While he could be an astronaut or a surgeon, Barbara was left to entertain herself primarily with baby dolls, which reflected what society had in store for her later. More than six decades ago, when toys were even more heavily gendered, Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler saw that her son, Kenneth, had more options to play with than her daughter, Barbara.
“The brand has had a great run, a very impressive run, but it’s also faced a lot of controversy,” Dickson explained. “We are experiencing big increases around the world.” But the blonde doll with unrealistic measurements has had to change with the times to survive, and there have been a lot of bumps in the road. Indeed, Mattel recorded profits of $903 million versus $123 million the previous year, a 19% increase from 2020.īarbie has returned to the spotlight. “Last year, it reached the highest level in its history,” Dickson confirmed. The doll division accounted for almost $2.3 billion of Mattel’s gross revenues Barbie alone represented $1.679 billion, or 73% of the sales in its category, and about 27% of total revenue. However, the company’s annual report sheds some light on the matter. “Of course, Barbie is the queen of our product portfolio and, to some extent, an indicator of how Mattel is doing,” Richard Dickson, the company’s president and Chief Operating Officer (COO), said by video call.ĭickson did not disclose the Barbie brand’s share of the company’s revenues, which were $5.458 billion (a similar figure in euros) in 2021 (that figure was $6.081 billion before discounts, returns and other adjustments). While the company performed well and kept the business balanced with other brands during some of the doll’s low moments, Barbie remains fundamental to the toy company’s success. The success of the toy company that created her over 60 years ago still largely rests on her slim plastic shoulders.
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