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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Mattel

Mattel stories: 32 news summaries

1 - 20 of 32 Stories | 1 2 Next >>

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 Critics: New 
 Black Barbie 
 Not Black 
 Enough 

But fans say black women come in all 'shades, shapes, varieties'

Oct 22, 09 2:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - Mattel's new black Barbie dolls are more than just white dolls with a paint job—which is what the toy company tried last time. But some critics still say Mattel hasn't gone far enough. The trio of Barbies have features like fuller lips and wider noses, but some complain that... More »

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African Americans • Mattel • Barbie • doll • women's issues

 Barbie Braces for Doll Wars 

Upstarts move in while Mattel hits back

Oct 21, 09 2:02 PM CDT
(Newser) - Barbie remains the best-selling doll in the world, but she's in a dogfight. Mattel is banking on a new iteration—complete with 12 movable joints—called “Fashionista Barbie” to combat incursions from the likes of Spin Master's “Liv” dolls, and MGA’s “Moxie Girlz.” The Wall ... More »

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children • toys • Mattel • Barbie • dolls • fashionista • Moxie Girlz

 Think Hard: 
 Telekinetic Toys 
 On Their Way 

Concentration 'magically' lifts ball in tube

Apr 23, 09 12:24 PM CDT
(Newser) - Two companies are set to release toys this fall that kids can operate using only their minds—and that’s just the beginning of a telekinetic revolution, experts say. To use one toy, intrigued individuals wear a headset and concentrate on anything. The toy senses the brain’s electrical activity... More »

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technology • toys • mind • Mattel • neurons • gadget • telekinesis

 Barbie Busts Out in Shanghai 

Hit Shanghai megastore sells 'Barbie lifestyle' to adult women

Apr 6, 09 8:39 AM CDT
(Newser) - Mattel is seeking to make up for slowing Barbie sales elsewhere with an aggressive push for Chinese consumers—and not just girls, reports the Washington Post. The company has opened a 6-story flagship store in Shanghai, offering a top-end clothing line and a luxury spa to appeal to professional women... More »

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China • Mattel • Barbie • Shanghai • doll

Relax, Parents: Tween Dora Still 'Wholesome'

New doll of beloved character had sparked short-skirt concerns

Mar 17, 09 2:52 PM CDT
(Newser) - Dora the Explorer is getting a tween update in a new doll, which trades her baby fat for a more girly, urban look, Hispanic Business reports. After concerns were sparked by a silhouette preview of the doll sporting a very short dress, parents can breathe a sigh of relief: the... More »

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television • children • toys • Mattel • Nickelodeon • teenager • children's show • doll • Dora the Explorer • tween

W. Va. Considers Banning Barbie on 50th Birthday

Lawmaker seeks to switch emphasis from beauty to brains

Mar 5, 09 2:25 AM CST
(Newser) - A West Virginia lawmaker wants to boot Barbie and dolls like her from store shelves before the famous babe celebrates her 50th birthday next week, reports Fox News. Banning the dolls would send a message to children and adults that education is more important than physical beauty, said the lawmaker.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
toys • Mattel • Barbie • West Virginia • doll

 Barbie's 
 Secret: 
 Creator Was 
 Kinky Swinger 

New book looks at man behind the doll

Jan 9, 09 11:53 AM CST
(Newser) - If you always thought Barbies were a little creepy, this might be why. The doll's creator was a "full-blown seventies-style swinger" with "a manic need for sexual gratification," a new book reveals. Jack Ryan, who was once married to Zsa Zsa Gabor, held orgies at his LA... More »

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Mattel • Barbie • book • swingers • Jack Ryan • wowOwow

 Mattel Plans Edgier Barbie 

Company aims to win back tweens by bringing Barbie back to fashion world

Dec 24, 08 6:27 AM CST
(Newser) - Barbie turns 50 next year and Mattel plans some big changes for the perpetual teenager, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company has been steadily losing girls aged 8 and over to video games, iPods, and racier rival dolls like the now-vanquished Bratz and the Hannah Montana line. The toy... More »

MORE ABOUT:
toys • Mattel • Barbie • doll • Bratz

(Newser) - This year's hot toy is as chatty as Tickle Me Elmo but much, much more realistic. Little girls are crazy for new baby dolls that eat and excrete, but psychologists and some parents aren't thrilled with Hasbro's Baby Alive Learns to Potty and Mattel's Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Gotta... More »

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parenting • children • Hasbro • Mattel • diapers • Christmas wish lists • doll • potty training • Baby Alive

 Biggest Jerks
 of 2008 

Nickelback, Sarko, and a TV character all incur the Guardian's wrath

Dec 14, 08 7:02 PM CST
(Newser) - As a tumultuous year winds down, the Guardian asks the question on everybody’s mind: who are 2008’s biggest douchebags? A selection:
  • Nicolas Sarkozy: “Good God, man, will you put her away just for a second?”
  • Sarah Palin's advisors: "What you need to do, Sarah,
... More »

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Nicolas Sarkozy • Mattel • The Wire • Scrabulous • Sarah Palin • Best of 2008

