Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business.
Throughout this report "Mattel" refers to Mattel, Inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries. Mattel is a leading global toy and family entertainment company and owner of one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world. Mattel creates innovative products and experiences that inspire fans, entertain audiences, and develop children through play. Mattel is focused on the following strategy to grow its intellectual property ("IP") driven toy business and expand its entertainment offering:
• Grow toy business profitably through scaling Mattel's portfolio, optimizing operations, evolving demand creation, and growing franchise brands; and
• Expand entertainment offering to capture the full value of Mattel's IP outside the toy aisle in highly accretive business verticals, by growing franchise brands and accelerating content, consumer products, and digital and live experiences.
Mattel is the owner of a portfolio of iconic brands and partners with global entertainment companies to license other IP. Mattel's portfolio of owned and licensed brands and products are organized into the following categories:
Dolls —including brands such as Barbie , American Girl , Disney Princess , Disney Frozen , Monster High, and Polly Pocket . Mattel's Dolls portfolio is driven by the flagship Barbie brand and a collection of complementary brands offered globally. Empowering girls since 1959, Barbie has inspired the limitless potential of every girl by showing them that they can be anything. Monster High , a character-driven franchise, engages fans of all ages, encouraging them to be their authentic selves and celebrate what makes them unique. American Girl , with an extensive portfolio of dolls and accessories, content, gaming, and lifestyle products, is best known for imparting valuable life lessons that instill confidence through its inspiring dolls and books, featuring characters from past and present.
Infant, Toddler, and Preschool —including brands such as Fisher-Price (including Little People and Fisher-Price Wood ), Imaginext , and Thomas & Friends . As a leader in play and child development, Fisher-Price is dedicated to giving families the best possible start to life by making the most fun, enriching products for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Thomas & Friends is an award-winning preschool train brand franchise that lays the tracks to inspire, entertain, and develop young train fans through toys, content, live events, and other consumer products.
In the first quarter of 2024, Mattel further divided its Infant, Toddler, and Preschool category into three subcategories. The first subcategory is Fisher-Price , the power brand, which includes the core Infant, Little People , and Newborn product lines, as well as the recently launched Fisher-Price Wood product line. The second subcategory is Preschool Entertainment, which includes owned IP such as Thomas & Friends and Barney , Mattel's character based Imaginext line, and partner entertainment brands. The third subcategory is Baby Gear and Power Wheels , in which Mattel is strategically out-licensing or exiting certain product lines.
Vehicles —including brands such as Hot Wheels (including Hot Wheels Monster Trucks and Hot Wheels RC ), Matchbox , and Cars ( Disney Pixar ). In production for over 50 years, Hot Wheels continues to push the limits of performance and design, and ignites and nurtures the challenger spirit of kids, adults, and collectors. From die-cast vehicles to tracks, playsets, and accessories, the Mattel Vehicles portfolio has broad appeal that engages and excites fans of all ages.
Action Figures, Building Sets, Games, and Other —including brands such as Masters of the Universe , MEGA , UNO , Jurassic World ( NBCUniversal ), Minecraft ( Microsoft ), WWE , and Star War s ( Disney's Lucasfilm ). Mattel's Action Figures portfolio is comprised of product lines associated with licensed entertainment franchises, such as Jurassic World and WWE , as well as product lines from Mattel-owned IP, such as Masters of the Universe . As the challenger brand in Building Sets, MEGA inspires creativity through authentic building experiences for builders of all ages and fans of global franchises. Within Games, UNO is the classic matching card game that is easy to learn and fast fun for everyone. Other includes Plush, which contains products associated with movie releases from licensed entertainment franchises, as well as Mattel-owned IP.
Business Segments
In the first quarter of 2024, Mattel implemented an organizational change integrating the American Girl business into Mattel's North America commercial organization, which resulted in a change to Mattel's operating and reportable segments. Mattel's new reportable segments are: (i) North America and (ii) International. The prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. The North America and International segments sell products across Mattel's categories, although some products are developed and adapted for particular international markets, and American Girl products are sold only in North America.
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For additional information on Mattel's worldwide gross billings by brand category, see Part II, Item 7 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Results of Operations."
North America Segment
The North America segment markets and sells toys and consumer products in the United States and Canada across all of Mattel's categories.
Dolls
Barbie continues to deliver innovation, purpose-driven marketing campaigns, and engaging toys connected to a strong system of play. Barbie has broad product offerings, with product lines designed to appeal to children of multiple age groups, complemented by a Barbie Signature line with high-quality dolls that appeal to fans of all ages. In 2025, Barbie will continue to inspire multi-generational fans by delivering new products and captivating experiences through the year-long Limitless Possibilities marketing campaign, which Mattel expects will further amplify the franchise's impact globally.
