Thread regarding Mattel Inc. layoffs

the NYC office has become a cesspool of unhappiness. Marketing led design which almost always results in failure. Clueless former twenty nothings thinking they know what moms want, but their type A Ovaries are so clenched that they'll never truly know what a mom wants. The only thing they'll be experts on is cat collecting and powerpoints.

OMG- What the heck happened to the NY office? I haven't been gone that long and occasionally I am stilled saddened to be out of there - but not after reading all this hate, meanness and back stabbing.

FPNYC used to be a great, fun place to work where employees could be proud of the work they did. It is so sad that those days are long gone. What a shame - but that's what happens when a company gets rid of people who were the heart and sole of the company. Sorry for the few left who are hard working talented people - good luck! Maybe you should jump off this sinking ship before you drown.

Good luck AC. We'll miss ya!

Also... you people need to chill.

Agreed! AC is nipplicious! Loved when his headlights were on!

Don't let em get to you AC. Personally, I was a big fan of your shear clothing options. Made milestones much more enjoyable... especially when EL would crank up the AC. We just don't get that kind of action on the west coast.

Hey Ya'll - it's AC here. It was a hard decision to make to leave FP but reading this website helps me feel I made the right decision. I'm glad I was late last night and didn't have to receive a fake hugs from anonymous, I apologize to that person for taking care of my family and personal matters first before sharing a drink and fake laughs with them. To the anonymous person who used my initials to write out ass clown...... Not bad. I have enjoyed seeing all the people in the office face to face in real time, but it's sad to see how hateful people can be posting in secret. There are a lot of people I will miss and this website will not overshadow that. I wish everyone the best of luck and to hopefully find happiness. No work environment should be this toxic for anyone...... It's a toy company.

I have been in the NYC for a looong time now, and it wasn't always this bad. In the past we've had great people to work with (yes even marketing and the VP's), and teaming up with other departments was never an issue and all was rosy. Don't get me wrong everyone has issues but we all realized that the end product was what was most important and that we ALL were ultimately on the same team. I think most of what has polluted the mindset has been the influx of the west coast influence. It hasn't worked. When SL came back she brought in her people, most of who made changes in process that in fairness some were good, but they like to breed contempt. They enjoy pitting people against one another and sitting back and watching the show like caesar watching the gladiators fight for his amusement. They judge people by their fashion sense and appearance. They latch on to the Type A personalities who chase people off their teams and promote them for it. How many people left TM's team before she went to ES for a nice promotion? We are admittedly functioning with a less than positive morale as of late and no matter how many talks they give or the snacks they provide the changes need to be made from the top down and unfortunately SL, V, and he rest of the upper crust don't have the stones to own up to their failures and no one is holding them accountable for it.

Does anyone actually like working at Fisher Price? Maybe it's miserable and lacking innovation because everyone is out for blood. The seething hate is thinly veiled with passive aggressive politics and it's depressing. Perhaps supporting one another, or at the very least being up front about things, might help?

Let's not forget about ML and his hipster with AIDS physique! He's going to be so lonely without his boy toy to pal around with.

What about Tim in the mailroom and his retard strength? That's got to count for some hotness points! Pornstache and his 70's vibe? Let's not forget the bevy of handsome women that populate our office and their hunk like quasi lesbian vibe.

Sick of everyone crying about the hot guy (AC) leaving the office. I mean HELLO! We have other hot guys in the office now! We don't have to rely on ACs see-through dress shirts anymore to get us through the day. We have JW formidable pecs and stone cold stare. We have CLs gazelle legs and cutting bone structure. Not to mention all of the hunk from the HIT UK office that raises the temperature of the office ten degrees every time he's here. Yes, it's a drag that we lost another hunk to a competitor but can't we all just grow up and trust our hiring managers that they'll scout another hot guy soon?

I really like AC. Going to TRU though? They're worse, pay less and have a weird work environment (worked there for 2 years). His goofball antics will not go over well there. Sad how Mattel is supposed to be a better place but people are leaving our slowly sinking ship to worse places just to get the hell out. Bit digested right about now.

