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A rare, store exclusive Barbie with Gap clothing and accessories

1996 MATTEL SPECIAL EDITION GAP BARBIE DOLL

DETAILS:

GAP x Barbie!

Step back in time to the fabulous year of 1996 with this must-have collectible - Mattel's Special Edition Gap Barbie!

This exclusive Barbie was only available at participating Gap locations, while supplies last, making her a rare find for any collector. With straight blonde hair and a wardrobe that screams 90s chic, this Barbie is the epitome of cool. She's decked out almost head-to-toe in the Gap gear, including khakis, a denim jacket, chambray shirt, white tennis shoes, a floral scarf, and a white t-shirt and a black cap proudly emblazoned with the iconic GAP logo.

But that's not all - this Barbie comes with her very own GAP logo black rucksack backpack and a mini shopping bag filled with her latest purchase: a pair of GAP Blue Jeans No. 3 Classic Fit. How trendy! As the box proudly states, "Individual style. Absolute classics." Barbie knows how to rock the Gap look with her own unique flair.

And let's not forget the clever shoestring handle on the box, perfect for hanging and displaying your Gap Barbie for all to see. Whether you're a Barbie collector, a fashion enthusiast, or just a lover of all things 90s, this special edition Gap Barbie is sure to bring a smile to your face.

Own a piece of fashion history - add the 1996 Mattel Special Edition Gap Barbie to your collection today!

Makes a great gift for the Barbie fanatic!

The 1996 Gap Barbie is a must-have for Barbie enthusiasts and collectors, especially those who love the Gap.

CONDITION:

New in box. Box has some storage damage. Please see photos.

To ensure safe delivery all items are carefully packaged before shipping out.

THANK YOU FOR LOOKING. QUESTIONS? JUST ASK.

"The Gap, Inc.,[6] commonly known as Gap Inc. or Gap (stylized as GAP), is an American worldwide clothing and accessories retailer. Gap was founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher and Doris F. Fisher and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company operates four primary divisions: Gap (the namesake banner), Banana Republic, Old Navy, and Athleta. Gap Inc. is the largest specialty retailer in the United States, and is 3rd in total international locations, behind Inditex Group and H&M.[7] As of early 2023, Gap employs about 95,000 people.[8]

The Fisher family remains deeply involved in the company, collectively owning much of its stock.[9] Donald Fisher served as chairman of the board until 2004, playing a role in the ouster of then-CEO Millard Drexler in 2002, and remained on the board until his death on September 27, 2009. Fisher's wife and their son, Robert J. Fisher, also serve on Gap's board of directors. Robert succeeded his father as chairman in 2004 and also served as CEO on an interim basis following the resignation of Paul Pressler in 2007, before being succeeded by Glenn K. Murphy up until 2014. From February 2015 to November 2019, Art Peck was CEO of Gap Inc.,[10] until he was replaced by Sonia Syngal in March 2020.[11] Syngal stepped down in July 2022, with Executive Chairman Bob Martin serving as interim CEO.[12] In February 2024, Gap appointed American fashion designer Zac Posen as Creative Director of Gap, and Chief Creative Officer for Old Navy.[13]
History

In 1969, Don Fisher, a California commercial real estate broker specializing in retail store location, enlisted the help of his friend, Walter Haas Jr., President of Levi Strauss & Co. Fisher was inspired by the sudden success of 'The Tower of Shoes' in an old Quonset hut in a non-retail industrial area of Sacramento, California,[14][15] that drew crowds by advertising that no matter what brand, style or size of shoes a woman could want it was at The Tower of Shoes. And knowing that even Macy's, the biggest Levi's customer, was constantly running out of the best selling Levi's sizes, and colors, Fisher asked Haas to let him copy The Tower of Shoes' business model and apply it to Levi's products. Haas referred Fisher to Bud Robinson, his Director of Advertising, for what Haas assumed would be a quick refusal; but instead Robinson and Fisher carefully worked out a legal test plan for what was to become The Gap (named by Don's wife Doris Fisher). The name was a reference to the "generation gap".[16]

Fisher agreed to stock only Levi's apparel in every style and size, all grouped by size, and Levi's guaranteed The Gap to be never out of stock by overnight replenishment from Levi's San Jose, California warehouse. And finally, Robinson offered to pay 50% of The Gap's radio advertising upfront and avoided antitrust laws by offering the same marketing package to any store that agreed to sell nothing but Levi's products.