Mattel is also excited to build upon its strong partnerships with Disney for the Disney Princess and Disney Frozen product lines. Monster High will look to build upon the success of its global re-launch, including planned new content and product offerings.
American Girl is a direct marketer, retailer, and children's publisher dedicated to its mission to help girls grow up with courage, confidence, and strength of character. In 2025, American Girl looks to build on its momentum from 2024 with quality product drops, multiplatform content launches, immersive omnichannel experiences, and new promotional campaigns geared towards kids, shoppers, and adult fans.
Infant, Toddler, and Preschool
In 2025, Fisher-Price will continue its focus on engaging consumers as a trusted partner for families with infants, toddlers and preschoolers, and remain dedicated to giving families the best possible start to life. Consumer-centric innovation will continue to drive new product offerings across the portfolio. Fisher-Price Wood will continue to expand globally, leveraging popular themes and trend-based aesthetics, while Little People will look to build on its strong momentum with the expansion of the Little People Core line and Little People Collector line. Thomas & Friends will be celebrating its 80 th anniversary with numerous activations throughout the year and also launch exciting new products with classic characters and train play.
Vehicles
In 2025, industry leader Hot Wheels expects to continue its strong momentum as a multigenerational franchise with consumer interest that remains at historic highs. Hot Wheels product offerings are expected to excite consumers with innovation in both die-cast vehicles and tracks and playsets. These offerings will be supported by the animated children's series on Netflix, Hot Wheels Let ' s Race , and the new exciting partnership with Formula 1 , bringing fans of the sport a full range of Hot Wheels products. Hot Wheels also seeks to further expand die-cast vehicle distribution, targeting fans of all ages.
Die-cast pioneer Matchbox expects to continue to bring exciting new products to market, including new sustainable die-cast products and toys tied to the theatrical release of NBCUniversal ' s Jurassic World: Rebirth .
Mattel will continue to partner with Disney Pixar for Cars to drive innovation, including fresh new product offerings to support key promotional events in 2025.
Action Figures, Building Sets, Games, and Other
Mattel Action Figures will continue to collaborate with key licensor partners, such as Disney Pixar , Microsoft , NBCUniversal , and WWE to bring innovative products to the global marketplace. Mattel's 2025 Action Figures product lines will include toys tied to theatrical releases for NBCUniversal ' s Jurassic World: Rebirth and Microsoft ' s Minecraft ( Minecraft the Movie ), as well as new releases within Masters of the Universe and WWE .
In Building Sets, MEGA inspires creativity through authentic building experiences for builders of all ages and fans of global franchises. Partnerships with some of the world's top franchises, including Pokémon , invite consumers to try MEGA building sets, while innovative building play, authentic details, compatible quality, and accessible value encourages consumers to stay in the MEGA building set collection. Parents of preschoolers can continue to discover how the MEGA Bloks preschool building system enhances playtime and early childhood development beyond the Big Building Bag.
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Mattel Games consists of some of the most beloved Games IP in the world including UNO , Pictionary , Skip-Bo , Phase-10, Blokus , and many others. Mattel will focus on its expansion of Games into its direct-to-consumer business, collectability, and innovation. Additionally, Mattel expects to introduce new game extensions and partnerships that celebrate pop culture.
International Segment
Products marketed and sold by the International segment are generally the same as those marketed and sold by the North America segment, although some are developed or adapted for particular international markets. Mattel's products are sold directly to retailers and wholesalers in most European, Latin American, and Asian countries, in Australia and New Zealand, and through agents and distributors in those countries where Mattel has no direct presence. No individual country within the International segment exceeded 7% of worldwide consolidated net sales during 2024.
Competition and Industry Background
Mattel is a worldwide leader in the manufacture, marketing, and sale of toys, games, and other products related to play, entertainment, learning, and development. Competition in the toy industry is based primarily on quality, play value, brands, and price. Mattel offers a wide range of products for children, fans of all ages, and families that include, among others, toys for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, toys for school-aged children, dolls, vehicles, action figures, building sets, games, including digital, puzzles, plush, educational toys, technology-related products, media-driven products, and fashion-related items. The North America segment competes with several large toy companies, including Hasbro, Jazwares, LEGO, the Pokémon Company, Spin Master, many smaller toy companies, and manufacturers of digital games and consumer electronics. The North America segment also includes American Girl products which compete with companies that manufacture dolls and accessories, and with children's book publishers and retailers. The International segment competes with global toy companies including Hasbro, Jazwares, LEGO, the Pokémon Company, Spin Master, other national and regional toy companies, and manufacturers of digital games and consumer electronics. Foreign regions may include competitors that are strong in a particular toy line or geographical area but do not compete with Mattel or other international toy companies worldwide.