Went to Ass Clowns (AC) send off happy hour and waited for two hours but he never showed up! Typical. At least I didn't have to fake a smile and a hug.

I know who wrote that response and it wasn't MP.

How most of the marketing folks in our office stay employed as they market for failure is beyond me. They are the biggest clueless lot in all of the divisions. MP is bad but definitely not the worst.

The butt hurt response is most likely from MP. Instead of saying anything to his face in the office, it's kind of funny to watch him get paranoid and defensive whether it's in the office or in the comments below. He is in denial that he spends 3 hours commute coming to work everyday and does nothing but make powerpoints all day and creating waste of time meetings that the "team" must attend. Once again, why is he still there?? Such a joke.

Hmmmmmmm. Methinks upper mismanagement might actually read the comments here judging by the defensive butt hurt response below.

To the happy go lucky nut cracker below. It must be difficult to have such a clear vision of the present state of the company yet not be recognized for it. It must also be tough to do such impeccable work with zero flaws while EVERYONE in all departments are doing such crap. How do you deal with it? How do you get up each morning to go back to work with such "ass clowns"? Without a doubt you must shine so bright in a room full of ideas. Do you ever think of opening your own toy company where you can do all the hiring and sit in your own fish bowl. You can tell all your employees about the time you rose from a place where you were surrounded by morons doing subpar work and how they didn't recognize your genius until you opened up your own toy company were you cherish great ideas. You can also tell them how it can be a curse to be the only one that is blessed with the gift of great ideas. Good luck my friend, you're ahead of your time like bit coin. I'm sorry we slow you down.....I hope you liked the ice cream.

I don't know who the last person is who wrote that but if I find you in the office I am so going to punch you in the nuts for writing like a complete and utter moron. Our office breakdown as follows:

Upper management (VP's and above) - sits in their office all day, some come out and interact but otherwise sit in those square fishbowls like specimens in a doctors office.

Managers/Directors: The who wants to climb the ladder by doing nothing but kicking their feet up and schmoozing all day and the ones that everybody scratches their head at wondering how this hateful wretch can possible survived all these years.

Marketing: Folks who think they know what parents want but aren't parents so they're pretty clueless. The ones with kids stay as far away from their own kids as possible so that makes them: Crap parents? even crappier marketers? Marketing is so intent on getting their hands in the design process that they never seem to be able to actually market a toy correctly. Most still think flash mobs are an exciting way o market a product.

Designers: Most push out crap but a few get away with sub par work by being the office assclowns and do shtick all the time to deflect that their work is at best crap. Then you have the balding rice boy who curries favor by filling the candy dishes in the kitchen.

Packaging/Structure: blandness at it's best. The people that pushed the envelope in structure were smart enough to exit when the toxicity elevated and lets face it, the packaging graphics are bland. no one is even attempting to push that envelope.

Copywriting: Hacks writing for crap. That in itself is a recipe for failure.

Our model shop is down to one befuddled mid lifer, engineering likes to get involved but they're about as creative as a rock, content is a joke when the product you're writing for is laughable at best, so what's left? Facilities? morons with retard strength and ed. ed.

I see it everyday, how can you not? There are people that thankfully were let go but there's still 30-40 that have long outlived their usefulness at mattel and should be shown the door. From the top down this office needs a good culling.

Wow.....I don't like working at the NYC office much either, but I wouldn't say it's because of the people. Overall I like most of the ppl (sure there is a hand full I don't), but this form is starting to feel like Lord of the Flies. Everyone in there split groups HATEING each other.

It's crazy that most people are nice to each other in the office but then go home and hate......so does anyone like people from different departments? Or is it us first that?

There isn't, it's a myth like susie's diet. Non existent. Doesn't matter as the office is slated for closure.

who is this mystery person that is a major producer in the FP NYC office? It's gotta be DW. That dude is all over the place and let's everyone know it with his big obnoxious voice.