Fisher opened the first Gap store near City College on Ocean Avenue in Ingleside, San Francisco on August 21, 1969; its only merchandise consisted of Levi's and LP records to attract teen customers.

In 1970, Gap opened its second store in San Jose. In 1971, Gap established its corporate headquarters in Burlingame, California with four employees. By 1973, the company had over 25 locations and had expanded into the East Coast market with a store in the Echelon Mall in Voorhees, New Jersey. In 1974, Gap began to sell private label merchandise.[17]

In the 1990s, Gap assumed an upscale identity and revamped its inventory under the direction of Mickey Drexler.[18] However, Drexler was removed from his position after 19 years of service in 2002 after over-expansion, a 29-month slump in sales, and tensions with the Fisher family. Drexler refused to sign a non-compete agreement and eventually became CEO of J. Crew. One month after his departure, merchandise that he had ordered was responsible for a strong rebound in sales.[19][20][21] Robert J. Fisher recruited Paul Pressler as the new CEO; he was credited with closing under-performing locations and paying off debt. However, his focus groups failed to recover the company's leadership in its market.

In 2007, Gap announced that it would "focus [its] efforts on recruiting a chief executive officer who has deep retailing and merchandising experience ideally in apparel, understands the creative process and can effectively execute strategies in large, complex environments while maintaining strong financial discipline". That January, Pressler resigned after two disappointing holiday sales seasons and was succeeded by Robert J. Fisher on an interim basis.[22][23][24] He began working with the company in 1980 and joined the board in 1990, and would later assume several senior executive positions, including president of Banana Republic and the Gap units.[25] The board's search committee was led by Adrian Bellamy, chairman of The Body Shop International and included founder Donald Fisher. On February 2, Marka Hansen, the former head of the Banana Republic division, replaced Cynthia Harriss as the leader of the Gap division. The executive president for marketing and merchandising Jack Calhoun became interim president of Banana Republic.[26] In May, Old Navy laid off approximately 300 managers in lower volume locations to help streamline costs. That July, Glenn Murphy, previously CEO of Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada, was announced as the new CEO of Gap, Inc. New lead designers were also brought on board to help define a fashionable image, including Patrick Robinson for Gap Adult, Simon Kneen for Banana Republic, and Todd Oldham for Old Navy. Robinson was hired as chief designer in 2007, but was dismissed in May 2011 after sales failed to increase. However, he enjoyed commercial success in international markets.[27][28][29] In 2007, Ethisphere Magazine chose Gap from among thousands of companies evaluated as one of 100 "World's Most Ethical Companies".[30]

In October 2011, Gap Inc. announced plans to close 189 US stores, nearly 21 percent, by the end of 2013; however, it also plans to expand its presence in China.[31][32] The company announced it would open its first stores in Brazil in the Fall of 2013.[33]

In January 2015, Gap Inc. announced plans to close their subsidiary Piperlime in order to focus on their core brands. The first and only Piperlime store, based in SoHo, New York City, closed in April.[34]

In September 2018, Gap Inc. began publicizing Hill City, a men's athletic apparel brand that launched in October 2018.[35]

In June 2020, Gap Inc. announced its collaboration with Kanye West's Yeezy Brand: Yeezy Gap. The announcement of the company's 10-year long contract with the music icon turned fashion innovator saw Gap Inc. garner $34.9 million in media impact value.

In August 2020, the company announced that it, alongside its Banana Republic brand, would close over 225 store locations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic response.[36] Less than two months later, the company announced that the total number of stores to be closed by 2024 was 350. (220 Gap stores and 130 Banana Republic stores.)[37] The original plan of the company was to close only 90 stores, however, they expanded the number as a consequence of the financial effects caused by the pandemic restrictions. Most of the stores closed were ones set in malls.

In November 2020, Gap Inc. partnered with Afterpay. This collaboration was planned to improve the digital shopping experience.[38][39]

In February 2021, Gap Inc. announced a $140 million investment to build an 850,000 square foot distribution center in Longview, Texas, because it forecasts that its online business will double over the next two years. The new center will be able to process one million packages per day once completed in 2022.[40]

In September 2021, Gap Inc. cut the ribbon for the $41.7 million facility expansion in Gallatin, TN. In addition to hiring 1,100 employees to meet the demands of market share growth and peak season, Gap partnered with AHS to implement an automated order fulfillment system.

