Mattel Inc.

Jewish L.A.: 5 People Who Helped Shape the City's History, From the Autry's New Exhibit

Jewish history in turn-of-the-century America usually conjures up images of deeply religious East Coast garment district workers or greased-back, penny-pinching Old Hollywood studio moguls. The Autry National Center attempts to break down this second stereotype with its latest exhibit, "Jews in the ... More >>

Jennifer Klausner: The Pedal Pusher

One of the fascinating Angelenos featured in L.A. Weekly's People 2013 issue. Check out our entire People 2013 issue here.The first time Jennifer Klausner spoke up on behalf of bikes was at a Santa Monica City Council meeting in the early '90s. It was also the first time the avid cyclist and star me ... More >>

Hispanic Barbie 'Can Be President,' Apparently

As the Democrats started their short week in Charlotte with L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the helm of the party's convention, it came to our attention that this whole idea of a Latino in the White House has legs. Long, sexy legs. Did you know that El Segundo-based Mattel, Inc. has a "Hispanic ... More >>

Advanced Style: The California Women Designers Behind Barbie, Bikinis and the '84 Olympics

Among a healthy-sized group of reporters, photographers, and other members of the press, five fashionable female artists turned up for the media preview of "California's Designing Women, 1896-1986" at the Autry National Center last Wednesday. Even though everyone had name tags, the lady designers di ... More >>

Iran Bans Barbies; Disgruntled Little Girl Calls Replacement Dolls 'Ugly and Fat'

L.A.-based toy company Mattell is facing some pushback from the Iranian government, re: the "destructive cultural and social consequences" that its freakishly perfect Barbie dolls have on the little girls of Iran. Reuters reports that the ban was unofficially passed in 1996, but that the "morality ... More >>

Back to the Future's $500,000 DeLorean and Darth Vader Costume Sell at Hollywood Auction. Ruby Slippers Still Available

A fully functioning hoverboard...y'know...for the kids​Local memorabilia-selling powerhouse, Profiles in History did another one of their epic auctions this weekend at the Paley Media Center in Beverly Hills -- and the nerds cleaned house. Again. Compared to Debbie Reynolds' series of show-st ... More >>

Hot Wheels Convention: $125,000 Volkswagen Beach Bomb and Other Awesome Collectables

The 25th Annual Hot Wheels Collectors Convention, held last weekend at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott, was a convention like no other we have attended. There were a few of the typical activities-- autograph signings, a custom car contest, games for the kids-- but the real action took place off the ... More >>

Barbie, 7 Kens Scale Mattel Headquarters in El Segundo, Protest Doll Boxes Made From Indonesian Rainforests

Molly Peterson/KPCCProtest Barbie has brief wig malfunction​Apparently inspired by last month's super meta Disney protest -- in which Burbank activists dressed as Mickey and Minnie chained themselves to the front gates of corporate headquarters and hung a banner reading "Disney: Destroying Ind ... More >>

Bratz Dolls Emerge Victorious After 2-Year Catfight With Barbie

Counterfeit ChicSue this, you disproportionate bitch​Well, it's settled. Barbie just got her ass kicked by the sassy, funky new girls on America's cutthroat child-consumer scene. OK, not Barbie herself. Worse -- the suits who pull her strings. Mattel sued Bratz maker MGA a few years back bec ... More >>

L.A. County Sheriff's Car: Coming to a Wal-Mart (and Chinese Sweatshop) Near You

Zev's BlogCharge this, China.​The kids were apparently getting tired of pushing around those frumpy old Ford Crown Victorias that used to epitomize the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. A few lucky deputies have since upgraded to the menacing, pitbullish Dodge Charger -- and so upgrade ... More >>

Jean Maxime Perramon -- Big-Time Hollywood Animator, 'Bionic Six' Artist -- Killed on Shoulder of 101 Freeway in Thousand Oaks

Pepper Films Inc​Updated after the jump: Jean's friends and neighbors provide more details about his life and death. Jean Perramon pulled over to the side of the 101 North at about 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, stepping out of his Ferrari momentarily to check its tire for a piece of metal he though ... More >>

Top 10 Strangest Rock Star Action Figures (In Honor of the "Hard Rock Barbie" Lawsuit)

Tiny Rockers! 10 Best Rock Star Action Figures (Not Including HorrorPops' Lawsuit Lovin Bassist)

Court Overturns Ruling That Gave Mattel Rights To The Bratz Dolls

​A federal appeals court ruled today that El Segundo-based Mattel does not have the rights to the entire Bratz line. Mattel had claimed that the line of dolls was under its ownership because the Bratz concept was conceived by former employee Carter Bryant while he was still under Mattel empl ... More >>

Slime, the toy: Now With "Elegance" Aroma

Remember Slime? Before Nickelodeon cornered the market on slime, the gooey substance was available as a toy made in the late 1970s by Mattel. It came in a little plastic trash can with or without eyeballs, worms, or tadpoles. It was heavenly. It was one of those toys that should never have been take ... More >>

Save us, WWE and Barbie! Mattel reports a revenue turnaround and sighs with relief

Can Barbie save us from the incredible, persistent 12 percent to 14 percent unemployment that has ravaged Los Angeles city and county?The folks over at Mattel are doing something right -- gobbling up successful stuff like World Wrestling Entertainment. Now, they're reporting a key turnaround in thei ... More >>

