Mattel, Inc.

What brands does Mattel own?
Mattel's major brands include Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, Matchbox, UNO, American Girl, Masters of the Universe, and Thomas & Friends.

Is Mattel publicly traded?
Yes. Mattel trades on the NASDAQ under ticker MAT. The company has no controlling shareholder; institutional investors including Vanguard and BlackRock are among the largest shareholders.

Who founded Mattel?
Mattel was founded in 1945 by Harold Matson, Elliot Handler, and Ruth Handler in El Segundo, California.

Harold Matson and Elliot Handler founded Mattel in 1945 in a garage workshop, initially producing picture frames before pivoting to doll furniture made from frame scraps. Ruth Handler, Elliot's wife, joined the business and observed her daughter Barbara's preference for paper dolls with adult figures, inspiring her to develop a three-dimensional adult fashion doll. That insight became Barbie, introduced at the American International Toy Fair in New York City on March 9, 1959, with the doll's full name established as Barbara Millicent Roberts.

Hot Wheels die-cast toy vehicles were introduced in 1968, created by Elliot Handler to compete with the Matchbox brand by producing faster, more stylized vehicles. Mattel acquired Matchbox through its purchase of Tyco Toys in 1997.

Mattel has grown through a series of major acquisitions including Fisher-Price in 1993 for approximately $1.1 billion, Tyco Toys in 1997, and the American Girl brand. The company also attempted to acquire Hasbro in 1996 in a hostile takeover bid that Hasbro rejected.

Mattel has committed to using 100% recycled, recyclable, or bio-based plastic materials in its products and packaging by 2030. The company is a signatory to the Science Based Targets initiative and has set emissions reduction targets aligned with a 1.5°C pathway. Mattel has faced scrutiny over its manufacturing supply chain in Asia and has published supplier responsibility standards and audit programs.