In September 2022, the company announced it would end its partnership with Kanye West.[41] Several days later, Gap announced it would cut some 500 corporate positions in its San Francisco and New York offices.[42] The firm also cut corporate jobs in Asia.[43] Gap announced that the layoffs were unrelated to the decision to end its partnership with West.[42] Gap announced more layoffs in April 2023.[44]

Gap Inc. has decided to completely leave Russia, as well as close all stores in the country, due to the unpopularity of the brand in Russia.[45]

In 2023, Gap launched a programme to support emerging designers in their early stages of development. The programme is sponsored by the company's internal initiative, Create With Audacity, providing space, tools and resources to develop talent. In partnership with ICON360, the non-profit arm of Harlem's Fashion Row Gap supports underrepresented Black designers in the industry, as well as fashion programmes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).[46]

In 2023, Gap partnered with Cargill, GSK, WaterAid and the Water Resilience Coalition to launch the Women + Water Collaborative to improve access to clean water and sanitation in India, starting in the Krishna and Godavari river basins. The Collaborative continues to build on the work of a previous initiative of USAID Gap Inc. Women + Water Alliance, which has empowered more than 2.4 million people to improve their access to water and sanitation in India between 2017 and 2023.[47]
Corporate identity
Logo

Gap Inc. owns a trademark to its name, "Gap". The Gap's original trademark was a service mark for retail clothing store services. The application was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on February 29, 1972, by The Gap Stores; registration was granted on October 10, 1972. The first use of the trademark was on August 23, 1969, and expanded to commercial usage on October 17, 1969. A second application was filed by Gap Stores, Inc. on September 12, 1970, this time for a trademark filed for shirts. The first usage for shirts and clothing products was on June 25, 1974. Trademark registration was granted on December 28, 1976. Both the service mark and trademark are registered and owned by Gap (Apparel), LLC of San Francisco, California.[citation needed]

On October 4, 2010, in an effort to establish a contemporary presence, Gap introduced a new logo. It was designed with the Helvetica font and reduced the prominence of the brand's iconic blue box. After much public outcry, the company reverted to its previous "blue box" logo on October 11, after less than a week in use.[48][49] Marka Hansen, the executive who oversaw the logo change, resigned February 1, 2011.[50]

    August 21, 1969; October 5, 1970 – May 6, 1986
    August 21, 1969; October 5, 1970 – May 6, 1986
    September 6, 1986 – January 1, 2016
    September 6, 1986 – January 1, 2016
    October 4–11, 2010
    October 4–11, 2010
    January 1, 2016–present
    January 1, 2016–present

Brands
Banana Republic

Banana Republic, a small safari-themed clothing retailer, was purchased by Gap in 1983 and was rebranded as an upscale clothing retailer in the late 1980s.
Old Navy

Old Navy was launched in 1994 as a value chain. On February 28, 2019, Gap Inc., announced that Old Navy will spin-off from the company, making Old Navy independent from Gap Inc.[51] This was reversed on January 16, 2020, when Gap Inc. announced that the separation had been called off.[52]
Athleta

Athleta was originally founded in 1998 as an independent company focused on women's athletic apparel. Gap acquired Athleta in 2008.[53] Gap opened the first brick and mortar Athleta store in 2011.[54]
Forth & Towne

Forth & Towne, the company's fourth traditional retail concept, was launched on August 24, 2005, featuring apparel targeted toward women 35 years and older.[55] On February 26, 2007, after an 18-month trial period, it was discontinued.
A Gap location in Westfield Valley Fair, San Jose, CA

The Gap originally targeted the younger generation when it opened, with its name referring to the generation gap of the time.[56] It originally sold everything that Levi Strauss & Co made in every style, size, and color, and organized the stock by size. The Gap was the first of many shops that carried only Levi's. In 1973, Gap started making their own jeans as a way to differentiate themselves from department stores.[57] Gap's current marketing works to appeal to a broad demographic of customers, whereas Banana Republic presents a sophisticated image with a self expressing easygoing personality and Old Navy focuses "fun, fashion, and value" for families and younger customers. While the company has been criticized for blandness and uniformity in its selling environments, it maintains that it tailors its stores "to appeal to unique markets" by developing multiple formats and designs.[58] The domain www.gap.com attracts over 18 million visitors annually, according to a 2008 Compete.com survey.[59] The brand is being criticized in the UK because the merchandise that is offered to the UK customers cost double the prices (or even a direct $/£ swap) found in the United States. Gap also does not offer XXL or larger sizes in the UK stating the UK market does not require them in contrast to market leader NEXT who offer a variety of larger sizes in the UK. In 2018, a Gap ad campaign featuring a young girl wearing a hijab has been stirring up controversy in France.[60]
International presence
Gap in Hillcrest Mall
The closing down sale at the Gap store in Westfield Sydney

