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Mattel
Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, Ruth and Elliot Handler in January 1945, Mattel has a presence in 35 countries and territories; its products are sold in more than 150 countries. It is the world's second largest toy maker in terms of revenue, after the Lego Group. Two of its historic and most valuable brands, Barbie and Hot Wheels, were respectively named the top global toy property and the top-selling global toy of the year for 2020 and 2021 by the NPD Group, a global information research company. History Origins and early years Businessman Harold "Matt" Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Elliot and Ruth Handler, Ruth Handler founded Mattel as Mattel Creations in January 1945 in a garage in Los Angeles. The company name chosen is a portmanteau of the surname of Mat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Handler had purchased while in Europe. The figurehead of an eponymous brand that includes a range of fashion dolls and accessories, Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for over six decades. Mattel has sold over a billion Barbie dolls, making it the company's largest and most profitable line. The brand has expanded into Barbie (media franchise), a multimedia franchise since 1984, including video games, List of Barbie films, animated films, television/web series, and a Barbie (film), live-action film. Barbie and her male counterpart, Ken (doll), Ken, have been described as the two most popular dolls in the world. Mattel generates a large portion of Barbie's revenue through related merchandising, merchandise —access ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ynon Kreiz
Ynon Kreiz () is an Israeli-American businessman and current chairman and CEO of Mattel.. He served as chairman and CEO of Fox Kids Europe from 1997–2002, chairman and CEO of television and digital production company Endemol from 2008 to 2011, and as chairman, CEO and president of web video network Maker Studios, Inc. from 2012 to 2016. Early life and education Born and raised in Israel, Kreiz earned a BA in economics and management from Tel Aviv University in 1991. He then moved to Los Angeles, California to attend graduate school and in 1993 received an M.B.A. from UCLA's Anderson School of Management. Career Fox Kids Europe While at UCLA, Kreiz met American-Israeli media mogul Haim Saban whom he joined in 1994 as a business partner. In 1996 Kreiz moved to London to launch children's television network Fox Kids Europe, a joint venture with Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. From 1997-2002 Kreiz served as chairman and CEO of Fox Kids Europe. During his tenure, Fox ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barney (franchise)
''Barney'' is an American children's media franchise created by Sheryl Leach, Kathryn O'Rourke Parker, and Dennis DeShazer, and currently owned by Mattel. It centers around the titular character Barney, a purple anthropomorphic ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' who conveys educational messages through songs and small dance routines with a friendly, huggable and optimistic attitude. The franchise consists of three series: '' Barney & the Backyard Gang'' (1988—1991), a direct-to-video series consisting of only eight episodes; ''Barney & Friends'' (1992—2010), a television series that ran on PBS Kids; and '' Barney's World'' (2024–present), a fully computer-animated series airing on Cartoon Network's Cartoonito, and which is currently streaming on Max. A film adaptation, ''Barney's Great Adventure'', was released theatrically in 1998, and a second film is in production at Mattel Films and A24. The franchise is currently distributed by 9 Story Media Group, under license from Mattel Televis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Girl
American Girl is an American line of dolls released on May 5, 1986, by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old girls of various ethnicities, faiths, nationalities, and social classes throughout different time periods throughout history. They are sold with accompanying books told from the viewpoint of the girls. Originally the stories focused on various periods of American history, but were expanded to include characters and stories from contemporary life. Aside from the original American Girl dolls, buyers also have the option to purchase ''Truly Me'' dolls, which vary by eye color, face mold, skin color, hair texture, and hair length. A variety of related clothing and accessories is also available. A service for ordering a custom-made doll with features and clothing specified by the owner dubbed ''Create Your Own'', was introduced in 2017. Pleasant Company was founded in 1986 by Pleasant Rowland in Middleton, Wisconsin, and its products were originall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elliot Handler
Isadore Elliot Handler (April 9, 1916 – July 21, 2011) was an American inventor, business magnate, and the co-founder of Mattel. With his wife, Ruth Handler, he developed some of the biggest-selling toys in American history, including Barbie, Chatty Cathy, Creepy Crawlers, and Hot Wheels. Early life Isadore "Izzy" Elliot Handler was born to a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois, on April 9, 1916. Handler's parents were Ukrainian Jews who largely spoke Yiddish within their household. The family moved out of Chicago, and Handler grew up on the west side of Denver, Colorado.''Jewish Telegraph'': "The Eulogizer: Elliot Handler, Ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ruth Handler