Everything mentioned about NYC office is so spot on. From the megalomaniacs to the coat-tail riders, it really is a place unlike any other. Doesn't matter if you are in marketing, engineering or design it's all royally dysfunctional. If you can stand to survive an entire development cycle without having your spirit crushed, back stabbed and come out the other end with a successful concept, then that would make sometime truly worthy of a VP title. There's really only one person that fits the bill at the moment, I'm guessing most people would prob agree, this person truly has talent and resilience to deliver on a big way.

If people actually did their jobs in the NYC office, marketing would not have to pick up the slack and wear multiple hats instead of doing just our marketing jobs. The whining and complaining is completely unfounded and I dare any of you internet tough guys to say what you feel to my face.

So true. That berry faced cow loves when people fight around her. It makes her joyless life that much better.

The problem is that in the NYC office, it's a back biting culture filled with angry little people who spew venom on a daily basis to spread discord and dissent amongst the ranks. Sadly, those in power get off on the drama like it's their own little personal soap opera. I've witnessed (within this past month) Miss vertigo (JS), gossiping and trying to egg someone on to continue the strife for her own amusement. This is a person in charge who should be dispelling or bringing internal issues to HR, not being the one in the crowd to yell "fight!" Granted she is not a babysitter but when issues like this tend to disrupt morale, cause ill will, and affect productivity, isn't she just as much to blame? WHERE IS THE LEADERSHIP?

It's sad to see co-workers hate each other so much and are so foul mouthed about it.

Agreed with the last poster, from GW to many of the yahoos in NYC who make homophobic comments and or racially charged comments. They need to go. Too much negativity and back biting hatred. There's a young kid at NYC who's a "bronie" who had been mocked mercilessly for his fandom and his sexuality (gay) by both his peers and upper management. Quite a nice kid, didn't deserve the abuse but upper management is never reprimanded for their transgressions. Then again our head of HR is useless.

If that's the case then there's a number of executive management that has to go. And if it is the obscenities that bother you and not the obscene mismanagement of the company then your sensibilities are sadly misplaced. You are likely one of the people that think Starbucks is against Christmas with their red cups.

The second you utter an obscenity you throw away any credibility. Complain all you want but stop the pathetic name calling. You sound like a bunch of junior high school bullies. If this is how you choose to act then you have no right working for this company in the first place.

Which is the least important department in the NYC office? Who's contributing does nothing to advance the culture towards success? Forecasting? The one man model shop? HR? Packaging? Design? Marketing?

The whole crop of marketing/design vps are just so useless. They can present up a storm, but if you ever see them bring an idea to the table that was inspired and groundbreaking then look out the window, you prob just missed the unicorn flying by with a pack of pigs.

The only thing that NYC marketing are experts in are dysfunction and poor decision making yet are held accountable for nothing.

So true. If I have to hear another marketing moron utter the phrase "well, the challenge is", and when you ask them to clarify the objective and or challenge they get snippy and say that we are supposed to be the experts, yet they were put over design so shouldn't these morons now BE the experts?

Marketing and design leadership in the NYC office needs a massive overhaul...nothing good can be said about the whole lot. Meh.

Tommy lobby!

The only redeeming person in the NYC is Tommy the security guard. Everyone else is useless and redundant.

Sure is, especially after cinderfella spent all that time re-decorating the place to look like his modern vision of failure. Thank god we got rid of his duck walk and pursed lips. He became an absolutely useless parody of himself. Hope he gets buried under a mountain of snow in EA.

Keeping the NYC office is nothing more than corporate vanity at this point. Everything done there should be done elsewhere, at a savings of millions of dollars.

yeah yeah yeah, NYC is the shining light. Let's not forget the topic here. Our marketing people are clueless crybaby scumbags who will do anything to get ahead at the cost of members on any other team (including their own). They claim that they're "one mattel", but their behavior and actions contradict that. Don't agree with one and see how quickly your boss calls you in for a quick discussion on how you need to be a better team player. I had the talk last week. Funny thing is when they brought in some of Susie's cronies from California (another HUGE mistake) they swore that design would own their portion of the process. Funny how that's gone by the waist side.