Facing a new wave of privacy questions from lawmakers, consumer advocates, and concerned parents, Mattel has decided that it won’t go ahead with its delayed launch of Aristotle, the always-listening kid monitor designed to track and learn about your child from birth through adolescence. [More]
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Lawmakers Say Mattel’s Always-On ‘Aristotle’ Kid Monitor Raises “Serious Privacy Concerns” For Families
By 9.29.17
Despite announcing the product in January, toy giant Mattel has still not released the always-on, always-listening Aristotle kid monitor that has already raised red flags among privacy advocates. Now, a bipartisan pair of U.S. legislators are asking Mattel to address what they see as serious concerns about this connected-home device that is intended to track info about your kid from birth through adolescence. [More]
Toymakers Owed Millions Brace For Hit After Toys ‘R’ Us Bankruptcy
By 9.29.17
Many toymakers say they won’t let Toys ‘R’ Us die after filing for bankruptcy, noting that doing so would be bad for their own businesses. After all, the chain is typically their biggest client. However, it appears there’s more at stake, namely, the millions of dollars the manufacturers are owed. [More]
Toymakers Won’t Let Toys ‘R’ Us Die Because That Would Be Bad For Their Business
By 9.20.17
Although the news of the Toys ‘R’ Us bankruptcy may have thrown some shoppers into a pre-holidays panic at first, the company will be keeping its stores open and its shelves stocked with toys. Not only because it wants to cash in during its biggest season, but because its suppliers need it to stick around. [More]
New Barbie Doll Lineup Lets Ken Settle Into His Dad-Bod, Live Out His Man-Bun Fantasy
By 6.20.17
The times, they are a-changin’. And much like Barbie’s evolution into a doll that comes in sizes other than “impossibly perfect,” Ken is getting a new look that more closely reflects today’s reality: He’s got a man-bun, a dad-bod, and comes in a more diverse range of skin tones. [More]
Privacy Advocates Raise Concerns About Mattel’s Always-On ‘Aristotle’ Baby Monitor
By 5.10.17
Anyone who has watched a young child become fascinated with virtual “assistants” like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, or Google Home could guess that it was only a matter of time until one of these “smart” devices would be created specifically for monitoring kids. With Mattel set to release an all-in-one assistant/monitor, consumer advocates are questioning how secure, beneficial, or harmful these devices actually are. [More]
That Was Quick: 6 Top CEOs Who Have Been Unceremoniously Kicked To The Curb Since 2013
By 9.23.16
Upon hearing the news this morning that American Apparel CEO Paula Schneider was resigning from her post, we couldn’t help but feel a twinge of deja vu. After all, she’s far from the first top executive to cause a stir with a sudden departure. [More]
Mattel, Viacom, Hasbro Accused Of Tracking Kids’ Online Behavior
By 9.13.16
When your child uses a kid-targeted website for Barbie, Dora the Explorer, Neopets, Nerf, or Nickelodeon, federal law limits what information can be collected. But an investigation by the New York state attorney general found that some of the biggest names in toys and kids’ entertainment were violating that law by collecting information from their young users without authorization, and by allowing third parties to track users’ behavior across the internet. [More]
American Girl Dolls Will Soon Be Available At Toys ‘R’ Us Stores
By 8.31.16
When I was but a young Consumerist, the only way to get your hands on an American Girl doll — once parents had been successfully harangued into purchasing the pricey toy — was by mail order. Since then, Pleasant Company, now a subsidiary of Mattel, has 20 stores around the country dedicated to selling the dolls as well as a website. Times are changing yet again: starting next month, the dolls will also be available at Toys ‘R’ Us stores. [More]
21 Pranks, Fake Products, And Other Corporate Attempts At April Fools’ Day Relevance
By 4.1.16
Ever since April 1, 1922 when our print forerunner, The Consumerist Bugle-Gazette, ran an April Fools’ Day cover story that unwittingly — but accurately — announced the death of exiled Austrian Emperor Charles I, we’ve not tempted fate and avoided such tomfoolery. But others aren’t burdened by these ghosts of Aprils gone awry. [More]
Hasbro, Mattel Reportedly Talking About Making One Big Toy Company To End All Others
By 2.4.16
Imagine a world where G.I. Joe marries Barbie (or Ken) and then they both drive off in their Hot Wheels car to their My Little Pony ranch — and all these products come from the same company. It’s a possibility, with Mattel and Hasbro reportedly chatting about merging the contents of their respective toy chests.
[More]
Barbie Dolls Finally Getting More Realistic Curves
By 1.28.16
For decades, Mattel’s famous line of Barbie dolls has been heavily criticized for perpetuating an unrealistic and unobtainable image of the female figure. And for some reason, the dolls’ feet were perma-slanted so that Barbie had to wear heels all the time. But today Mattel has announced that Barbie will come in a variety of sizes and skin tones. [More]
Barbie’s Feet Finally Get A Break As New Range Of Dolls Can Wear Flats
By 6.5.15
Barbie has spent her entire life standing on her tiptoes and boy, she must be tired. Too long has she toiled for hours in dream mansions and in ice cream shoppes without the benefit of having her feet flat on the ground, encased comfortably in flat shoes. Her time has come: Mattel’s newest line of dolls have adjustable ankles, and a line of flat footwear to go with that new flexibility. [More]
Mattel Discontinuing SeaWorld Trainer Barbie And All SeaWorld-Branded Merchandise
By 4.24.15
Barbie won’t be training whales at SeaWorld anymore, as reportedly Mattel confirmed that it’s ceasing production of all SeaWorld-branded merchandise, which includes its SeaWorld Trainer Barbies. [More]
Mattel Unveils Hello Barbie, A Doll That Can Hold A Conversation
By 2.17.15
Barbie may not be able to code without the help of a few of her closest male friends, but soon she’ll be one of the most technologically advanced toys. Mattel announced this week that it has developed a connected version of the iconic doll that can hold conversations during playtime. [More]
Mattel, Google Revamp View-Master To Create Kid-Friendly Virtual Reality Device
By 2.13.15
The days of grainy, hard to decipher photos that came with Mattel’s View-Master are apparently behind us. The company, along with Google, revealed an overhaul that transforms the classic kids’ toy into a virtual reality gadget. [More]
Mattel Apologizes, Says Incompetent Engineer Barbie ‘Doesn’t Reflect The Brand’s Vision’
By 11.19.14
Earlier today, we wondered why the communications people over at Mattel hadn’t answered any questions about a book starring Barbie as a computer engineer. Barbie’s “engineering” job consisted of designing puppies while having male colleagues code the game and reboot her computer. This isn’t just sexist, but an inaccurate representation of what computer engineers do. Good news: Steven and Brian managed to get the virus off PR Barbie’s computer, and the book’s author has spoken up as well. UPDATE: Amazon also appears to have pulled the e-book version of this title. [More]
