Mattel 1998 Annual Report Download - page 10

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Entertainment properties were up 14 percent. Our
Nickelodeon business tripled last year, fueled by products
based on the very popular “Rugrats,” and on “Blue’s Clues,”
the new top-ranked T.V. show from Nickelodeon. And our
Disney business alone was up 16 percent for the year and
now equals almost $700 million around the world.
We have a great line-up of new entertainment properties
for 1999. “A Bug’s Life” will launch in Europe in the
first quarter, and U.S. home video releases of “Mulan,”
“A Bug’s Life” and “The Rugrats Movie” all will come this
year. Then Disney’s “Tarzan” will be released in June, and
Disney’s and Pixar’s much anticipated “Toy Story 2”
will debut in November.
Our future looks very bright, based on the
strategic initiatives we have underway.
Growth of our core businesses will
remain a key priority, and our global
brand building strategy will continue
to be a big part of that, as we seek
to double our international sales.
To do that, we will implement
the systematic approach developed
through our work with the Boston
Consulting Group. Our Wheels, Infant
and Preschool, and Barbie franchises
will be the targeted brands — and
Europe and Japan the target markets.
Our second initiative has been to develop a
$1 billion software business. We began Mattel
Media in 1996 with $20 million in sales and one
Barbie title. Over the last two years, we have grown to a
$100 million interactive franchise with the #1 top-selling
children’s title for three years in a row. This year, we will
have 25 new Mattel Media titles, including CD-ROMs
based on American Girl, Sesame Street and Caterpillar,
which is part of the Matchbox brand. We will also have
The innovative X3 Microscope was developed through a 8
partnership between Mattel and Intel.