There is increasing competition among the above companies due to trends towards shorter life cycles for individual toy products, the phenomenon of children outgrowing toys at younger ages, an increasing use of more sophisticated technology in toys, including machine learning and artificial intelligence ("AI"), and an evolving path to purchase for consumers. In addition, Mattel competes with companies that sell non-toy products, such as electronic consumer products, digital games, as well as content and other entertainment companies. Competition continues to be heavily influenced by the fact that a small number of retailers account for a large portion of all toy sales, allocate the shelf space from which toys are viewed, and have direct contact with parents and children through in-store and online purchases. Such retailers can and do promote their own private-label toys, facilitate the sale of competitors' toys, showcase toys online based on proprietary algorithms, and allocate shelf space to one type of toy over another. Online distributors are able to promote a wide variety of toys and represent a wide variety of toy manufacturers.
Seasonality
Mattel's business is highly seasonal, with consumers making a large percentage of all toy purchases during the traditional holiday season. A significant portion of retailer purchasing typically occurs in the third and fourth quarters of the year in anticipation of holiday buying. These seasonal purchasing patterns and requisite production lead times create risk to Mattel's business associated with the underproduction of popular toys and the overproduction of less popular toys that do not match consumer demand. The seasonality of Mattel's business increases the risk that Mattel may not be able to meet demand for certain products at peak demand times or that Mattel's own inventory levels may be adversely impacted by the need to pre-build products before orders are placed. In addition, this seasonality may cause Mattel's sales to vary significantly from period to period.
In anticipation of retail sales during the traditional holiday season, Mattel significantly increases its production in advance of the peak selling period, resulting in a corresponding build-up of inventory levels in the first three quarters of the year. Additionally, seasonal shipping patterns generally result in significant increases in accounts receivable during the third and fourth quarters of the year. The elevated accounts receivable and inventory levels may result in seasonal working capital financing requirements.
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Sales
Mattel's products are sold throughout the world. Products within the North America segment include products sold directly to retailers, including omnichannel retailers, discount and free-standing toy stores, chain stores, department stores, other retail outlets, and, to a limited extent, wholesalers. Mattel also operates small retail outlets at certain corporate offices as a service to its employees and as an outlet for its products. The North America segment also includes American Girl products and its children's publications, which are sold directly to consumers and select retailers in the United States. Mattel has retail space in Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; and New York, New York for its flagship American Girl stores, and in four other cities across the United States for its American Girl boutique stores. Products within the International segment are sold directly to retailers and wholesalers in most European, Latin American, and Asian countries, in Australia and New Zealand, and through agents and distributors in those countries where Mattel has no direct presence. Mattel also has retail outlets in Latin America that serve as outlets for its products. Additionally, Mattel sells certain of its products directly to consumers through its e-commerce platform and various third-party e-commerce channels.
During 2024, Mattel's three largest customers (Walmart at $1.17 billion, Target at $0.68 billion, and Amazon at $0.51 billion) accounted for approximately 44% of worldwide consolidated net sales. During 2023, Mattel's three largest customers (Walmart at $1.13 billion, Target at $0.67 billion, and Amazon at $0.60 billion) accounted for approximately 44% of worldwide consolidated net sales. Within countries in the International segment, there is also a concentration of sales to certain large customers that do not operate in the United States, none of which exceeded 10% of worldwide consolidated net sales. The customers and the degree of concentration vary depending upon the region or nation. See Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors" and Part II, Item 8 "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 14 to the Consolidated Financial Statements—Segment Information."
License Agreements
Mattel has license agreements with third parties that permit Mattel to utilize the trademark, characters, or inventions of the licensor in products that Mattel sells. A number of these licenses relate to product lines that are significant to Mattel's business and operations.
Mattel has entered into agreements to license entertainment properties, including among others, Disney Consumer Products (including Disney Princess and Disney Frozen, Star Wars, Disney Pixar (including Cars and Toy Story ) and certain other Disney films and television properties), NBCUniversal (including Jurassic World, Wicked, and Fast and Furious ), Warner Bros. (including DC Universe and Harry Potter ), Microsoft (including Minecraft and Halo ), WWE, Pokémon, and Paramount (relating to its Nickelodeon properties).
Royalty expense for 2024, 2023, and 2022 was $244.1 million, $249.8 million, and $230.8 million, respectively. See Part II, Item 7 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Commitments" and Part II, Item 8 "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements—Commitments and Contingencies."
