BmoreNews.com
  • Latest News
  • Black Wall Street
  • Business
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Videos
  • Login
  • Register
  BREAKING
BMORENews.com’s Joe Manns Black Wall Street Award Continues to Make Strides March 23, 2023
Catherine B. Orange Honored at Black Wall Street BALTIMORE COLLEGIATE March 23, 2023
Steve McAdams Recognized with Joe Manns Black Wall Street Award March 23, 2023
Tracey Avent Recognized with Joe Manns Black Wall Street Award March 23, 2023
Black Indians by Tavis Sanders: Indigenous Americans, Paleoamericans, Autochthonous March 23, 2023
Next Phaze Cafe & Lounge: This week Soulful Fridays ft. Isaac Parham March 23, 2023
Morgan State University Expands Research Capabilities with Addition of Two Newly State-Funded Research Centers March 22, 2023
Comptroller Lierman’s Three Legislative Priorities Successfully “Crossover” in the General Assembly March 22, 2023
Maryland Department of Labor Announces $15 Million in Jobs That Build Awards March 22, 2023
US Black Chamber’s WOMEN OF POWER, March 23rd, Salamander Hotel in DC March 22, 2023
Next
Prev
No Result
View All Result
en English
en Englishfr Françaisde Deutschit Italianoru Русскийes Español
Subscribe
Live
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Editorial/Op-Ed
  • The Glover Report
  • Black Wall Street
  • Video
  • Polls
  • Questions
  • Forum
Live
No Result
View All Result
BmoreNews.com
Live
Home Business

Mattel Opens Its Vault to Revitalize Dormant Brands

Doni Glover by Doni Glover
July 18, 2022
in Business
0 0
A A
0
ADVERTISEMENT

Barbie is about to reunite with some old friends. Mattel, the maker of the popular fashion doll, is dusting off three dormant lines that have not been on toy shelves in decades: Major Matt Mason, Big Jim and Pulsar.

The reappearance of three action heroes is part of a strategy hatched by Ynon Kreiz, Mattel’s chief executive, to capitalize on the company’s intellectual property by reviving old brands for new generations.

Mattel will reintroduce the toy lines under an umbrella label called Back in Action this week at Comic-Con International, the pop-culture fan fest in San Diego.

“This is our toe in the water,” said PJ Lewis, the vice president of global marketing at Mattel. “Back in Action helps us maintain the validity of our I.P. and decide what’s next.”

Mr. Kreiz’s strategy has helped Mattel turn around its sagging fortunes since he took over in 2018. The company reported a 19 percent jump in sales in 2021, to $5.5 billion, and despite supply chain bottlenecks and the rising costs of raw materials, it has forecast growth of 8 percent to 10 percent this year. (It will report second-quarter results on Thursday.)

Part of the toymaker’s recent success derives from the expansion of legacy brands. Barbie will feature in a live-action movie starring Margot Robbie, one of a dozen films in the works for various Mattel brands, including a live-action Hot Wheels movie produced by J.J. Abrams’s Bad Robot production company and one for Masters of the Universe, in partnership with Netflix. Other brands headed to the big screen include Thomas the Tank Engine, Magic Eight Ball and Polly Pocket.

“When you walk into a store and go down the toy aisle, almost everything is tied to a movie or a TV show or a video game,” said Danny Eardley, the lead author of “The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.”

But how will Mattel generate interest in brands that have been off toy shelves for decades?

Major Matt Mason, an astronaut action figure, was introduced in 1967 and saw success until children began to lose interest in space exploration. He resurfaced in pop culture in 2019 when Tom Hanks signed on to produce and star in a forthcoming movie about the spaceman. Big Jim arrived in 1971, followed by Pulsar in 1976, but they, too, have been out of the public eye for decades.

The trio’s reintroduction makes financial sense because Mattel isn’t earning revenue from properties that are locked away, said Gerrick Johnson, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets who covers the toy industry.

Updated 

July 18, 2022, 2:32 p.m. ET

“You own the I.P., so there’s the opportunity to capture merchandising,” he said. “One of the huge upsides is to elevate a toy line that was underperforming or not performing at all.”

Mattel’s strategy for reviving a dormant brand is to engage hard-core fans first, said Richard Dickson, the company’s president and chief operating officer. If they take to it, the next step is to come up with tie-in content and create a toy line for children.

This formula can be seen with Masters of the Universe, which was introduced in the 1980s and quickly became a $2 billion franchise. After the line led by He-Man petered out, Mattel tucked it away, only to revive it years later as a collector product. Then last year it was followed with a pair of animated series on Netflix — one for adults and one for children — that were accompanied by toy lines at retailers.

“We test and see whether we should bring back the brand in a meaningful way,” Mr. Dickson said.

Encouraged by the success of Masters of the Universe, Mattel is using the same formula for Monster High, a line of spooky fashion dolls that was introduced in 2010 and became one of the company’s top sellers. The dolls have been off the shelves since 2018, but they returned last year with a “Skullector” series. Mattel is also planning to introduce an exclusive doll, Voltageous, the superhero alter ego of Frankie Stein, at Comic-Con this week and has announced a Monster High live-action musical that will air on Nickelodeon and stream on Paramount+ in October.