Ruth Marianna Handler (née Mosko; November 4, 1916 – April 27, 2002) was an American business magnate and inventor. She is best known for inventing the Barbie doll in 1959 and being co-founder of toy manufacturer Mattel with her husband Elliot, as well as serving as the company's first president from 1945 to 1975. The Handlers were forced to resign from Mattel in 1975 after the Securities and Exchange Commission investigated the company for falsifying financial documents. Handler was prominently characterized in the 2023 film ''Barbie''. Early life Ruth Marianna Mosko was born on November 4, 1916 in Denver, Colorado, to Polish-Jewish immigrants Jacob Moskowicz, a blacksmith and Ida Moskowicz (née-Rubenstein). She was the youngest of ten children. When she was six months old, her parents sent her to live with her older sister Sarah. She stayed with Sarah until she was 19 and developed an enthusiasm for business by working at Sarah’s drugstore/soda fountain. In 1932, Ru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Action Figures
An action figure is a poseable character (arts), character model figure made most commonly of plastic, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, military, video game, television program, or sport; fictional or historical. These figures are usually marketing, marketed toward boys and adult collectors. The term was coined by Hasbro in 1964 to market G.I. Joe to boys (while competitors called similar offerings ''boy's dolls''). According to a 2005 study in Sweden, action figures which display traditional Masculinity, masculine traits primarily target boys. While most commonly marketed as a child's toy, the action figure has gained widespread acceptance as collecting, collector item for adults. In such a case, the item may be produced and designed on the assumption it will be bought solely for display as a collectible and not played with like a child's toy. History Precursors Articulated dolls go back to at least 200 BCE, with articulated clay and wooden dolls of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
El Segundo, California
El Segundo ( , ; ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments. The population was 17,272 as of the 2020 census, a 3.7% increase from 16,654 in the 2010 census. A significant center of the oil and aerospace industries in Southern California, roughly three quarters of the city's land is dedicated exclusively to industrial and commercial uses, including a Chevron oil refinery which alone takes up more than a quarter of the entire city. History The El Segundo and Los Angeles coastal area was first settled by the Tongva (or Gabrieleños) Native American tribes. The area was once a part of '' Rancho Sausal Redondo'' ("Round Willow Patch Ranch"). Rancho Sausal Redondo extended from Playa Del Rey in the north to Redondo Beach in the south. Originally a Mexican land grant owned by Antonio Ygnacio Avila, the rancho was later purchased by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob The Builder
''Bob the Builder'' is a British animated children's television series created by Keith Chapman for HIT Entertainment which ran from to in the United Kingdom through the CBBC strand and later CBeebies. The series centres on the adventures and escapades of a general contractor named Bob who owns a team of anthropomorphised construction vehicles that go about their day helping out with construction work in several towns. The show used stop-motion animation for most of the series as well as ''Project: Build It'', provided by Hot Animation in Manchester. The series changed to CGI animation in 2010 for its final two seasons; titled ''Ready, Steady, Build!'', of which SD Entertainment completed animation production. Following the series' conclusion, HIT Entertainment was purchased by US toy company Mattel for $680 million. In October 2014, the company announced a new series that would feature changes in the setting, casting and character designs. The revival aired on Cha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toy Car
A model car, or toy car, is a miniature representation of an automobile. Other miniature motor vehicles, such as trucks, buses, or even ATVs, etc. are often included in this general category. Because many miniature vehicles were originally aimed at children as playthings, there is no precise difference between a model car and a toy car, yet the word 'model' implies either assembly required or the accurate rendering of an actual vehicle at smaller scale. The kit building hobby became popular through the 1950s, while the collecting of miniatures by adults started to gain momentum around 1970. Precision-detailed miniatures made specifically for adults are a significant part of the market since the mid-1980s. The scope of the vehicles involved in the hobby, according to Louis Heilbroner Hertz author of ''The Complete Book of Building and Collecting Model Automobiles'', encompasses "ordinary or stock automobiles, racing cars ( .., buses, trucks, specialized service vehicles (espe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toy Industry
A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pets. Toys can provide utilitarian benefits, including physical exercise, cultural awareness, or academic education. Additionally, utilitarian objects, especially those which are no longer needed for their original purpose, can be used as toys. Examples include children building a fort with empty cereal boxes and tissue paper spools, or a toddler playing with a broken TV remote. The term "toy" can also be used to refer to utilitarian objects purchased for enjoyment rather than need, or for expensive necessities for which a large fraction of the cost represents its ability to provide enjoyment to the owner, such as luxury cars, high-end motorcycles, gaming computers, and flagship smartphones. Playing with toys can be an enjoyable way of trai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
