Who are Mattel? The Toy Maker Of The Best Known Brands

You may have seen their logo on your children’s toy boxes, but do you know just how many household name brands Mattel own? In this article we look into who the toy maker is and a little look at some of their brands - you may be surprised!

 

Who are Mattel

Mattel are an American toy manufacturing company that was founded in a garage in 1945 and up until recently, were the largest toy marker in the world (damn you Lego).

Weird name, right? Well, ‘Mattel’ is a combination of the names of Harold "Matt" Matson and Elliot Handler - two of the company's founders. You can read more about their history here.

Digging deep into their toys, here are just some of the famous brands you all know and love.

 

Fisher-Price

Fisher Price

Mattel Acquired Fisher-Price in 1993, and is now a familiar name to every mum and dad, they have become the go-to toys for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

 

Barbie

Barbie

Every little girl has a Barbie at one time or another. The fashion icon debuted in 1959 and has gone on to become the company's best-selling toy in history! Still going strong to this day, Barbie now comes in many different versions, outfits, accessories and more!

 

Polly Pocket

Polly Pocket

Though Polly Pocket has been in and out of production over time - most recently making a comeback in 2018 after being discontinued by Mattel in 2012 - the brand name has remained ever recognisable to the old and young.

 

Enchantimals

Enchantimals

The new kids on the block, Enchantimals were only recently released in 2017 but you would be forgiven for thinking that this brand had been around for much longer has been the impact of the fantastical toys range.

 

Hot Wheels

Hot Wheels

Introduced by Mattel in 1968, the brand of die-cast toy cars were originally intended to be for children and young adults. Has been the popularity of automobile manufacturer licensed scale cars, their customer base includes many avid adult collectors, for whom limited edition models are now made available.

 

Thomas & Friends

Thomas & Friends

Yes! Even Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends have been manufactured by Mattel, the long-running British children's television series has been seen by generations of kids. Who remembers the fat controller?

 

And More!

And there you have it, some of the most well known toys brands all housed in one company - and there are plenty more! Check out our Mattel toys collection here.


If you enjoyed this, then you will definitely enjoy reading about ‘How Lego Re-Built Themselves - More Than Just A Toy?’ - go check it out!

 

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