Mattel is using Comic-Con, which has become an important marketing venue for toy companies, to test the waters with Major Matt Mason, Big Jim and Pulsar. Hasbro will also be there, promoting brands like Nerf and Transformers, as well as the first toy line from its fantasy franchise Dungeons & Dragons and an exclusive G.I. Joe action figure, Dr. Mindbender. (Last week, The New York Times announced a partnership with Hasbro to develop a board game based on Wordle.)

Reintroducing brands like Major Matt Mason to a new generation presents challenges. For starters, the toys in the Back in Action trio have been off the shelves for a long time.

“There is no dad of a 7-year-old boy who knows what Major Matt Mason is,” Mr. Johnson said.

To help bridge the generation gap, Mattel will introduce the toys in a smaller size that appeals to collectors of toys from the 1980s.

“That figure form is beloved among collectors,” said Brian Heiler, publisher of Toy-Ventures magazine, which examines the history of vintage toys. “Those folks might not care much about Big Jim or Pulsar, but they might buy this format.”

And if they do, it could be a sign that the Back in Action brands will live up to their name.

Source: NY Times

Buy JNews
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

RELATED TOPICS

MEET Attorney Robert Dashiell

Next Phaze Cafe’s ACOUSTIC THURSDAY

Next Phaze Cafe presents Soulful Fridays

ShareTweetShareShareSend
Doni Glover

Doni Glover

A journalist since 1994, he also founded DMGlobal Marketing & Public Relations. Glover has an extensive list of clients including corporations, non-profits, government agencies, politics, business owners, PR firms, and attorneys.

Related Articles

Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)
Business

EDITORIAL: How to Make MBE Programs Work

by Staff Reporter
March 5, 2023
0
41

(ANNAPOLIS - March 5, 2023) - According to sources close...

Read more
Acoustic Thursdays, Soulful Fridays and more...
Business

Next Phaze Cafe & Lounge: Acoustic Thursdays, Soulful Fridays and more…

by Staff Reporter
March 2, 2023
0
5

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING AT NEXT PHAZE CAFE Soulful Fridays ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE MAR...

Read more
Wala Blegay: Procurement Townhall
Business

Wala Blegay: Procurement Town Hall; Minority Business Networking Reception

by Staff Reporter
March 1, 2023
0
11

Have you done business with Prince George's County? Are you...

Read more
With the historic investments made in our budget, we plan to be bold without being reckless.

This budget will impact every community in Maryland, and will put us on track to create a Maryland where no one is left behind.

More on the preliminary FY24 budget: https://bit.ly/3XILXQO
Business

Governor Moore Directs Maryland Aviation Administration to Conduct New Procurement for Airport Retail and Concessions Program

by Staff Reporter
February 22, 2023
0
29

(ANNAPOLIS, MD - February 21, 2023) — Today, Governor Wes...

Read more
Annual Black Leading Women Celebration honoring the DMV’s most prominent Black Leading Women
Business

Annual Black Leading Women Celebration honoring the DMV’s most prominent Black Leading Women

by Staff Reporter
February 21, 2023
0
55

(BALTIMORE - February 20, 2023) - "Game recognizes game," said...

Read more
Rolling Out's Paperwork Project
Business

Register TODAY for The Business Boulevard initiative presented by Rolling Out’s Paperwork Project.

by Staff Reporter
February 20, 2023
0
23

Join us Tuesday, February 21st at 6:00 pm as we...

Read more
Load More

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended Stories

JV Football Southwestern loses to Poly 012

July 24, 2022
0

Political Analysis of Presidential Election by Lester Spence, Ph.D., 3of3

July 24, 2022
0

Black Wall Street BALTIMORE at Terra Cafe

March 3, 2023
4
ADVERTISEMENT

Popular Stories

  • Damon Hughes, Black Business Champion

    Guest Editorial: Damon Hughes Tribute

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Power Couple Marc Clarke & Allison Seymour to be Recognized at Black Wall Street DMV, Feb. 3rd

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • HBO’s “The Wire” Actor Richard Burton to receive BMORENews Lifetime Achievement Award

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • A Real Westside Story: The Men of Matthew Henson #29 Still Connected After Half a Century

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Glover Report: Public Apology to Baltimore City School Board Candidates/Finalists Ashley Esposito and Salimah Jasani

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
BmoreNews.com

BmoreNews.com is an online news outlet based in Baltimore, MD established in 2002. Yes, this is our 20th Anniversary year. We primarily cover news and developments from an African American/Black perspective.

LEARN MORE »

Recent Posts

  • BMORENews.com’s Joe Manns Black Wall Street Award Continues to Make Strides
  • Catherine B. Orange Honored at Black Wall Street BALTIMORE COLLEGIATE
  • Steve McAdams Recognized with Joe Manns Black Wall Street Award

Sections

  • Black Wall Street
  • Business
  • Editorial/Op-Ed
  • News
  • Politics
  • The Glover Report
  • Uncategorized
  • Video

Newsletter

The most important world news and events of the day

Be the first to know latest important news & events directly to your inbox.

By signing up, I agree to our TOS and Privacy Policy.

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise
  • Press Release
  • Contact

© 2022 BmoreNews.com - Created by Sawah Dev.

No Result
View All Result
  • Latest News
  • Black Wall Street
  • Business
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Videos

© 2022 BmoreNews.com - Created by Sawah Dev.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In