For nearly a century, two giants have fought to dominate the American toy industry in a never ending battle of creativity and innovation. Those two giants are none other than Hasbro and Mattel. Both hold an incredible amount of market share in the space and are undoubtedly the industry leaders today. Not that it matters, but my personal favorite is Hasbro (granted I’m biased as I love Transformers), but I’ve got respect for both brands.
Hasbro is known for G.I. Joe, Transformers, My Little Pony, and Star Wars to name a humble few, while Mattel’s titan brands include Barbie, Hot Wheels, and Uno. Hasbro is widely considered the bigger brand, which is reflected in their stock prices. As of Monday May 1st, Hasbro is valued at $59.22 a share while Mattel is only $18.00 per share. As always, pop culture plays a major role in a brand’s popularity, and Hasbro has certainly had more cinematic hits than Mattel to date.
BUT, put all this information aside for a moment, because this article is not only about the history of two companies – It’s about their future. Last month it was made known to the public that Hasbro and Mattel would be making an absolutely historic move to collaborate with some of their biggest toy franchises. In a behind-closed-doors showing at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair it was announced that Barbie Monopoly along with Transformers Hot Wheels and Uno are in the works. It is a move bringing rivals together, and it has never been done before!
While It might not sound like a big deal to the average person, I assure you that to toy collectors such as myself, its mind blowing! Collaborations are a popular theme between brands in the 21st century, but never did I (or anyone) actually expect these two toy titans to come together. I’m so excited to see where this goes in the future. Will the collabo make me love Mattel more than Hasbro? Maybe not… but I can’t wait to see what those Transformers Hot Wheels are all about!
