Mattel's Beginning: Mattel was formed in
1945. Its founders were Ruth and Elliott Handler and Harold "Matt" Matson
(Mattel is a combination of Elliott and Matt's names). The company started out
in wood products and soon branched out into toys. Their very first toy was
dollhouse furniture created from wood scraps left over from frame making. The
Handlers bought out Matson long before Barbie was created.
A Brief History of Mattel: Mattel sold
toys through the 1950s, including wood and musical toys. Mattel became a
household name with parents and children alike with the introduction of Barbie
in 1959, at Toy Fair in New York. The Handlers were brilliant marketers, and
used television advertising on children's television shows to expertly market
Barbie and a host of their other products directly to children. Barbie's
popularity declined at the end of the 1960s, and so did Mattel's fortunes, and
Mattel nearly went bankrupt. Through constant re-invention of Barbie and the
rising popularity of lines including Hot Wheels, the company thrives
today.
Mattel's Product Line: In addition to
Barbie, Mattel makes popular toys including Hot Wheels, Fisher Price toys
including TMX Elmo, and American Girl dolls through their Pleasant Company
subsidiary. Other well known toys include Polly Pockets, Matchbox cars, UNO
games, and Power Wheels.
Mattel is a Publicly Traded Company:
Mattel is a publicly traded company. Its stock is traded by the NYSE with
the symbol MAT.
Company Headquarters: The company is
located in Hawthorne, California.
Company Reach: Mattel's dolls and toys
are sold in nearly every country in the world. Mattel has roughly fifty offices
located in North and South America, Europe and Asia.
Annual Sales: For 2006, Mattel had annual
net income of $592.9 million.
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