

The success of the music box taught the Handlers several lessons. First, they realized that a product that is successful among children must necessarily involve them in the process. Children need to feel involved. In addition, they should want to play with the toy for as long as possible. Second, they suggested that a toy that kids want to play with for a long time might just be the start of some big series.

Innovation, Diversification, Success: 1950-69

By 1955, Mattel's sales had risen to $5 million. The company released its second hit after the music box, a product called "Burp Guns". In addition, the Handler family took a step at this time that forever changed the toy industry - they began to advertise on TV during Disney cartoons. It was a risky move. First, all toy companies preferred to always rely on good relationships with the retailers who were supposed to sell the product, rather than on direct contact with end consumers. Second, the company spent $500,000 on advertising. Approximately this amounted to the entire capital of Mattel at that time.

The constant promotion of Mattel toys during The Mickey Mouse Club turned out to be extremely successful. Soon all the kids in the US knew what Mattel was and what great products the company made. They demanded that their parents buy them toys from Mattel.

Beginning in 1957, the theme of the Wild West began to enjoy particular popularity in the United States. Mattel was quick to take advantage of this situation, and began producing toy hard drives and other weapons that were reminiscent of that era. By 1959, the company's sales were already $14 million. And it was at this time that a real revolution took place in the toy market - Mattel released the Barbie doll. Ruth Handler came up with the idea for Barbie when she saw her daughter actively playing with paper dolls imitating adults. Ruth decided that it would be interesting for children to play with a doll that would look like an adult girl. Moreover, she believed that in this way the company would be able to accustom girls to their future life, which would have to come after adulthood.

By 1959, Mattel releases its Barbie doll (she was named after the Handler's daughter). Needless to say, the doll was a huge success, breaking all sales records for dolls for girls of that time. And all this despite the fact that she was initially met quite coolly at the Toy Fair in New York. The business model for the Barbie doll quickly took shape at Mattel. The doll was just bait. It was followed by various additional accessories that provided the company with additional profit. The most popular of these accessories have become numerous sets of clothes for Barbie.

Americans quickly fell in love with this doll. By 1968, there were a large number of Barbie fan clubs in the United States, which included about 1.5 million people. Not bad results for a child's toy. Barbie sales by that time were not limited to accessories and the doll itself. The company began to build a world around its character, introducing its friend Ken in 61 (later the company will produce houses, cars and much more that can keep children playing with Barbie). It is worth noting that at first the outfits for Barbie were sewed by professional fashion designer Charlotte Johnson. All this contributed to the fact that the girls discussed not only Barbie, but also her many accessories, which generated the bulk of the company's profits. Interestingly, when the whole world talks about the doll, she will get the most real outfits from famous fashion brands that will create clothes specifically for Barbie.

By the early 1960s, Mattel was already well established in the doll market. The company decided that it was time to expand the range and introduced the Chatty Cathy doll - the first talking doll in America. She, too, was successful, but fell short of Barbie by any measure.

In 1963, Mattel lists its shares on the New York Stock Exchange. During these two years, there has been a noticeable increase in sales of toys around the world. He also touched Mattel, as the company managed to increase its income in 2 years from 26 million dollars to 100. However, one should not assume that this was not the merit of the company itself. Was! First, the growth in sales was largely due to the expansion of the Barbie doll line - the appearance of Ken and the African-American Christie doll, which came out just at the time when serious political correctness regarding the black population began to emerge in the United States.

During the 60s, the Mattel range was seriously updated annually. It was noticeable to the naked eye that the company did not want to exist at the expense of the Barbie series alone. Mattel produced many toys that were in very different demand. The company also had hits, one of which was the Hot Wheels series of racing cars, which is produced to this day. By the end of the 60s, Mattel became the largest toy manufacturer in the world.

Mattel's secret to success

The beginning of the 70s was marked by numerous acquisitions for Mattel. The company acquired other firms in batches. Even such giants as Ringling Bros. became its victims. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. But the good times were slowly coming to an end. They were replaced by a real catastrophic period, when the company had a lot of financial problems (due to which Mattel CEO Rosenberg was fired), a factory in Mexico burned down, a series of strikes in the East took place, which did not contribute to the company's fulfillment of its supply obligations.

Financial troubles for Mattel ended with the fact that the founders received suspended sentences and pledged to pay quite substantial funds as a fine (this is not counting the fact that they became participants in charitable works). Mattel's machinations have not gone unnoticed.

In 1975, the Handlers were replaced by new management led by Arthur Spae. And after 2 years the company became profitable again. At the same time, there is a noticeable restructuring of Mattel. The thing is that many of the purchased companies were very far from being called profitable. Mattel had to get rid of them. One such industry - the video game industry - brought Mattel losses in the region of $400 million. The company began to gain momentum, but it was far from the title of the largest toy manufacturer that Mattel was a decade ago. Hasbro dominated the market.

At this point, we can already draw the main conclusions from the history of Mattel. Firstly, its success was due to the right marketing strategy, when the product was only a bait for consumers, who then bought a series of doll accessories that generated most of the profits. In addition, Mattel constantly expanded the world of Barbie, adding new characters, new items - all that helped to prolong the child's interest in the doll. Finally, Barbie, in a way, was the image that the girls themselves wanted to be like in the future.

In addition, the company constantly changed its main product, adjusting it to modern trends. So, when the times of gender equality flourished, the doll changed her profession and appeared to us in the form of a policewoman, military man, nurse, US president, etc.

The further history of Mattel was connected with the fact that the company tried to establish good relations with large retail chains, continued its successful TV campaign, and improved its products. Of course, now the brand is going through hard times. The popularity of virtual worlds and computer games makes itself felt. Mattel, of course, does not ignore the virtual space, and at the moment there are a great many games based on the world of Barbie, but the company's best days may already be over ... but who knows.

Founded in 1945. In the early 80s of the XX century, the company produced game consoles.

Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer - Robert Eckert. The founders of the company are Ruth Handler, Elliot Handler and Matson Harold (English)Russian

Activity

Number of personnel - 26 thousand people (2005). The company's sales in 2008 amounted to $5.92 billion, net profit - $379.6 million. Barbie dolls provide a third of the corporation's sales.

Products

• "Action figures" based on WWE characters
• Disney Movie Toys
• Fisher-Price (Thomas & Friends engines)
• Ever After High

Criticism

Mattel was criticized in 2011 by the environmental organization Greenpeace. The latter accused the toy maker of using cardboard produced by Asia Pulp and Paper for the production of Barbie dolls, destroying the valuable rainforests of Indonesia, which leads to the disappearance of rare species of animals and plants, such as the orangutan and the Sumatran tiger. Indonesia ranks third in the world in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, which are released during the destruction of forests and the drainage of swamps, which have a devastating effect on the planet's climate.

Lawsuits

In August 2011, Mattel was found guilty of industrial espionage by a Los Angeles court and ordered to pay $309 million to MGA, a competitor in the production of children's dolls.

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Notes

Links

• - Mattel official website

An excerpt characterizing Mattel

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