Barbie's star fades, dragging down Mattel in 3Q

Mattel's got girl problems and her name is Barbie. Sales of the iconic doll continue to slide and a surprising drop in sales of its American Girl toys could become another headache for the toy company as it heads into the crucial holiday season.
Mattel Inc reported today that Barbie sales fell 21 per cent for the three months ended September 30, even sharper than the 15 per cent drop in the second quarter.
And American Girl's third-quarter sales declined 7 per cent, compared with a 6 per cent rise in the second quarter.
Heightening tensions even more, Mattel's rival Hasbro Inc recently landed the rights for dolls from the blockbuster Disney movie "Frozen," a coveted relationship for Mattel. The rights for the "Frozen" dolls will go to Hasbro in the spring of 2016.

Dolls are traditionally a tough market to corner. There's a lot of competition and the affections of the target audience, little girls, can be fleeting.
It's not all bad news for Mattel, however. It has recently introduced dolls that have resonated with customers even as Barbie's star appears to fade.

Sales of Disney Princess and Ever After High dolls were given most of the credit for the 1 per cent increase in sales of other doll brands in the quarter.
Mattel toys that are geared toward boys are also a bright spot. Sales for the Wheels category, which includes the Hot Wheels and Matchbox brands, climbed 4 per cent.

Mattel, based in El Segundo, California, reported a profit of 97 cents per share on revenue of USD 2.02 billion for the period today.
That was short of Wall Street expectations. Analysts had expected per-share earnings of USD 1.02, and revenue of USD 2.18 billion, according to a poll by FactSet.