Mattel Creations

Businessman Harold "Matt" Matson and the duo Elliot and Ruth Handler founded Mattel as Mattel Creations in January 1945 in a garage in Los Angeles. The company name chosen is a portmanteau of Matson's last name and Elliot's first name, and former president and CEO Bob Eckert revealed: He told a Peninsula Seniors conference on Christmas Day 2013 that the founders, according to Elliot, couldn't fit Ruth's name into their company's name. The company started He started selling picture frames and then dollhouse furniture from the remains of those frames. Matson sold His share was transferred to the Handlers due to health problems the following year, and Handler's wife, Ruth, took over his share. In 1947, the company had its first successful toy, a ukulele called "Uke-A-Doodle."

On May 18, 1968, Hot Wheels came out to the market. Hot Wheels was invented by a team of inventors at Mattel, which included a rocket scientist and an automobile designer. That year also launched another doll, this time, Christie, Barbie's friend and the first black doll, who in the years and decades to follow would spawn an endless line of Barbie family and friends-themed brands. . In 1969, Mattel changed marketing brands Mattel Creations and "Mattel, Inc. - Toymakers" to just Mattel and launched The "red sun" logo with the Mattel wordmark in capital letters for better identity.

Before its incorporation, the company had already been one of the first toy companies to explore the audiovisual market. In 1970 he had teamed up with director Robert B. Radnitz to create the production company Radnitz/Mattel Productions, responsible for titles such as Sounder (1972) or Where the Lilies Bloom (1974).9 Regarding the animation, in 1983 he associated with the production company Filmation to make the cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Lionsgate, Universal and Warner Bros. Pictures in the production of films about Barbie, Monster High and Hot Wheels.

On January 21, 2016, Mattel acquired Fuhu, maker of Nabi tablets and other technology hardware, in bankruptcy proceedings for a sum valued at $21 million. On March 30, 2016, Mattel formed It created a "senior director" division called Mattel Creations to centralize its cross-platform content production. In the process, the production teams and operations of Mattel Playground Productions, HIT Entertainment, and American Girl's content creation team in Middleton, Wisconsin, were absorbed into Creations the next day. On July 19, 2016, NBCUniversal announced The acquisition of Mattel's license to produce toys based on the Jurassic Park franchise after Hasbro's rights expired in 2017.

Mattel reorganized Mattel Creations and changed it. The name was transferred to Mattel Television on February 5, 2019, which would be led by former Disney Branded Television programming executive Adam Bonnett. On June 30, 2020, Fred Soulie, in turn, was "tripled" as general manager and senior vice president of the new division

Although previously associated with content productions, as of 2020 Mattel Creations is now a content and e-commerce platform of Mattel, Inc. In April 2020, the company launched a Thomas & Friends titled "The Royal Engine" to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the show, which features animated versions of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles as children and hosted by the Duke of Sussex. the new Barbie Basquiat, featuring the work of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Mattel also created an online resource, "Mattel Playroom," to provide free games, activities, coloring sheets, DIY project resources for parents/caregivers and more to help families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Warner Music Group's Arts Music division planned to become a distributor of Mattel's music catalog on May 1, 2020. Arts Music planned to make available hundreds of never-before-released songs and songs new for existing brands, with the May 8 digital release of Thomas & Friends first, which was administered/managed by ADA Worldwide under the pseudonym: "Mattel – Arts Music". Also in May 2020, Mattel announced an initiative known as "Play it Forward" that focuses on using Mattel brands to give back. The first Play it Forwards program was #ThankYouHeroes, which included a collection of action figures and Little People characters representing those performing essential jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians (EMT) and delivery drivers. On October 15, 2020, Mattel celebrated Fisher-Price's 90th anniversary by creating a virtual Toy Museum, which featured over 90 different exhibits created by artist, set designer and photographer Leila Fakouri. Mattel Creations also launched that month; is a content and e-commerce platform. Features select limited edition items made in collaboration with pop culture artists. The site's inaugural collection included the Artist Collaboration Collection, with the brands Barbie, Masters of the Universe, Hot Wheels and Magic 8-Ball, as well as such as artists Gianni Lee, Cristina Martinez, Travis Ragsdale and Distortedd.

Mattel agreed to purchased HIT Entertainment without the stake in the Sprout TV channel (formerly PBS Kids Sprout and now Universal Kids) from Apax Partners on October 25, 2011, for $680 million, which closed in 2011. On February 1, 2012, it is part of its Fisher-Price division. HIT Entertainment was absorbed by Mattel Creations (now Mattel Television) in 2016 and its intellectual property (IP) brands were shared equally between it and Mattel Films upon the latter's formation on September 6, 2018.

On the Mattel Creations website, we can find this text in reference to its history:

ON THE OUTSIDE, THE ONLY VISIBLE INDICATION OF WHAT WAS TO COME WERE THE WORDS"MATTEL CREATIONS"

It was an ordinary-looking sign hanging outside an ordinary-looking garage hidden in an industrial area down there. by the year 1945. But inside, its founders were already playing, experimenting and creating the future of the game.

Well, actually a lot. And his passion for harnessing imagination and creativity to inspire the world to play remains the same. Following the spirit of where it began All in all, they've created a place to share our love of gaming: Mattel Creations. This premier destination for collectors is where people from all over the world can explore (and get their hands on) the incredible toys and works of art they create.

This platform is a source of custom collectibles created for, and often designed by, fans who share our love and nostalgia for the incredible brands in the Mattel portfolio. It's an opportunity for everyone to relive their obsession with a story, character or toy they love.

Mattel Creations is more than a marketplace, it's a platform for community and content that can't be found anywhere else.

HERE, TOYS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ART.

Here We offer you precisely that:

Toys as art. Art inspired by toys.

On Barbiepedia you can find all Barbie dolls and other Barbie products designed by Mattel Creations and/or distributed on the Mattel Creations website. You can find them all in the Barbiepedia Catalog.