Since its launch back in 1945, Mattel's gone on to become the world's second-largest toy maker by revenue (right behind The Lego Group).
Background: Mattel launched back in 1945 in LA, and went on to become the world's second-largest toy maker by revenue (right behind The Lego Group).
What happened: This crew are the masterminds behind the Barbie franchise. And, up until 2016, they were also making all ya fave Disney Princesses. But that year, they lost the rights to produce those dolls to Hasbro (aka the company's biggest rival).
What else: When Mattel lost the Disney line, they also lost a whopping US$440 million in revenue. But now, Mattel have won the rights back from Hasbro. Cue the cash cow!
💡Intellectual property (IP) is often the company's most valuable asset. And, for established companies, it can be even more valuable when you start to commercialise it.
💡Disney owns copyrights, distribution rights and merch rights to all its famous characters. And, by having these protections, it means Disney can license out its characters to other production companies for a juicy, juicy fee.
💡Now, Hasbro gets to keep its hands on Indiana Jones and Star Wars, but Mattel will get the rights to Frozen's Elsa and all the other popular Disney Princesses...I think we know who won that battle.
Sign up for Flux and join 100,000 members of the Flux family
