Editing Mattel (section)

===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]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Our Story|url=https://creations.mattel.com/pages/our-story|website=Mattel Creations|access-date=4 November 2021}}</ref><ref name="MCH">{{cite web|title=History {{!}} Mattel, Inc.|url=https://corporate.mattel.com/en-us/about/history|access-date=4 November 2020|website=Mattel Corporate}}</ref> The company name chosen is a [[portmanteau]] of the surname of Matson and first name of Elliot, with former chairman and CEO Bob Eckert revealing at a 2013 Christmas Day [[Palos Verdes Peninsula|Peninsula Seniors]] lecture that the founders, according to Elliot, could not fit Ruth's name into that of their company.<ref>{{cite AV media|date=9 September 2012|title=History of Mattel by Robert Eckert|publisher=[[YouTube]]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGwGljfOGD4|quote=See duration 2:10 until 2:22 for his words on the company's name.}}</ref> The company began selling picture frames and later dollhouse furniture out of the scraps from those frames. Matson sold his share and stake to the Handlers due to poor health the following year, with Ruth Handler taking over his stake.<ref name="idc" /> In 1947, the company had its first successful toy, a [[ukulele]] called "Uke-A-Doodle".<ref name="MCH" />

The company was incorporated in [[Hawthorne, California]] in 1948.<ref name="idc" /> In 1950, the [[Magic 8 Ball]], currently owned by Mattel themselves, was invented by Albert C. Carter and Abe Bookman.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kozelsky|first=Holly|date=February 7, 2020|title=Holly Kozelsky: The magic of having the right answers|url=https://martinsvillebulletin.com/opinion/columnists/holly-kozelsky-the-magic-of-having-the-right-answers/article_5b2c6fad-6d0f-52a6-9710-8dded8c6e028.html|website=Martinsville Bulletin|access-date=July 15, 2021}}</ref> Mattel started [[television advertisement|advertising on television]] when it became the first sponsor of the ''[[Mickey Mouse Club]]'' TV series.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=October 10, 1962|title=Corporations: All's Swell at Mattel|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,874558,00.html|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=July 15, 2021|issn=0040-781X}}</ref> The [[Fisher-Price]] [[Corn Popper]], and the [[Xylophone]] was released in 1957.<ref>{{cite web|last=Meisenzahl|first=Mary|title=Fisher-Price is putting a virtual toy museum on Instagram with 90 exhibits tapping into nostalgia for a new spin on experimental e-commerce — see inside|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/fisher-price-virtual-museum-with-vintage-toys-and-gift-shop-2020-10|website=[[Business Insider]]|access-date=September 17, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=June 18, 2020|title=Fisher-Price looks back at its 90-year history|url=https://tnp.media/news/fisher-price-looks-back-at-its-90-year-history/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917031811/https://tnp.media/news/fisher-price-looks-back-at-its-90-year-history/|archive-date=September 17, 2021|website=TNP.MEDIA|access-date=September 17, 2021}}</ref> Mattel would ultimately acquire Fisher-Price on August 20, 1993.<ref>{{cite web|last=Walters|first=Donna K. H.|date=August 20, 1993|title=Mattel to Buy Fisher-Price in $1-Billion Deal |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-20-mn-25728-story.html|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=September 17, 2021}}</ref> The [[Barbie]] doll debuted on March 9, 1959, going on to become the company's best-selling toy in history.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ruth Mosko Handler unveils Barbie Doll|url=http://jwa.org/thisweek/mar/09/1959/ruth-mosko-handler|publisher=Jewish Women's Archive|access-date=8 March 2014}}</ref> In 1960, Mattel introduced [[Chatty Cathy]], a talking doll that was voiced by [[June Foray]] and revolutionized the toy industry, leading to pull-string talking dolls and toys flooding the market throughout the 1960s and 1970s.<ref name="idc">{{cite web|title=Mattel, Inc. History|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/mattel-inc-history/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140602044245/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/mattel-inc-history/|archive-date=June 2, 2014|work=International Directory of Company Histories. Vol.61.|publisher=St. James Press (2000)|access-date=May 7, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Hines|first=Ree|date=July 27, 2017|title=June Foray, voice of Bullwinkle's Rocky and many more, dies at 99|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/june-foray-voice-bullwinkle-s-rocky-many-more-dies-99-t114345|website=[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]|access-date=August 26, 2021}}</ref> In 1961, Mattel introduced [[Ken (doll)|the Ken doll]].<ref>{{cite web|date=March 12, 2021|title=Barbie's friend Ken celebrates a milestone birthday: 60|url=https://www.kwqc.com/2021/03/12/barbies-friend-ken-celebrates-a-milestone-birthday-60/|access-date=May 1, 2021|website=[[KWQC-TV|KWQC TV 6]]}}</ref> The company went public in 1960 and became listed on the [[New York Stock Exchange]] 3 years later. Mattel also acquired a number of like-minded companies during the 1960s.<ref name=idc/>

