Hasbro vs Mattel, Hasbro Performing Better
A Wall Street Journal post from a few weeks ago reports that:
“Hasbro’s shares are more than 50% higher this year, while Mattel’s stock has dropped more than 20%.”
The article points to a combination of Hasbro’s licensed brands lines (Hasbro owns some of their own strong brands and licenses to some of the top brands in the world) and Mattel’s management difficulties as the reason Hasbro is performing better than Mattel. When anyone goes shopping for toys they often turn to Hasbro’s products (Amazon.com search*) simply because Hasbro has strong movie tie-ins and properties.
I touched on the strength of licensing in Action Figures Not Included*, and unless Mattel turns Barbie around and scores some strong licenses — Mattel has got to be dreading response to Batman vs Superman considering how terrible the film looks — they are going to continue to have troubles at retail.
It’s a strange time in the toy market. Grab the popcorn and let’s see what happens next.
Related articles
- Shogun Warriors and Star Wars in 1980 (battlegrip.com)
- Mattel’s Lack of Love for He-Man Goes Back Decades (battlegrip.com)
- “Hassenfeld toying with success of Hasbro Inc.” (battlegrip.com)
“Mattel has got to be dreading response to Batman vs Superman considering how terrible the film looks”
I’m just glad that somebody else thinks it looks terrible. Everybody I know is very excited for it since the SDCC trailer came out, while that trailer had the opposite effect on me.
I like Man of Steel, but BvS just looks like a depressing movie. I will still see it, because I’m a huge Superman fan and want to see him on screen; but my expectations have been torpedoed by all of the footage that has been released so far.
@clark – I thought it looked bad from the earlier teaser. The SDCC trailer guarantees it looks awful. Disney really needs to call Warner Brothers and say: “Hey, Batman is ours now. You’re done messing this up.”
“Mattel has got to be dreading response to Batman vs Superman considering how terrible the film looks”
I’m just glad that somebody else thinks it looks terrible. Everybody I know has been very excited for it since the SDCC trailer came out, while that trailer had the opposite effect on me.
I like Man of Steel, I like Henry Cavill, I don’t have a problem with Ben Affleck’s casting. Still, my expectations for that movie have been torpedoed because the teaser and trailer are so depressing. Also, Jesse Eisenberg…is going to have an uphill battle with me. Hopefully he plays more menacing, and less annoying, in the movie than he does in that trailer.
^Same here with someone thinking SvB looks terrible. The consensus on my Fb feed is utter enthusiasm, which none of the trailers/media has done for me. While I don’t think it’s terrible, it also doesn’t make me want to see the movie. Much like say, the later X-Men movies, Avengers movies, or [gasp] Fantastic Four. Hell, even the Superman reboot(s).
Batman’s last reboot run? Those were films you had to see. (Well, except for maybe the last one, but the Dark Knight made sure you’d see it anyway.) I mean, I’ve seen Godzilla vs. King Kong, and Freddy vs. Jason, so I already know how these script runs: no one wins.
@ShenaniTims – I am now wondering how many out there don’t like the look of the film and are just not speaking up.