She's one of the few globally recognized characters not owned by the Walt Disney Company, but that's not for lack of trying. As Intellectual Property of the toy company Mattel, Barbie has been licensed out to Disney a few times, most notably for its Toy Story film franchise.
Mattel, Barbie's parent company, led the filmmaker through an “immersion” experience—or Barbie bootcamp—that outlined the iconic doll's long history, from her debut at the Toy Fair in New York City in 1959 to her status as the world's most recognizable toy with over a billion dolls sold.
Barbie is a major character in Disney•Pixar's 2010 animated film, Toy Story 3. She is a genuine doll toy line made by the company Mattel. Barbie did not appear in the first Toy Story film because Mattel did not authorize her use, as they feared the film would not be successful.
With well over one billion dolls sold worldwide, Barbie is a brand worth protecting, and Mattel knows it. They have developed a fierce reputation for legally pursuing those who, in their opinion, infringe their Barbie copyright and damage the Barbie brand.
At the same time, Mattel (MAT 0.19%) is making its way back up from its own long-term struggles. It's primarily a toy company, and in the past didn't compete with Disney; in fact, it has partnerships with Disney to make licensed products based on Disney franchises and characters.
Fueled by Copyright Law, Barbie Continues to Thrive
In large part, this is due to the copyright laws that helped Mattel protect and continue innovating Barbie dolls over decades to create and distribute millions of various Barbie iterations to children all over the world.
Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy company Mattel and launched in 1959. The toy is the figurehead of the Barbie brand that includes a range of fashion dolls and accessories.
Mattel, Inc. The film series were released direct-to-video from 2001 and aired regularly on Nickelodeon as television specials in the United States from 2002, with both running until early 2017.
Mattel will have the global licensing rights to develop lines of toys for Disney Consumer Products, Games and Publishing, including fashion dolls, small dolls, and figures. The collection is expected to launch at retailers around the globe at the beginning of 2023.
Meet Bettina Dorfmann, a German superfan with an epic collection of 18,500 dolls, making her one of the most dedicated Barbie collectors worldwide. Her fascination with Barbie started in 1966 when she received her first doll at the age of five.
(short for Micro-Games America Entertainment; sometimes referred to as MGA) is a manufacturer of children's toys and entertainment products founded in 1979. Its products include Bratz, L.O.L. Surprise!, Num Noms, and Rainbow High. MGA also owns Little Tikes and animation studio MGA Studios.
Barbie as Rapunzel is a 2002 computer-animated fairy tale film co-produced by Mainframe Entertainment and Mattel Entertainment, and distributed by Artisan Home Entertainment.
The first Barbie on display at Mattel's headquarters. Nearly a decade after losing the Walt Disney Co.'s princess doll license to rival Hasbro Inc., Mattel is back to making and selling the doll versions of some of Disney's iconic characters.
Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. Barbie was named after Ruth Handler's daughter, Barbara, and Ken after her son, Kenneth. She is from (fictional) Willows, Wisconsin, where she attended high school.
As we mentioned above, Disney had a Barbie meet and greet in the 90s. This was an agreement between Disney and Mattel, who owns Barbie. Later, Disney also got the rights to include Barbie in some of the Toy Story movies. So there has long been an established relationship between Disney and Mattel around Barbie.
We engage consumers through our portfolio of iconic brands, including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, American Girl, Thomas & Friends, UNO, Masters of the Universe, Monster High and MEGA, as well as other popular intellectual properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies.
In the days leading up to the highly anticipated July 21 Barbie film release, the world seemed to be awash in pink. Thanks to a marketing blitz by parent company Mattel, more than 100 brands “dolled up” their products to bring a splash of Barbie's branding to their regular offerings.
Kenneth Sean "Ken" Carson is a fashion doll introduced by American toy company Mattel in 1961 as the counterpart of Barbie, who was introduced two years earlier.
Will Barbie Be On Disney Plus? No, Barbie will not be on Disney+ since it's not a Universal Pictures movie. Last year, the company released its films in theaters and on the streamer on the same day. However, they now allow a 45-day window between the theatrical release and the streaming release.
Mattel didn't have a strong case for copyright infringement, since the "Barbie Girl" video doesn't contain any actual Barbie dolls or images, but the company sued over the use of the trademarked word “Barbie” and the use of “Barbie pink,” a trademarked color.
The company attributed the brand's decline in sales partly to the shifting of promotional activity to align with the theatrical release of the movie. More widely, Mattel attributed its declining sales to retailers reducing inventories as well as industry-wide trends.
Federal authorities were concerned that the hidden camera in Barbie's necklace could be used for child pornography and issued an advisory to all consumers. The doll was discontinued in 2012.
Barbie: Princess Charm School is a 2011 computer-animated fantasy film directed by Zeke Norton and produced by Mattel Entertainment (under the name of Barbie Entertainment) with Rainmaker Entertainment.
