Mattel Loses Most of their DC Comics License

In a surprising move, it seems Mattel has lost most of their DC Comics toy license to Spin Masters. Yeah you read that right. Starting in 2020 Mattel will no longer produce action figures or playsets for DC Comics. Mattel did retain the license for girl toys and pre-school but the big blow is the boys toys license. 

Bloomberg.com- 

Mattel Inc. extended its longest streak of daily declines since 2015 after Goldman Sachs analysts cut estimates following the toymaker’s loss of licensing for certain DC Comics products, including boys’ action toys.

Spin Master Corp. will be the new licensee for DC in the boy’s action category, remote control and robotic vehicles, water toys and games and puzzles, displacing Mattel. The three-year global agreement with Warner Bros. begins in Spring of 2020. Mattel will be keeping some of its licensing rights, including for preschool and girls’ toys, Goldman analyst Michael Ng said in a note to clients.

Ng expects Mattel to “aggressively pursue” new licenses, noting that Hasbro Inc.’s licenses to Marvel and Star Wars toys expire in 2020.

This is a huge blow for Mattel but, just but, there is a pending toy war looming; read that last line again. 2019 will be the last year for DC toys (minus girls and preschool) from Mattel but do not fret. We still have DC Collectibles, Sideshow and of course imports. Now this could be a good thing for both companies involved. Think about it, Spin Masters needed a license to really break into the licensed realm for action figures and Mattel needs new blood. In fact, I do believe 2020 is going to be brutal as the Star Wars license and Marvel license is up. We will dive into this soon enough.