Mattel CEO Says Toy Industry Is Strong and Healthy

The toy industry is a growth industry... It grew strongly last year at over 6%... parents will always prioritize spending money on their children. The CEO's assertion that the broader toy industry is structurally resilient and growing implies a sector-wide tailwind. If parental spending on toys is highly inelastic during economic tightening, competitors with strong legacy IP and established retail shelf-space presence will also benefit from this defensive consumer behavior. WATCH HAS and JAKK as secondary plays on the broader resilience of the toy and family entertainment sector. These competitors may lack the specific supply chain advantages or the exact brand momentum (like Barbie and Hot Wheels) that Mattel currently enjoys, leaving them more exposed to input cost inflation or inventory gluts.

Hot Wheels achieved last year its eighth consecutive record high, and we expect another strong double digit growth year for Hot Wheels in 2026... in some cases, we cannot keep up with demand. A flagship brand experiencing sustained double-digit growth and demand that outpaces supply indicates immense pricing power and brand equity. By expanding into the adult collector demographic and leveraging a modular supply chain, Mattel is insulating its margins from traditional macro headwinds and supply shocks. Furthermore, their upcoming OpenAI integration aims to lower internal costs, which should expand operating margins. LONG MAT due to strong underlying brand momentum, inelastic consumer demand for its core IP, and upcoming AI-driven operational efficiencies. Prolonged supply chain disruptions from geopolitical conflicts could eventually outpace their modular supply chain's ability to adapt, leading to increased freight and petroleum-based material costs.