The ''Barbie Dreamhouse'' made with cardboard and paper made its debut in 1962,<ref>{{cite web|last=Schlossberg|first=Mallory|date=November 22, 2017|title=See the Evolution of the Barbie Dreamhouse|url=https://www.redbookmag.com/life/friends-family/g13149021/barbie-dreamhouse-evolution/|website=Redbook|access-date=July 2, 2021}}</ref> when also the Astronaut Barbie, the first of many space-themed iterations of the doll, was introduced.<ref>{{cite web|date=5 August 2013|title=Barbie in Space: Iconic Doll's Astronaut Looks (Photos)|url=https://www.space.com/22240-barbie-space-doll-astronaut-photos.html|website=Space.com|access-date=July 29, 2021}}</ref> In 1965, the company built on its success with the Chatty Cathy doll to introduce the [[See 'n Say]] talking toy, spawning a line of products.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Townsend|first=Allie|date=February 16, 2011|title=All-TIME 100 Greatest Toys: See 'N Say|url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2049243_2048656_2049201,00.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623174214/http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2049243_2048656_2049201,00.html|archive-date=June 23, 2016|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=June 6, 2016}}</ref> Barbie traveled to the Moon four years before [[Neil Armstrong]] and [[Buzz Aldrin]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Holland|first=Brynn|title=Barbie Through the Ages|url=https://www.history.com/news/barbie-through-the-ages|access-date=29 July 2021|website=[[History (American TV network)|HISTORY]]|date=March 8, 2019}}</ref> In 1967, Mattel released a toy astronaut with space vehicles and a Moon base for boys, with a gumby-like central character named [[Major Matt Mason]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Lesaffre|first=Sévan|date=September 11, 2019|title=Major Matt Mason : Tom Hanks campera le jouet dans un film écrit par Akiva Goldsman|trans-title=Major Matt Mason: Tom Hanks will camp the toy in a film written by Akiva Goldsman|url=https://www.cinechronicle.com/2019/09/major-matt-mason-tom-hanks-campera-le-jouet-dans-un-film-ecrit-par-akiva-goldsman-122853/|website=CineChronicle|access-date=29 July 2021|language=fr-FR}}</ref>
[[File:Mattel logo.svg|thumb|Logo used from 1969 to 2019]]
On May 18, 1968, ''[[Hot Wheels]]'' was released to the market.<ref name="idc" /> Hot Wheels was invented by a team of Mattel inventors, which included a rocket scientist and a car designer.<ref>{{cite web|last=Miller|first=Aaron|title=16 Things You Didn't Know About Hot Wheels|url=https://www.thrillist.com/cars/16-things-you-didn-t-know-about-hot-wheels-history-facts-and-trivia|website=Thrillist|date=January 8, 2015 |access-date=August 26, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Mattel's Hot Wheels History – Where It All Started|url=http://hotwheelscentric.com/hot-wheels-history/|website=Hot Wheels Centric|access-date=August 26, 2021}}</ref> That year also saw another doll release, this time, Christie, Barbie's friend and the first black doll,<ref>{{cite web|last=Lakritz|first=Talia|date=August 9, 2020|title=Here's what Barbie looked like the year you were born|url=https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/hereaposs-what-barbie-looked-like-the-year-you-were-born/slidelist/77448457.cms|website=[[Business Insider]]|access-date=17 July 2021}}</ref> which in the following years and decades would spawn [[List of Barbie's friends and family|an endless line of Barbie-themed and branded family and friends]]. In 1969, Mattel changed the ''Mattel Creations'' and the "Mattel, Inc. – Toymakers" marketing brands to just ''Mattel'' and launched the "red sun" logo with the ''Mattel'' wordmark in all capitals for better identity. In 1970, Hot Wheels forged a sponsorship agreement with drag racing drivers [[Don Prudhomme|Don “The Snake” Prudhomme]] and [[Tom McEwen (drag racer)|Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen]].<ref name="HWS">{{Cite news|last=Huffman|first=John Pearley|date=August 5, 2012|title=A Rivalry That Helped Turn a Pastime Into a Profession|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/automobiles/rivalry-that-helped-turn-pastime-into-a-profession.html|access-date=October 21, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In addition to other marketing measures, the two racers’ cars, a yellow Barracuda and a red Duster, were reproduced as Hot Wheels toys.<ref name="HWS" />

In May 1970, Mattel formed a joint venture film production company "''Radnitz/Mattel Productions''" with producer [[Robert B. Radnitz]],<ref name="lat">{{cite news|last=Knapp|first=Dan|date=May 21, 1970|title=Mattel, Radnitz Join Hands|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/156485316|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001121851/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/doc/156485316.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=May%2021,%201970&author=&pub=Los%20Angeles%20Times&edition=&startpage=&desc=Mattel,%20Radnitz%20Join%20Hands|archive-date=October 1, 2017|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|location=[[El Segundo, California|El Segundo]], [[Los Angeles County, California]]|url-status=live|page=F13|id={{ProQuest|156485316}} }}</ref> which would kickstart Mattel's venture into full-time entertainment to accompany its most famed toy TV commercials,<ref>{{cite web |title=Very brief history of Mattel |url=https://dustinsvideogamearchive.weebly.com/intellivision.html |access-date=15 June 2021 |website=Dustin's Video Game Archives}}</ref> and later entered a multimillion-dollar partnership with Mehra Entertainment, whose CEO, Dr. Nishpeksh Padmamohan Mehra and Dr. Nishchal Shome, are Mattel's Inc.'s main directors for [[Barbie (film series)]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Intellivision |url=https://dustinsvideogamearchive.weebly.com/intellivision.html |website=DUSTIN'S RETRO GAMING ARCHIVE}}</ref>

