Mattel

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When Girls' Dolls 'Leaned In,' and Why It's All a 'Sham'

Closer look at intellectual property war between Barbie and Bratz reveals much deeper stuff

(Newser) - Barbie dolls have dominated the toy landscape for girls since their 1959 intro—which made it a big deal when Bratz dolls hit the scene in 2001 and started stealing market share, spurring a years-long legal war between Barbie maker Mattel and Bratz creator MGA, a Mattel competitor. As Jill...

History-Making Dancer Now Has Her Own Barbie, Too

Mattel unveils Misty Copeland 'Sheroes' doll

(Newser) - Misty Copeland made history last year when she became the American Ballet Theatre's first black female principal dancer . This year, another honor: Mattel has released a Barbie doll in Copeland's likeness, MyNewsLA reports. The doll is part of the Barbie "Sheroes" line, which honors female role...

Mattel Pays Alaska to Change Capital to 'UNO'

The city got a $15,000 donation out of the deal

(Newser) - On April Fool's Day, the capital of Alaska was going by the name of card game UNO, not Juneau. No joke. It was a play on words and part of a promotion with game and toy maker Mattel, which is drawing attention to new wild cards in its UNO...

Barbie Gets 3 New Body Types
 Barbie Gets 
 3 New Body Types 
Jan 28, 2016 11:00 AM CST

Barbie Gets 3 New Body Types

Tall, curvy, and petite models, plus a slew of skin tones, eye colors, and hairstyles

(Newser) - Project Dawn—mission complete at Mattel. The toy company more fully explained this secret initiative Thursday, and it involves an industry icon getting what the Washington Post calls "the makeover the world has been waiting for." Barbie dolls will now be available in four body shapes: the original...

Mattel Sorry About Inept Computer Engineer Barbie

2010 book shows male coders helping her reboot her computer

(Newser) - The supposed mission of Mattel's "I Can Be" Barbie book series is to empower girls to realize their career dreams. Hence the uproar over "I Can Be a Computer Engineer," which shows the iconic doll struggling to reboot her computer, then finding male coders to rescue...

Lego Is Biggest Toymaker in the World

Company overtakes Mattel, thanks in part to its movie

(Newser) - Barbies and board games will always have a place in the family rec room, but it's Legos that rule the roost. The Danish toymaker now ranks as the largest toymaker in the world in terms of revenue, beating out competitors Hasbro and Mattel for the top spot with an...

Barbie Goes Brainy for Chinese Market

Now with violin, sheet music, and a low price tag

(Newser) - Aiming to please education-minded parents, Mattel has given Barbie a fresh new look for the booming Chinese toy market, in a move that, as Quartz reports, highlights China's shift from manufacturer to consumer. New low-price dolls, including "Violin Soloist" Barbie, will help merge joy and learning, which "...

Vatican Pushes for ... Bald Barbie?

She could help rehab doll's image, Vatican newspaper notes

(Newser) - Forget any number of controversial stances the Vatican has taken, it's now weighing in on ... Barbie dolls. Following a Facebook campaign earlier this year, Mattel decided to launch a bald friend of Barbie in a nod to sick kids who've lost their hair and donate the dolls to...

Barbie Will Get Bald Friend
 Barbie Will Get 
 Bald Friend 
Mar 30, 2012 3:33 PM CDT

Barbie Will Get Bald Friend

Mattel will produce hairless doll for sick children

(Newser) - Barbie-maker Mattel is creating a special doll for children who have lost their hair to illness. The new doll will be bald and a friend of Barbie, and she'll come with fashion accessories including hats, scarves, and wigs. Earlier this year, a Facebook campaign that garnered 150,000 "...

Go Bald, Barbie

 Go Bald, 
 Barbie 
OPINION
Jan 13, 2012 2:47 PM CST

Go Bald, Barbie

For girls and women with cancer, 'she'd be perfect': Mary Elizabeth Williams

(Newser) - A Facebook campaign asking Mattel to consider a bald Barbie to inspire hope in girls with cancer has taken off in a big way this week, and that's a wonderful thing, writes Mary Elizabeth Williams at Salon . This would be bold new territory for the icon, and Mattel has...