Mattel licenses a number of its trademarks and other property rights to others for use in connection with the sale of their products.
Trademarks, Copyrights, and Patents
Most of Mattel's products are sold under and are associated with trademarks, trade names, and copyrights, and some of these products incorporate devices or designs for which patent protection has been, or is being, pursued. Trademarks, copyrights, and patents are significant assets of Mattel in that they provide product recognition, acceptance, and exclusive rights to Mattel's innovations around the world.
Mattel customarily seeks trademark, copyright, and/or patent protection covering its products, and it owns or has applications pending or registrations for U.S. and foreign trademarks, copyrights, and patents covering many of its products. Although a number of these trademarks, copyrights, and patents relate to product lines that are significant to Mattel's business and operations, Mattel does not believe it is dependent on a single trademark, copyright, or patent. Mattel believes its rights to these properties are adequately protected, but there can be no assurance that its rights can be successfully asserted in the future or will not be invalidated, circumvented, or challenged.
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Manufacturing and Materials
Mattel manufactures toy products for all segments in both company-owned facilities and through third-party manufacturers. Products are also purchased from unrelated entities that design, develop, and manufacture those products. To provide greater flexibility in the manufacture and delivery of its products, and as part of a continuing effort to reduce manufacturing costs, Mattel has concentrated production of most of its core products in company-owned facilities and generally uses third-party manufacturers for the production of non-core products.
Mattel's principal manufacturing facilities are located in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, and Thailand. In conjunction with Mattel's cost savings programs, Mattel discontinued production at a plant located in China in 2024 and intends to discontinue production at another plant located in China in 2025. To help avoid disruption of its product supply due to political instability, civil unrest, future pandemics or other health crises, economic instability, changes in government policies or regulations, including tariffs, trade restrictions, or trade barriers, natural and manmade disasters, and other risks, Mattel produces its products in various facilities across multiple countries. Mattel believes that the existing production capacity at its owned and third-party manufacturers' facilities is sufficient to handle expected volume for the foreseeable future.
Mattel bases its production schedules for toy products on customer orders and forecasts, taking into account historical trends, results of market research, and current market information. Actual shipments of products ordered and order cancellation rates are affected by consumer acceptance of product lines, strength of competing products, marketing strategies of retailers, changes in buying patterns of both retailers and consumers, and overall economic conditions. Unexpected changes in these factors could result in a lack of product availability or excess inventory in a particular product line.
The majority of Mattel's raw materials are available from numerous suppliers but may be subject to fluctuations in price. See Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors."
Advertising and Promotion
Mattel supports its product lines with extensive advertising and consumer promotions. Advertising takes place at varying levels throughout the year and peaks during the traditional holiday season. Advertising includes television commercials, social media, catalogs, and internet advertisements. Promotions include in-store displays, merchandising materials, major events focusing on products, and tie-ins with various consumer products companies.
During 2024, 2023, and 2022, Mattel incurred advertising and promotion expenses of $507.3 million (9.4% of net sales), $524.8 million (9.6% of net sales), and $534.3 million (9.8% of net sales), respectively.
Financial Instruments
Currency exchange rate fluctuations may impact Mattel's results of operations and cash flows. Mattel seeks to mitigate its exposure to foreign currency exchange risk by monitoring its foreign currency transaction exposure for the year and partially hedging such exposure using foreign currency forward exchange contracts primarily to hedge its purchase and sale of inventory and other intercompany transactions denominated in foreign currencies. These contracts have maturity dates of up to 24 months. In addition, Mattel manages its exposure to currency exchange rate fluctuations through the selection of currencies used for international borrowings. Mattel does not trade in financial instruments for speculative purposes.
For additional information regarding foreign currency contracts, see Part II, Item 7A "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk" and Part II, Item 8 "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements—Derivative Instruments."
Government Regulations
Mattel's products sold in the United States are subject to the provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Act, as amended by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, and the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, and may also be subject to the requirements of the Flammable Fabrics Act or the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act and the regulations promulgated pursuant to such statutes. These statutes and the related regulations ban from the market consumer products that fail to comply with applicable product safety laws, regulations, and standards. The Consumer Product Safety Commission may require the recall, repurchase, replacement, or repair of any such banned products or products that otherwise create a substantial risk of injury and may seek penalties for regulatory noncompliance under certain circumstances. Similar laws exist in some U.S. states. Mattel believes that it is in substantial compliance with these federal and state laws and regulations.
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Mattel's products sold worldwide are subject to the provisions of similar laws and regulations in many jurisdictions, including the European Union ("EU") and Canada. Mattel believes that it is in substantial compliance with these laws and regulations.
