Potential Hasbro and Mattel Merger........

[WWEJedi]

Mattel and Hasbro May Be Talking Merger - The Toyark - News

Not sure how to feel about this...... I feel like we would just be getting even sloppier figures and more terrible distribution if these two merged. Or maybe the combo would step up there game. This would be huge for the lower end toy world though. DC, Marvel, Star Wars are scaled perfectly with each other.... maybe even in the same line. Lots of potential and lots to be worried about though if the deal does come to fruition.

 

[Star Puffs]

I can't imagine how this would be acceptable under anti-trust legislation. But I never hold my breath on matters like that.

 

[karamazov80]

Article says, "A merger might not face that many antitrust hurdles because the U.S. toy industry is very fragmented, according to Jaime Katz, an analyst at Morningstar Inc. If combined, the companies would have probably about one quarter of the market in the U.S., she said."

Would be an interesting move. The toy market is such a pale imitation of what it used to be, and toy quality has gone down substantially for those targeting young children, even as technical sophistication has increased tremendously with some toy options. I'm not sure what such a move would say about the industry as a whole, or what the implications would be. But the two largest toy companies no longer challenging each other might not be a good thing for consumers. Having said that. . .if Mattel gave GI Joe the kind of treatment they give MOTU--specifically focusing on cartoon designs with larger, higher quality toys--I would be a happy camper.