Judge Gives Bratz Doll Line to Rival Mattel

Since MGA founder invented Barbie competitor while on payroll, Mattel owns it

Dec 4, 08 3:15 PM CST
(Newser) - Barbie maker Mattel landed a game-changing blow yesterday against the manufacturer of the hugely popular Bratz dolls, the Los Angeles Times reports. A federal judge ruled Mattel is the legal owner of the line and forbade rival MGA from selling Bratz products. The creator of Bratz was found in July... More »

MORE ABOUT:
toys • lawsuit • Mattel • Barbie • MGA Entertainment • Bratz • Isaac Larian • fashion dolls

She Coos, Giggles, and Promotes Islam

Fuming parents say Mommy doll utters 'Islam is the light'

Oct 25, 08 4:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - Mattel’s Little Mommy Cuddle ‘n Coo doll comes complete with a rattle, pacifier, bottle, and Islamic propaganda—or so say some angry parents. Customers are barraging the toymaker with complaints that the doll says “Islam is the light," the Daily Telegraph reports. Noting “the... More »

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Islam • toys • Mattel • Fisher-Price

(Newser) - Barbie will get $100 million from her saucier cousins, the Bratz dolls, for copyright infringement, the AP reports. A federal jury ordered Bratz maker MGA to pay Mattel the sum, but it did not award punitive damages and gave Mattel only a fraction of what it sought. Last month, the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
toys • lawsuit • Mattel • Barbie • copyright infringement • MGA Entertainment • Bratz

 Elvis, Priscilla Barbies Wed

Graceland signs off on Mattel collectibles

Aug 13, 08 12:17 PM CDT
(Newser) - Elvis and Priscilla Presley wedding day Barbies are the latest in King kitsch, the AP reports. The $65 boxed set, released yesterday, draws on the couple’s 1967 wedding photo—groom in paisley, bride in tiara. One fan paid $6,800 for a pair of dolls signed by Priscilla, while... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Mattel • Barbie • Elvis Presley • Graceland • Memphis • fashion dolls • Priscilla Presley

 Facebook
 Y-A-N-K-S
 Scrabulous

Popular Scrabble clone unable to withstand legal pressure

Jul 29, 08 10:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - Facebook took down the wildly popular ‘Scrabulous’ this morning, PC Magazine reports, following a legal attack against the game's creators by the rights holders of Scrabble. The site finally folded to pressure after receiving a takedown notice from Hasbro, as well as Mattel, which owns international rights to the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Facebook • Hasbro • Mattel • Scrabble • Scrabulous

 Barbie Beats
 Bratz in
 Court Battle 

Jury finds designer invented Bratz dolls on Mattel payroll

Jul 18, 08 2:43 AM CDT
(Newser) - Barbie doll creator Mattel has won a bitter courtroom battle against rival MGA Entertainment, which sells the edgier Bratz dolls. A jury found that Bratz designer Carter Byant conceived the pouty-lipped dolls while on Mattel's payroll, and that MGA secretly plotted with him to steal the billion-dollar idea, reports the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Mattel • Barbie • Robert Eckert • MGA Entertainment • Bratz • Carter Bryant • Isaac Larian • Little Tikes • fashion dolls

Sellers, Fans at Odds Over Scrabulous

Companies debate legal action as 700K play online knock-off daily

Mar 2, 08 4:10 PM CST
(Newser) - Scrabble knock-off Scrabulous is a hit online, but sellers of the original board game have cried piracy and may take their claim to court, the New York Times reports. Tens of thousands of Scrabulous players have threatened to boycott Hasbro and Mattel if they shut down the Facebook-friendly game, which... More »

MORE ABOUT:
social networking • Facebook • Hasbro • Mattel • boycott • Scrabble • Scrabulous • board games

Hasbro Talks Tough on Safety

Public letter will distance company from lead scandals

Nov 30, 07 7:00 PM CST
(Newser) - Hasbro is talking up its safety record by reminding parents it had nothing to do with recent safety recalls: A newspaper ad set to run next week will say consumers should feel good about buying Hasbro products, the AP reports. Experts say it could help the entire industry but warn... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Hasbro • Mattel • lead tainted toys • date rape drugs

Calif. Sues Toy Firms Over Lead

State attorney general's action targets Mattel, other toy companies

Nov 20, 07 3:09 PM CST
(Newser) - California filed suit yesterday against Mattel, Toys R Us, and 18 other companies, accusing them of making or selling products that contain "unlawful quantities of lead," reports the LA Times. The suit, which follows major recalls of toys during the last year, aims to force manufacturers and retailers... More »

MORE ABOUT:
California • lead poisoning • Mattel • Chinese toys • Toys 'R' Us • Made in China • lead tainted toys • Jerry Brown

Don't Blame China for Toy Recalls: Study

75% stem from
design flaws, not manufacturing

Nov 13, 07 6:13 PM CST
(Newser) - Don't blame China for soaring toy recalls, a new Canuck study says; the problem is design. "If you are going to get into a finger-pointing game, you should point it mostly on the design side," said a Canadian prof. "It has got nothing to do with China.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
China • business • Mattel • manufacturing • toy recalls

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