Parents Squawk About Barbie's Tattoos

Barbie's not going to drag your kid to the seaport for a tattoo, says defender

(Newser) - A new pink-haired tattooed Barbie has some parents spitting plastic bullets. Mattel crows that the rocker babe version of Barbie (who has a little dog named Bastardino), designed by Los Angeles-based fashion label Tokidoki, is a "funky fashionista," notes the Telegraph . But for "those who look to...

Mattel Out $310M After Losing Bratz Spat

MGA awarded damages, legal fees

(Newser) - The final bell has been rung in the long-running Mattel-MGA Entertainment court battle over Bratz—and Barbie's makers have taken a hell of a beating. A federal judge has ordered Mattel to pay MGA, the makers of Bratz dolls, a total of $310 million in punitive damages and lawyers...

Greenpeace: Barbie's Killing Rainforests

Group unfurls a banner over Mattel headquarters

(Newser) - Greenpeace has set its sights on a new eco-villain: Barbie. The group says it has traced packaging used by Mattel and other toy companies to protected Indonesian rainforests, and they’re taking it out on Mattel’s perpetually well-accessorized doll, Reuters reports. Activists dressed like Ken descended on Mattel’s...

Court Stunner: Bratz Dolls Beat Barbie

Mattel must pay millions to rival doll maker

(Newser) - A long-fought court battle between the makers of Bratz and Barbie has been decided—and Bratz are the surprise victors, the Los Angeles Times reports. The federal jury said Bratz maker MGA Entertainment had neither infringed on Mattel’s copyright nor stolen trade secrets, and that Mattel doesn’t own...

7 Companies Built Around Really Old Products

Barbies, tires, and Corn Flakes rule these companies

(Newser) - Popular, decades-old products can be a blessing and a curse. For some businesses, these tried-and-true items account for a large chunk of sales. But if a newer, hipper, better product comes along...? 24/7 Wall St. looks at seven companies whose fame and fortune largely rests on aging products:
  • Kellogg:
...

FBI: Pedophiles Might Like the New Barbie

Because she's got a video camera built into her necklace

(Newser) - Mattel's got to be thrilled with this FBI warning inadvertently made public amid holiday shopping season: "Law enforcement is encouraged to be aware of unconventional avenues for possible production and possession of child pornography, such as the Barbie Video Girl," said the alert sent to investigators.

Scrabble Allows Proper Nouns in 'Trickster' Version

Rules won't change for original game

(Newser) - Just imagine "Jay-Z" as a triple word score: A new edition of Scrabble will bring with it a change to one of the game’s cardinal rules—proper nouns will be legal. Mattel won’t regulate which names are allowed or introduce any rules governing spelling, it’ll just...

Mattel Rolls Out Mad Men Barbie Dolls
 Mattel Rolls Out 
 Mad Men Barbie Dolls 
don, betty, and more
Mar 10, 2010 11:12 AM CST

Mattel Rolls Out Mad Men Barbie Dolls

Mattel unveils dolls based on the TV characters

(Newser) - Have you ever wanted to dress up Don Draper? Well, now you can. Mattel is rolling out a line of Mad Men Barbie dolls. They’ll be the first offering in the Barbie Fashion Model Collection, a high-priced line of figures aimed at adult collectors based on TV properties. Only...

Wal-Mart Black Barbie Price Cut Sparks Uproar

Sends harmful message, say activists

(Newser) - Wal-Mart has dropped the price of a black Barbie doll in a move that's raising a ruckus. "Both are great dolls," carefully emphasized a Wal-Mart spokeswoman. But the price was cut $2 for a black Ballerina Teresa Barbie from the $5.93 for the white version because the...

Critics: New Black Barbie Not Black Enough

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

(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...

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