Thread regarding Mattel Inc. layoffs

Ha ha - I see tons of adults buying toys and are very passionate about their toys as well.

To sum it up, kids play with Spin, HAS, MGA toys and electronics, not Mattel toys. Most toy companies are growing but not Mattel. We are doomed!!

Seriously, I’ve heard this a million times from parents. If your child only plays with their tablet or electronics you should really look at your parenting skills and not blame bad Toys for the way society babysits. I’m also lumping you in with 90% of parents today that do it so don’t get offended. Children DO play with toys and the reason most of us losers still have a job is because they DO. The reason the aisles are empty at Target and Walmart are because it’s cheaper for parents to hook them up to a tablet than buy something that will excite imagination. That may also mean they have to actually PLAY with the kid. Don’t get me wrong, our toys are still mediocre enough to get you on birthdays and holidays as a cheap way to show your child you love them.

The industry is still growing. Spin, HAS, MGA are doing just fine. LEGO overreached a bit in the last few years but they are not in dire straits. The smaller European companies are doing well, and sales for the The Chinese market is still growing steadily though foreign brands have generally struggled there (with a few exceptions).

Mattel has a multitude of problems. The bland portfolio is one. Lackluster licenses are another. The company is also running up a let of debt and sunk money into totally worthless acquisitions like Sproutling and Fuhu.

It must be adults buying all the LOL toys then.

Don’t use your focus group of one as a measure of what kids do and don’t. Kids may play with toys in shorter intensities now but they sure still seem to be buying them.

According to NPD, toy sales in the United States, the world’s largest toy market, grew by 1 percent to $20.7 billion in 2017.

You guys are totally right. Noone is buying toys these days.

Agree with @UAG3SUV-4uzg! Most of the traditional toys are dead. Just go to check out the toy sections at Target and Walmart, majority of toys are not moving...

"Kids almost never play with toys anymore".

Oh really, and what evidence can you cite to back up your incredible claim?

"Never once have I seen [my daughter or her cousins] play with traditional toys."

Fascinating! Please share all of your toy industry insights, you clearly have some fantastic insider information.

Kids almost never play with toys anymore. My daughter constantly watches TV or plays on her tablet if I don't drag her to go out and do outdoor activities.

Similarly, all my nephews and nieces beg me to borrow my phone when they're staying over.

Never once have I seen them play with traditional toys.

As a parent of a toddler I call BS. I’m also young enough to still enjoy the nostalgia of certain toys myself. The error in judgement of ALL Toy companies and designers alike are not being able to swallow their ego. Seriously, it doesn’t take a savant to realize palettes change. If it is your job to continuously change and produce a product that is relevant to the time, that’s what you do! Mattel has learned this the hard way and it will bite them in the a**. If you really want to see innovative toys and people who are passionate about toy design, google things like Designer Toys, Homeade Toys and Cardboard Toys. People are creating awesome toys in their garages yet Toy companies are stuck plagiarizing the 80’s. We deserve everything we get. Invest in the little guy in his garage! The day of Big Toy Comapnies and their monopolies is over!! Chao!

You can blame our fast paced culture and technological culture for the fact that toys do not hold kids interest like they did many decades ago. Parents are reluctant to spend a lot on many new toys when they know the kids attention spans won't sustain.

Agree with last poster; I’ve seen it so many times. There ARE good benefits to playing with toys, but they simply don’t hold kids attention the way things used to. Once the first few minutes of, “Wow! Something new! For me!” has worn off, they’re just discarded. And pretty much anything can trigger that level of excitement in a preschool aged child, whether is a simple balloon or dollar store car. The product we’re making are both overbuilt, but and just generally off the mark from where kids interests are these days. With the way the company’s finances are now, I’m afraid it’s too late.

I don't have kids but my husband's family has a lot of kids. I watch them play. They have very little interest in toys. They get a few things for Christmas, play with it for an hour or two and abandon them. The girls - dolls almost non-existent to them. They either like electronics, video games, TV, or some object they find around the house that isn't even made to be played with. It's a sad sign of the times. I loved playing with toys.

That formula was fine 10 years ago.

Nowadays 1 blockbuster toy does not make up for hundreds of lackluster skus.

You would need enough of them to first compensate for the hole we’re in and a bunch more to give you a cushion. At the moment all Ynot wants is stop the bleeding.

So it’s all good to opine for innovation and the next big toy but I’m not so sure that even a new blockbuster brand will dig us out. AND who’s left to make that? Surely not FP or AG or Barbie or HW.

Honestly, paint me a picture of what you think it would take to save the company. Not even including the money you’d need to market all of this.

I can't agree with this more but don't you think it's a little too late? The majority of our brands are dying and we have absolutely NOTHING close to be creative down the pipe! It's all same old sh_t that nobody wants.

Also, cash. Y’all broke.