Company Overview

Mattel was born in a garage workshop in 1945 to proud parents Harold Matson and Elliot Handler. Picture frames were their main product until Handler began using leftover scrap metal to make dollhouse furniture. The company’s big break came in 1959 when Ruth Handler suggested making a three-dimensional doll little girls could have as sort of a role model. They gave the doll Handler’s daughter’s nickname: Barbie. Today the world-famous blonde accounts for nearly one-third of the giant toy maker's sales. Today Mattel has operations in 40 countries. Among its toy brands are American Girl and Fisher-Price.