Word: mattell
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...first bit of unpleasantness for O'Leary. For most of the 1990s, he was the president of educational-software company Softkey, which he co-founded with fellow Canadian entrepreneur Michael Perik. O'Leary and Perik sold the firm, which they renamed the Learning Company, to Mattel in 1999 for $3.6 billion. But almost immediately the deal turned sour. The Learning Company lost $200 million in the second half of 1999 alone. O'Leary and Perik, who joined Mattel after the merger, left the toy company six months later in a management shake-up. In 2001, Mattel disposed of the Learning...
While toy company Mattel could barely keep up with demand for its Barbie dolls in the early 1960s, its competitor, Hasbro, realized the market had no analogue for boys. In 1963, Hasbro began development on a military-themed line of dolls that, like Barbie, could be accessorized with different outfits and equipment. The original strategy called for a different figure for each branch of the military, but seizing on a 1945 film called The Story of G.I. Joe, the toys were eventually genericized. (The term itself comes from World War II, where it was used as a shorthand symbol...
...were all atwitter about the first X-Men comic book, the new G.I. Joe action figure, the forthcoming Star Trek series, and the Beatles. At home I wore blue jeans and20sneakers, unlike my father or any other grownup I knew, and for my birthday I wanted a set of Mattel walkie-talkies...
...cases of Barbie and friends, one Barbie impersonator, even a life-size hot pink Volkswagen Beetle, complete with a pop-out makeup trunk. "Barbie girls can't go anywhere without being able to get glam at a moment's notice," says Liz Grampp, director of marketing for Barbie at Mattel. Collectors even had a heated debate about how to best maintain the value of Barbie; some say a mint-condition Barbie should include the original plastic wrap and cardboard box, while others claim that Barbie can only be fully appreciated if removed from her stifling packaging...
...Barbie collecting can be an expensive habit. The latest coveted version, released by Mattel for Barbie's 50th, is valued at $50,000. In the style of "#1," Barbie is decked out in 34 carats worth of white and black diamonds, which sparkle down to her heels, complete with a 24-karat-gold chain bracelet on her left wrist. The convention did boast some lower-priced vintage dolls, ranging from $500 to $2,000 a pop. Collectors could even find Barbie accessories: one Barbie toaster with two pieces of toast, $3; an authentic Barbie silver-bodiced dress, $195; and long...