The card game [[Uno (card game)|Uno]] (now stylized as ''UNO'') was invented by [[Merle Robbins]] in 1971,<ref>{{cite web|last=Conradt|first=Stacy|date=4 April 2016|title=We've All Been Playing Uno Wrong|url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/77914/weve-all-been-playing-uno-wrong|website=[[Mental Floss]]|access-date=3 September 2021}}</ref> and was acquired by Mattel in 1996.<ref>{{cite web|title=Uno|url=https://www.toyhalloffame.org/toys/uno|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903162728/https://www.toyhalloffame.org/toys/uno|archive-date=September 3, 2021|website=[[National Toy Hall of Fame]]|access-date=3 September 2021}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;clear:both;"
|-
! Acquisitions!! Year<ref name="idc" />
|-
| Dee & Cee Toy Co. Ltd.|| 1962
|-
| Standard Plastic Products, Inc.
|rowspan=3| 1966
|-
| Hong Kong Industrial Co., Ltd.
|-
| Precision Moulds, Ltd.
|-
| Rosebud Dolls Ltd. || 1967
|-
| Monogram Models, Inc.
|rowspan=2| 1968
|-
| A&A Die Casting Company
|-
| Ratti Vallensasca, Mebetoys, Ebiex S.A.
|rowspan=3|1969
|-
| H&H Plastics Co., Inc.
|-
| Meta frame Corp.
|-
| [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus]]<br>/[[Feld Entertainment|Feld Productions]] || 1971–1982
|-
| [[Ice Follies]]
|rowspan=2| 1979–1982
|-
| [[Holiday on Ice]]
|-
| [[Western Publishing]] || 1979
|-
| [[Corgi Toys]], Ltd. || 1989<ref>{{cite web|date=December 19, 1989|title=COMPANY NEWS; Mattel Sets Deal|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/19/business/company-news-mattel-sets-deal.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804131725/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/19/business/company-news-mattel-sets-deal.html|archive-date=August 4, 2016|website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=June 6, 2016}}</ref>
|-
| International Games || 1992<ref name="upi" />
|-
| [[Fisher-Price|Fisher-Price, Inc.]]|| 1993
|-
| [[Tyco Toys|Tyco Toys, Inc.]]|| 1997
|-
| Pleasant Company || 1998<ref name="idc" />
|-
| [[Bluebird Toys]] (original home of ''[[Polly Pocket]]'') || 1998
|-
| [[The Learning Company]] (formerly SoftKey) || 1999–2001<ref name="idc" />
|-
| [[Radica Games]] || 2006<ref name="acquisition">{{cite web |url=http://shareholder.com/mattel/news/20061003-213209.cfm |title=Mattel Inc.: Investor Relations |website=shareholder.com|access-date=21 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017133534/http://shareholder.com/mattel/news/20061003-213209.cfm |archive-date=17 October 2007 |date=3 October 2006}}</ref>
|-
| [[HIT Entertainment]] || 2012<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|date=24 October 2011|title=Barbie maker Mattel to buy Thomas the Tank Engine owner|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15430842|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131027102929/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15430842|archive-date=October 27, 2013|website=[[BBC News]]|access-date=25 October 2011}}</ref>
|-
| [[Mega Brands]] || 2014<ref name="fbs" />
|-
| Fuhu || 2016
|}

In 1971, Mattel purchased The [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus]] from [[Irvin Feld|the Feld family]] for $40 million, whom Mattel kept on as management.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Langdon|first=Dolly|title=''Lord of the Rings'' Irvin Feld Has Made a Fading Circus the Greatest Show on Earth Again|url=https://people.com/archive/lord-of-the-rings-irvin-feld-has-made-a-fading-circus-the-greatest-show-on-earth-again-vol-13-no-19/|access-date=February 16, 2022|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=May 12, 1980|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920024435/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20076452,00.html|archive-date=September 20, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Mattel sold the circus corporation by December 1973 although it was profitable; Mattel showed a $29.9 million loss in 1972.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Brown|first1=Lonnie|last2=Fiero|first2=Peter|title=Mattel Selling Circus World|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19731219&id=nmdYAAAAIBAJ&pg=6298,5774725&hl=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019191901/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19731219&id=nmdYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ePoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6298,5774725&hl=en|archive-date=October 19, 2015|work=Lakeland Ledger; [[news aggregation|aggregated]] by [[Google News]]|publisher=[[The New York Times Company]]|issue=64|date=December 19, 1973|volume=67|pages=1A, 7A|access-date=August 4, 2015}}</ref>

In 1974, an investigation found Mattel guilty of issuing false and misleading financial reports, which led to the banishing of Elliot and Ruth Handler from the company they had founded.<ref name= "idc"/>