Mattel 2009 Annual Report Download - page 5

So after 10 years, what investors and employees ask me most
often is “What’s next for Mattel?” Let me start with where we
have been. In 2000, the senior management team created a
vision for the company to be: “The World’s Premier Toy Brands –
Today and Tomorrow.” In the context of what’s next, we
challenged our thinking around the vision itself.
In 2010, we are launching a new guiding vision for the company:
“Creating the Future of Play.”
At Mattel, we are the imaginations behind some of the most
recognized and best-loved products around the world. But I
will let you in on a secret: we don’t just make toys. We create
emotional connections that last a lifetime by encouraging children
to stretch their imaginations, creating joy and allowing children
to become lost in play. That’s the real value of our toys.
That’s the value of play.
So with our new vision in mind, what’s next in the world of play?
First, we believe in reinventing favorites while creating new
products and play opportunities to captivate generations
to come. After a year-long celebration of 50 years of Barbie®
as a fashion icon, 2010 is about reclaiming the Barbie® brand’s
heritage as an inspiration to girls of all ages.
This year, Barbie® celebrates another milestone – her 125th
career and kicks off the global “I Can Be…
™” campaign. For the
fi rst time ever, consumers around the world helped select the
next career. With more than a half-million votes counted, her
125th career was selected by girls around the world and is
a News Anchor. But consumers of all ages and both genders
loudly campaigned for another Barbie® career. Therefore,
we’re also launching Computer Engineer Barbie®, debuting in
Winter 2010, to inspire a new generation of girls to explore this
important high-tech career.
Innovation can redefi ne what it is to play and what makes
something a toy. Adding a new twist to today’s play experiences,
our innovative engineering team is transforming small toys into
sophisticated gadgets that bring a new dimension to how boys
and girls play today.
One of my favorite examples is the Fisher-Price® iXL™ learning
system, a child’s portable window to a whole new world of learning
and entertainment, featuring six applications: Story Book, Game
Player, Note Book, Art Studio, Music Player and Photo Album.
Boys of all ages can now take their Hot Wheels® radio control
vehicles anywhere with the new Hot Wheels® R/C Stealth Rides.
About the size of a deck of cards, these fully functioning radio
control vehicles fold fl at to fi t in a very thin carrying case that
doubles as the control for the vehicle.
To encourage girls to play outdoors, American Girl® introduces
Lanie™, the 2010 Girl of the Year®, a thoughtful, energetic girl
who discovers the world in her own backyard. Available for only
one year, Lanie™ launched with two books that tell her story.
This year, Mattel has partnered with the biggest names in kids’
entertainment from Disney® and Pixar® to World Wrestling
Entertainment (WWE®) and Thomas & Friends™, developing
innovative toys that evoke creativity, foster role play and
continue storylines off-screen and onto living room fl oors.
Creating the future of play is evolution. Our goal is to build on
the progress we’ve made and to push ourselves to achieve
more. That’s consistent with our 2010 goals: we will capitalize
on opportunities to increase revenues by continuing core brand
performance while maximizing the opportunities surrounding
our new entertainment properties (WWE®, Toy Story® 3 and
Thomas & Friends™); maintain cost and expense controls;
and deliver another strong year of profi ts and cash fl ow.
We believe in the value of play – the possibilities it creates and
the joy that it brings. At Mattel, we have the unique opportunity
to work at the intersection of what is enduring and what is
innovative. When we do this, there are no limits to what we
can invent and the joy we can create.
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Offi cer