Mattel was founded in 1945 and is known all over the world as one of the leading toy and entertainment companies, targeted towards both child and young-adult consumers alike. Its key brands include cultural classics such as Barbie, Polly Pocket and Hot Wheels, in addition to the Uno card game. Mattel is also known for manufacturing Scrabble outside of North America.
- As of 2023, Mattel made $5.44 billion in net revenues, up 0.12% over the previous financial year.
- Of this revenue, an estimated $2.14 billion (39.24%) is generated through their dolls segment.
- An estimated $1.46 billion (26.89%) comes from the vehicles segment, $0.95 billion (17.47%) comes from the action figures, building sets, games & other segment and $0.89 billion (16.40%) comes from the infant, toddler & preschool segment.
- Revenues from the action figures, building sets, games & other segment are estimated to have dropped by 24.24% compared to the previous financial year.
- This was in part due to lower demand for Jurassic World and Lightyear products following their associated theatrical releases during 2022.
- Mattel’s total costs and expenses reached $4.88 billion in 2023, up 2.53% over the previous year.
- Of these, cost of sales make up $2.86 billion (58.56%), other selling & administrative expenses make up $1.50 billion (30.68%) and advertising and promotion make up $0.52 billion (10.75%).
- Over the given 5-year period, cost of sales have increased 13.07% from $2.53 billion to $2.86 billion.
- This is partly due to increased freight, logistics and royalty expenses.
- Altogether, Mattel made an annual operating income of $0.56 billion during 2023.
Mattel net revenue
- As of 2023, Mattel generated $5.44 billion in revenue.
- This was an increase of 0.12% over the previous year.
- Over the given 5-year period, Mattel’s annual revenue increased from $4.50 billion to $5.44 billion.
- On average, this amounts to an increase of $0.24 billion per year.
- Mattel’s largest revenue over the period came during 2021 ($5.46 billion), which was also the biggest year-on-year increase (+18.95%).
| Year | Revenue | Change |
| 2023 | $5.44 billion | + 0.12% |
| 2022 | $5.43 billion | – 0.42% |
| 2021 | $5.46 billion | + 18.95% |
| 2020 | $4.59 billion | + 1.86% |
| 2019 | $4.50 billion |
A graph is given below to show annual revenues for Mattel:
Mattel net revenue by segment (estimate)
- As of 2023, estimates based upon gross revenue figures suggest that 39.24% of revenue comes from the dolls segment.
- An estimated 26.89% comes from the vehicles segment, 17.47% comes from the action figures, building sets, games & other segment and 16.40% comes from the infant, toddler & preschool segment.
- Mattel made approximately $2.14 billion through the dolls segment.
- This was a 14.02% increase over 2022.
- Mattel made approximately $1.46 billion through the vehicles segment.
- This was a 12.25% increase over 2022.
| Year | Dolls | Vehicles | Action figures, building sets, games & other | Infant, toddler & preschool |
| 2023 | $2.14 billion | $1.46 billion | $0.95 billion | $0.89 billion |
| 2022 | $1.87 billion | $1.30 billion | $1.25 billion | $1.00 billion |
| 2021 | $2.06 billion | $1.12 billion | $1.17 billion | $1.10 billion |
| 2020 | $1.68 billion | $0.99 billion | $0.88 billion | $1.03 billion |
| 2019 | $1.53 billion | $0.98 billion | $0.87 billion | $1.12 billion |
A graph is given below to show estimated annual revenues by segment for Mattel:
Mattel costs and expenses
- As of 2023, Mattel has total costs and expenses of $4.88 billion.
- This is a 2.53% increase over the previous year.
- Cost of sales makes up 58.56%, other selling & administrative expenses makes up 30.68% and advertising & promotion makes up 10.75%.
- Over the given 5-year period, total costs and expenses have increased by $0.41 billion.
- This amounts to an average annual increase of $0.10 billion.
| Year | Cost of sales | Advertising & promotion | Other selling & administrative | Total costs and expenses |
| 2023 | $2.86 billion | $0.52 billion | $1.50 billion | $4.88 billion |
| 2022 | $2.95 billion | $0.53 billion | $1.27 billion | $4.76 billion |
| 2021 | $2.83 billion | $0.55 billion | $1.35 billion | $4.73 billion |
| 2020 | $2.35 billion | $0.53 billion | $1.34 billion | $4.21 billion |
| 2019 | $2.53 billion | $0.55 billion | $1.39 billion | $4.47 billion |
A graph is given below to show annual costs and expenses for Mattel:
Mattel operating income
- As of 2023, Mattel generated an annual income of $0.56 billion.
- This was a decrease of 16.85% over the previous financial year.
- Since 2021, operating incomes have decreased annually as revenues have remained stagnant while costs and expenses have increased.
| Year | Operating income | Change |
| 2023 | $0.56 billion | – 16.85% |
| 2022 | $0.68 billion | – 7.41% |
| 2021 | $0.73 billion | + 94.69% |
| 2020 | $0.37 billion | + 910.02% |
| 2019 | $0.04 billion |
How much did the Barbie movie make?
- Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, Barbie is a 2023 fantasy comedy film based upon Mattel’s Barbie branded dolls.
- The Barbie movie grossed $1.45 billion worldwide ($0.81 billion internationally and $0.64 billion domestically).
- Mattel estimated a total revenue boost of $125 million during 2023 from the movie, which includes sales of dolls and related merchandise, plus earnings from the motion picture itself.
- Mattel’s CEO, Ynon Kreiz, stated that the idea behind the film was to create a cultural event that would benefit the company for years to come.
How did Mattel acquire Scrabble outside of North America?
Outside of North America, Scrabble has been manufactured by Mattel in markets such as the UK and Australia since 1994. However, the game has a detailed history due to different individuals and manufacturers having varying levels of influence over its marketing and production.
1952: The rights to manufacture and sell Scrabble outside North America (such as the UK and Australia) were purchased by JW Spear.
1994: After undergoing a bidding war with Hasbro, Mattel acquires JW Spear, gaining its rights to Scrabble. Although Mattel continued to produce Scrabble, Mattel closed the UK factory of JW Spear and chose to stop manufacturing most of the company’s original games.
2007: Mattel releases Scrabble Junior, a simplified version of the game with two modes to appeal to younger players not yet ready for the full game version.2024: To appeal to those who prefer a quicker-paced game, Mattel releases Scrabble Together as a collaborative version of the popular word game, including goal cards and helper cards.