“Mattel Coming Back From Crippling Adversities”
If you’ve read my Action Figures Not Included* book then you’re already aware of some of the problems Mattel suffered in the seventies. A disastrous fire and charges against the Handlers and others of falsifying records were just two of the troubles that shook the company. Mattel survived, grew, and is today one of the largest toymakers in the world, but looking back at this June 23, 1979 newspaper article is a history lesson for those of us who like to look into the toy industry’s past.
A N.Y. Times News Service article by Pamela G. Hollie, I found this story in the Sarasota, Florida Sarasota Herald newspaper. In addition to the troubles the story also mentions Mattel’s acquisition of Western Publishing and its line of Golden Books. Mattel wouldn’t keep the company for long, selling it off just five years later in 1984 (see Wikipedia).
The story also takes a little time to discuss Mattel’s entry into the electronics game category and the Intellivision; that would not end well in 1983, even though the story reports:
” . . . analysts point to Mattel’s entry into the video games market in January, with its computer-based home video system called Intellivision, as its wisest move yet.”
Related articles
- Mattel Stock Just Isn’t Fun Any More (MAT) (investorplace.com)
- 1988 Mattel and He-Man Telecommunications Ad (battlegrip.com)