Does it Mattel?

Does it Mattel? 
Political Economy & Sociology of Toys

Barbie, Boomco, Disney Cars and Hot Wheels are just some brands and toys manufactured by the multinational company, Mattel. Mattel is the world's largest toy maker in terms of revenue (Carnevale, 2013). In 1959, it introduced the Barbie doll making it one of the company’s best-selling toys up until now. It is presented as an aspirational doll to the child with variants in different skin colors and nationalities. This in turn gravely affected how girls at a young age have projected themselves. With permanent vital statistics of 39-18-33, more and more strive to be as thin as she is. But just like any company, Mattel also faced difficulties when sales began to fall in 1980s but was able to bounce back through what Spigel (1992 quoted in Cook, 2009) calls “intertextuality”. Through intertextuality, Barbie was extended beyond a single medium or genre. They began to advertise toys on television especially on shows targeted for children.

Today, these dolls are cheaply bought in the US. But then, there’s a darker side that comes with Mattel’s cheap toys. These dolls were manufactured by adolescents probably just years older than those who avail them, who would need to rake in hours of work just to afford one doll. In China, workers who mold the Barbie doll only earn 12.72 PHP per hour compared to billions of cash the company makes (Andersen & Taylor, 2007). Interrelated phenomena like increased outsourcing, falling prices and changing marketing and consumption pattern happen in the toy industry. With the pressure to keep prices at low cost, the global south throws working conditions, product safety and environmental standards out of the window. In 2007, Mattel recalled 967, 000 toys because the products were covered in lead paint. It is the second biggest recall involving toys, covering products that includes a toy shaped like Elmo or Cookie Monster that toddlers shake to hear giggles and funny noises (Story, 2007).

Physically, mentally and sociologically, toys have been a good assistant in child-rearing by mixing play with learning. But if it does more harm than good to our children by embedding gender roles and stereotypes, damaging their body image and poisoning their bodies through chemicals such as lead, we need to rethink our choices. And before parents throw their children’s toys out and ban toys inside their homes, we need to understand that an alternative is possible through eco-friendly, high quality and sustainable toys – free from exploitation.

REFERENCES:
Andersen, M. & Taylor, H. (2007). Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society. Cengage Learning. 4th ed.
Carnevale, C. (2013 April 23). A Full Toy Chest Makes Mattel A Buy For Growth And Income Investors. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckcarnevale/2013/04/23/a-full-toy-chest-makes-mattel-a-buy-for-growth-investors/#409873e2573b
Cook, M. (2009). Education and professional development. Journal of Nursing Management. Vol. 17 Issue 5. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2009.01030.x
Corsaro, W. (2014). The Sociology of Childhood. SAGE. 4th ed. Google Books.
Johnston, J., Cairns, K. & Bauman,S. (2017). Introducing Sociology Using the Stuff of Everyday Life. Taylor and Francis. Google Books.
Leonard, M. (2015). The Sociology of Children, Childhood and Generation. SAGE. Google Books.
Story, L. (2007 August 2). Lead Paint Prompts Mattel to Recall 967,000 Toys.The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/business/02toy.html

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