Hasbro & Mattel Merger?

Bloomberg is reporting a possible Hasbro & Mattel Merger. It’s not the first time talks have been held, but could we see the majority of the Toy Aisles under one roof?

Earlier today, Bloomberg reported there were talks of a Hasbro & Mattel merger. According to Bloomberg Hasbro approached Mattel late last year and talks have been off and on since. Considering the situation hasn’t officially been made public yet, details are very scarce.

Hasbro recently has gotten the license to the Disney Princesses, which was formally held by Mattel. That coupled with the Star Wars and the reinvigorated My Little Pony licenses already makes Hasbro a powerhouse in the toy aisles. If a merger happens you can now add Barbie and Hot Wheels to those licenses making the merged company possibly the dominant toy maker in the toy aisles.

This isn’t the first time there has been talk of a merger between the two companies. In the mid-90’s Mattel approached Hasbro about a merger, but Hasbro was against the idea at that time. It appears they have changed their view 20 years later. The real question is how would the merged company be structured? Would it be similar to when Hasbro bought Tonka (which included Kenner) and Kenner became the boys division of Hasbro? (If this happens I would assume Mattel would become the girls division of Hasbro) Or could this be more an equal partnership with both houses ruling the toy aisles? Only time will tell.