Do we like them?

Do we like Mattel?

Toymaker behind Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price and UNO, based in El Segundo, California.

Our score: 6 out of 10. A big, mostly steady toy firm. Its worst record is old (lead-paint recalls), and it has a stated plastics goal. We'd back it with some caution.

Mattel is the El Segundo, California toymaker behind Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price and UNO. It's listed on the stock exchange. In Q2 2026 its sales rose about 10% to $1,125 million, though tariffs and costs are squeezing margins.

The big black mark is from 2007 to 2009. Mattel and Fisher-Price agreed to pay a $2.3 million civil penalty to the CPSC over toys with excessive lead. They denied knowingly breaking the law. A consumer class action over the same recalls could have topped $50 million.

Fisher-Price also paid $1.1 million in 2001 for failing to promptly report that Power Wheels cars could catch fire. That's the biggest civil penalty ever against a toy company. The company said it paid to avoid drawn-out litigation.

On plastic, Mattel's real goal is 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic in products and packaging by 2030. A viral 'plastic-free Barbie' announcement was a hoax by activists, and Mattel said so. The company has also launched Barbie Loves the Ocean, made from ocean-bound plastic.

Our score is a middling 6. The serious fines are old and the sustainability goals are real but unproven. We found no recent scandals, but our search was thin.