Barbie beats the pandemic.
Mattel's latest quarters have seen a 29 percent increase in sales, a record over the past 20 years, attributed by the toy giant to the coronavirus lockdown.
"Barbie at 62 is more relevant than ever", commented Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
Thanks to the doll, the El Segundo company recorded a +10 percent of profits.
A relative novelty compared to years of crisis linked to competition from other dolls to which Mattel had tried to respond by introducing new, more inclusive collections with different skin colors, new sizes and permanent disabilities, alongside the line on new careers.
The latest, launched these days last year, saw Barbie wear the lace collar toga of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the iconic liberal judge of the Supreme Court, after Mattel found that in the US only 33 per one hundred of the magistrates were women.
The pandemic has changed the picture: on the hunt for new ways to entertain their children that do not place them 24/7 in front of the TV or on the internet, parents in lockdown have been hunting for toys that are more familiar to them to stimulate the imagination.
"The priority is spending time with the kids using quality, trusted products," Kreitz said.
The mothers heard by the Wall Street Journal agree that the "doll as a friend" in recent months has acted as a substitute for the absence of social interaction imposed by the quarantine.
In reality, the pandemic did not start well for Mattel: tens of thousands of stores selling its toys had had to close in March, depressing sales, while the parents' initial choice to entertain the offspring had focused above all on puzzles and games table.
Consumers went back to buying Barbie when the end of the lockdown didn't materialize.
And as the holiday season approaches, retailers themselves have realized the need to strengthen inventories.
Not only did Barbie meet Mattel's expectations: driven by Hot Wheels, toy cars, action figures and construction sets also increased by 14 percent, helped by the "Baby Yoda" plush inspired by the Disney + "The Mandalorian "and the card game Uno.
On the other hand, the category of games for early childhood remained in decline (-6 per cent), due to the decline of brands such as Fisher-Price and Thomas & Friends.
