The worst is still in place....Mattel will not recover. Checking things out, the core reasons why Mattel has fallen are still in place. Take note all surviving employees, retailers and remaining stockholders....the VP's (too many to count let alone... — read more 

First off I am very sorry to those who got cut, one who did is a good friend of mine. We had a saying in the Mount Laurel office for Mattel lay offs: L.O.P. time! It stood for Lay Off Pizza. Every time Mattel ML had a lay off they served hot pizza... — read more 

If I had a way to charge the company for the hours of sleep I lost stressing over the last 20 years I could probably buy Bryan Stockton's boat.

Cip it to the point of cheapening it so no one wants to buy it. That's todays goal, and look where it got us. It doesn't matter if it breaks, it met cost target.

Here's a true story about Salisbury Cathedral: after five hundred years or so the roof had rotted out and needed replacing. Conveniently the guys who built the cathedral had also planted new oaks around it. Five hundred years later those oaks were... — read more 

Mattel culture in a nutshell - if you've got the polish and the "executive presence" (matpics ;) then you are golden - ie Stockton, Dickson, Walker (ok maybe not so much that last one lol) but you see the point. This is prob one of Neil Friedmans... — read more 

It is truly amazing a company like Mattel - who is last time I checked, still in the business of making... toys! - is run like a capital investment firm. Zero thought to what an actual child would like to play with and a parent who would consider... — read more 

PLM's a turd. We all know it. It might have been a great idea in theory. But it's yet another big shiny thing that Mattel bought - another one size fits all mega system that requires a ton of manpower and never fires on all cylinders. First system... — read more 

The problem is that the company stopped managing as a design & marketing company, and started operating as a finance company. Sometimes, decisions need to be made beyond immediate financial impact. All of the time, decisions need to be made beyond... — read more 

After all, they were the decision makers who ended up driving the Fisher-Price preschool business into the ground. Mattel management never understood the preschool business so instead of leaving it to the experts, they got rid of them and drove the... — read more 

Disappointed, but not surprised. CEO Sinclair obviously didn't have the cohones to make the truly difficult cuts, like the CFO and head of HR, or VPs and SVPs who stood watch while Barbie slumped three years in a row. Had those deep cuts been made... — read more 

Classic Mattel "strategy" - short sighted, reactive, anniversary the same strategy as last year, the year before, and the year before that, give it some confusing new acronym, and hope that somehow things will turn out differently. Unbelievable the... — read more 

Mattel has tried to bleed dry their products to cheapen them and it SHOWS. Take a look at a Barbie ten years ago and one today, sheesh, stop with the resculpts already and just stop cost reducing the fun and magic out of the toy. The only thing I can... — read more 

What are your thoughts?

Entire creative team gone, the director was kept

While I'm hoping against cronyism and failing upwards (two of Mattel HR's strong points) I haven't heard of any VP or higher people that were let go in ES today as part of this. If this is true, this really is a sign that this is just more of the... — read more 

They will never learn. Layoffs happen enough at this company and continue. In fact they are saying if numbers don't improve there will be more layoffs in September. Do they really think the people that were laid off today are going to save the... — read more 

Wish I had the pleasure of meeting Herm Fisher, Irving Price and Helen Schelle. They would probably be more than disappointed in the current state of affairs. And I do believe that Ruth and Elliot Handler would probably feel similarly. Fisher-Price... — read more 

I left Mattel a year ago after more than several years, got a severance deal ahead of the layoffs and never looked back. One of the best decisions I've ever made. Total garbage company full of empty suits, greedheads, corporate drones. From what I've... — read more 

Mattel just let all the 50+ year olds go who actually knew how to make toys. The bean counters only kept cheap junior level guys who know Photoshop. Don't expect any innovation from Mattel anymore, just disappointment in a box. And no VPs cut yet... — read more 

Reach out to your fellow coworkers. Even a quick email. Don't turn your back.

Is anyone surprised at how this turned out?

Anyone?

Just heard from my buddy that they laid off over 10 people at American Girl? Man...

Employees there with over 15 years... so sad :( AG is not even doing bad on the numbers

Any news on this?

They escort you out immediately and send your stuff to you later (HR goes through your stuff and decides if it is yours or the company's). And HR gets your coat. There will be security guards around, rest assured.

Let's have him back, the mess would be gone in 6 months. What a group of sorry losers

Cheers all....here to hoping that this includes not only to VPs though...this has to go even higher to the biggest decision makers and executives in charge of this mess...hoping that there is some ownership that happens here. They can't only be... — read more