BREAKING: 'Xasthur,' 'Dethklok,' 'Vikernes' Now Acceptable Scrabble Words

​Kotaku today reported that the manufacturer of Scrabble has allowed a major rule change for the new edition of the game: it will allow proper nouns. We got all excited at the prospect of racking up the points with formerly verboten words like Xasthur, Dethklok, Bathory, Vikernes, Barathrum, ... More >>

Mattel Working On Straight-To-Big-Screen-Franchise Toys

barbie.com​Looking to cut out that long wait between childhood phenomenon and big-screen blockbuster, El Segundo-based toymaker Mattel has begun developing toys that have Hollywood storylines and direct-to-film pedigree built in. New York Magazine's Vulture blog reports that Mattel has alrea ... More >>

Nightranger: California Paradise

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Art Show Opens at Gallery 1988

Boys and girls as young as five stood in line alongside bespectacled, nearly middle-aged men on a chilly Friday night to pay tribute to an icon and hero: Prince Adam of Eternia, more popularly known as He-Man. Ivan Fernandez​The line that would eventually wrap around the corner began at the en ... More >>

THE LAND OF GIANTS: PMK-HBH AND BNC

A new Hollywood PR merger and best-ever box office

Mattel's African-American Dolls Not Black Enough For Some

Mattel​Some African-American parents aren't happy with Mattel and the El Segundo toy giant's "So in Style" toys, its first line of black dolls, which have the size and shape of its Barbie line. While parents of all backgrounds have debated about the anorexic shape of Barbie, some black parents ... More >>

Illegal Barbies Stopped In San Diego

MattelTeresa, the Latina Barbie.​U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced on Thursday they seized 600 illegal Barbie dolls worth nearly $24,000 dollars. It wasn't clear if the undocumented Barbies were from Mexico, so hold off on the illegal bashing. (Besides, Mexican Barbies a ... More >>

Mattel Uses Own 'Barbie Labs' to Test for Lead

The Associated Press reports that El Segundo-headquartered Mattel Inc. has been granted an exemption from a federal law requiring that toy makers have their products tested for lead ​content at third-party laboratories. Instead, the makers of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels will be allowed to test its ... More >>

Movie Reviews: A Woman in Berlin, A Perfect Getaway, Paper Heart

Also, Fragments, 12 in a Box and more

Morning Sixpack: A News Roundup

Over the Rainbow Flags Between 3,500 and 5,000 gay-marriage supporters peacefully marched from West Hollywood to Hollywood tonight, protesting today's state supreme court ruling upholding Proposition 8's ban on same-sex matrimony. NBC, City News Service (subscription required)Koretz Claims Win As Pa ... More >>

Toymaker Claims Smackdown Win Over WWE

Jakks PacificThe L.A. Business Journal quotes Malibu-based toymaker Jakks Pacific Inc.'s claim that a U.S. appellate court has thrown out a lawsuit brought by World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. The wrestling-promotion outfit had accused Jakks "of bribery and other actions," according to LABJ. The ... More >>

LA People 2009: Art-Tart Barbie — Kari French

From Boy Toys to Ball Gowns: Wu Does Ru

Looks like Michelle Obama took our drag-hag advice when choosing her inaugural ensembles yesterday. Okay, sometimes color-coordinating is a crime, especially if the matchy-matchy shade offense includes puke green! Not sure how we felt about the ball gown (see post below) but the designer who made it ... More >>

Louboutin to Create Barbie Pink Pumps

Women's Wear Daily reports that Christian Louboutin will be making pumps in Barbie's iconic Pantone 219 Pink. The pumps will debut at New York Fashion Week in February at a special Mattel runway show:Fifty as-yet-undisclosed designers will produce Barbie-inspired outfits for the runway, and each of ... More >>

Kit Kittredge: As American As Overpriced Dolls

In Mattel co-production, all it takes to cure the Depression is a little Miss Sunshine

Son of Rambow: Young Blood

Garth Jennings' comedy illuminates the joys of DIY filmmaking

She Is Barbie, Hear Her Roar

Designer Tarina Tarantino drapes her favorite feminist icon in pearls

Los Angeles Ballet: The Nutcracker

Moguls Will Be Moguls at Camp Allen

Shareholders get burned around the Big Media campfire

I Am Not a Housewife

Caitlin Flanagan fights the mommy wars

Ports of Loss

Taft-Hartley chalks up another victory for the boss

It Was a Doll Revolution

Broken Mirror

The unlimited electronic children of Akira Rabelais

The Noise of Art

Audio visuals

Is Anybody Listening?

The beautiful chaos of Kill Radio

Polka Dot Uptown Girl

Making it

Charting Their Own Course

Even the best charter schools are no panacea for what ails L.A. Unified

Art, California

MTA Game Plan

The poor walk, so that the middle class can shrink

Barbie's Revenge

No-Tell Mattel

Censorware maker slams the censor busters

DON'T CRY FOR ME, MEXICO

1987 Timeline

Heavy Bad Mojo

Cowboys, Indians and plastic women

Weapons of Mass Distraction

U.S. arms dealing leads Project Censored’s list of the Top 10 underreported stories of 1997