Mattel maintains a quality control program to help ensure compliance with applicable product safety requirements. Nonetheless, Mattel has experienced, and may in the future experience, issues in products that result in recalls, withdrawals, or replacements of products. A product recall could have a material adverse effect on Mattel's business, financial condition, and results of operations, depending on the product affected by the recall and the extent of the recall efforts required. A product recall could also negatively affect Mattel's reputation and the sales of other Mattel products. See Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors."
Mattel's advertising and promotion activities are subject to the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Children's Television Act of 1990 and may also be subject to other rules and regulations promulgated by the Federal Trade Commission, and the Federal Communications Commission, as well as laws of certain countries that regulate advertising, advertising to children, and related activities. In addition, Mattel's web-based products and services and other online and digital communications activity are or may be subject to U.S. and foreign privacy-related regulations, including the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 and the EU General Data Protection Regulation and related national regulations. Privacy-related laws also exist in some U.S. states, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, and other state laws that are in effect, or are yet to take effect. Mattel believes that it is in substantial compliance with these laws and regulations.
Mattel's worldwide operations are subject to the requirements of various environmental laws and regulations in the jurisdictions where those operations are located. Mattel believes that it is in substantial compliance with these laws and regulations. Mattel's operations are from time to time the subject of investigations, conferences, discussions, and negotiations with various federal, state, and local environmental agencies within and outside the United States with respect to the discharge or cleanup of hazardous waste. Mattel is not aware of any material cleanup liabilities. In addition, Mattel continues to monitor existing and pending environmental laws and regulations within the United States and elsewhere related to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.
Mattel is subject to various other federal, state, local, and international laws and regulations applicable to its business. Mattel believes that it is in substantial compliance with these laws and regulations.
Human Capital
As of December 31, 2024, Mattel had approximately 34,000 employees (including temporary and seasonal employees) working in over 37 countries worldwide to create innovative products and experiences that inspire fans, entertain audiences, and develop children through play. Approximately 29,600 employees (86% of the total workforce) are located outside the United States, with a significant global manufacturing labor workforce of approximately 25,100 employees. The remaining workforce focuses on design, marketing, sales, finance, and other aspects of Mattel's business.
Mattel believes recruiting, developing, and motivating a talented global workforce are important to its long-term growth and success. Through Mattel's focus on employee engagement, equal employment opportunity, training and development, health and safety, and employee well-being, Mattel endeavors to create a supportive and rewarding environment where employees are encouraged to collaborate, innovate, and grow. Mattel's Board of Directors, Compensation Committee, and Governance and Social Responsibility Committee are involved in the oversight of how the company fosters its culture and receive regular updates on Mattel's workforce management.
Mattel was ranked among Forbes 2024 World's Best Employers; named to Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2024 and Best Workplaces for Innovators in 2024; recognized by Newsweek as one of the World's Most Trustworthy Companies of 2024; honored by TIME as one of America's Best Mid-Size Companies of 2024; named to Computerworld's 2024 Best Places to Work in IT; and certified as a Great Place to Work in multiple countries.
Workplace Culture
Mattel is committed to fostering a culture where all employees have the opportunity to realize their full potential. Management regularly collects feedback to measure employee engagement and job satisfaction on an ongoing basis through its annual global engagement survey, which is used to help improve the employee experience and strengthen its workplace culture. Mattel values a wide range of ideas and voices that help evolve and broaden its perspectives, with a reach that extends to consumers, customers, business partners, and suppliers.
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Employee Development and Well-Being
Mattel believes continuously developing skills and capabilities for the future is essential to operating as an IP-driven, high-performing toy and family entertainment company. Additionally, offering the opportunity for employees to continuously learn and grow their careers at Mattel is a key driver of its employee engagement strategy. Around the globe, employees at all levels participate in a variety of online classes and instructor-led training, including professional development, management development, and technical training.
Mattel is focused on creating a safe and healthy workplace for all of its employees. This is reflected in a comprehensive set of standards and oversight processes that establish Mattel's expectations for responsible working conditions, environmental protections, social compliance, health, and safety in both its own manufacturing facilities and those of its supply chain partners.
Mattel offers several benefits to promote employee well-being, including paid time off, health and welfare insurance options, retirement plans, and basic and supplemental employee life insurance for eligible individuals.
Available Information
Mattel files its Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, Proxy Statements, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), with the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet website that contains reports, proxy, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov .
Mattel's internet website address is http://corporate.mattel.com . Mattel makes available on its internet website, free of charge, its Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, Proxy Statements, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.