‘This Is Not About Selling Toys’: Mattel Bosses on ‘Barbie’s’ Long Development, Needing a Female Director and More
Barbie.” The much-hyped film from Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie stands to be monumental for Mattel, turning the 78-year-old toy company into its own cinematic universe. But if the movie falls short, it could damage the American brand that has only just stabilized after a long period of turmoil. A decade ago, with the rise of e-commerce and the consequent closing of toy stores, Mattel’s sales were nosediving. A cultural shift in beauty standards, gender norms and representation didn’t help the parent company of the white plastic doll. Then, in 2018, after rapidly cycling through a handful of CEOs, Mattel brought in a new boss with a big vision: Ynon Kreiz, an Israeli-born businessman and former chairman of Fox Kids Europe, wanted to turn the toy company into an IP-driven machine, complete with movies, TV shows, stage productions and theme parks. One of his first initiatives was to launch an in-house film division.