Including both company-owned and franchised stores, as of June 2018, there were Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta, Intermix, or Old Navy stores in 43 countries.[61] In January 2008, Gap signed a deal with Marinopoulos Group to open Gap and Banana Republic stores in Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Croatia.[62] In February 2009, Elbit Imaging, Ltd. secured a franchise to open and operate Gap and Banana Republic stores in Israel.[63] In August 2010, the company opened its first store in Melbourne, Australia at Chadstone Shopping Centre.[64][65] In September 2011, Komax opened the first Gap store in Chile, due to a franchise.[66] In October 2011, the first GAP store opened in Warsaw, Poland,[67] but shut it down and two other locations in Wrocław and Katowice in 2015. Gap now has a store in New Delhi, India which opened in May 2015. On February 20, 2016, Gap launched stores in Mumbai at Oberoi Mall and Infinity-2.

In May 2016, Gap Inc. announced it would shutter all Old Navy stores in Japan in response to poor Q1 performance for Old Navy and consistent losses across the organization.[68]

In 2017, Gap closed all seven of its stores in Israel.[69] In 2018, Gap closed all its stores in Australia.[70]

By May 2021, Gap operated company-owned stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, India, Italy, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Japan, Philippines, China, and Taiwan as of May 2021.[71]

However, in June 2021, Gap confirmed plans to close all its 81 stores in the UK and Ireland and go online-only. The company said it would close all its stores "in a phased manner" between the end of August and the end of September. At the same time, Gap said it was in negotiations with another firm to take over all of its French stores. In Italy, Gap said it was in discussions with a partner for the potential acquisition of the stores there.[72] In September 2021, Gap and British clothes retailer Next announced a joint venture that will see Next manage Gap's UK website and place Gap concessions in some stores. The deal preserves Gap's presence on the UK high street following the closure of its own stores.[73] In November 2022, Baozun announced it intended to purchase Gaps's China unit, and that it would continue to operate Gap stores in China and Taiwan as franchises....Stores
A Gap store on Briggate in Leeds, West Yorkshire

As of the end of Q3 2018, Gap Inc. had 3,688 company-operated or franchised stores in operation across 43 countries and had the ability to ship to 90 countries.[92][93] Stores in Brazil, Canada, China, France, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, UK, and US (including Puerto Rico) are company-owned; those outside of these countries are owned and operated by franchises.

In addition to previous store closures (such as the 2011–2013 closures in the U.S.), hundreds of stores were closed worldwide over several years, starting in 2020." (wikipedia.org)

"A denim jacket, also called a jean jacket or trucker jacket, is a jacket made from denim. Introduced in the United States in the late 19th century, it has been a popular type of casual apparel with both men and women and has been described as an iconic element of American fashion. Though a staple of western wear, the denim jacket has also enjoyed a more general appeal.
History
The first recorded denim jacket is part of the collection of the German Historical Commission of the Rhineland (Stiftung Historische Kommission für die Rheinlande 1789–1815) [1] and dates back to 1805 or 1810. In the United States the first recorded denim jacket is from about 1880 which was from the German businessman Levi Strauss, approximately ten years after he had invented jeans as a new type of work apparel intended for use by cowboys, miners, and railroad workers.[2] The "Type III" denim jacket, introduced by Levis Strauss & Co. in 1962,[a] has been described as the Denim jacket "to rule them all".[5] Also known as "the trucker jacket", design elements of the Type III include a tapered style, welt hand pockets, and bar tacks which hold down chest pocket and sleeve openings....Cultural impact

According to GQ, there are "few things more iconic, more innately American, than a denim jacket" and the magazine has called it "a staple for stylish men".[10][11] Jean jackets have also been popular with women.[12]

Jean jackets, like jeans, are a major element of western wear; however, like jeans themselves, they have also enjoyed a more general appeal.[13] Notable wearers of jean jackets have included western entertainers James Dean and John Lennon,[2] as well as Polish anti-Communist dissident Jacek Kuroń.[14] In 2017, GQ opined that Kanye West seemed to own "an alarming number of jean jackets", remarking that "he doesn't seem to go a few days without wearing one".[15]

According to Levi Strauss & Co., the jean jacket has traditionally appealed to nonconformists as "a knock to the 'suits' of the world, its informal yet edgy heritage making it the ideal item to stick it to the man".[16]

In the 2022 Jordan Peele film Nope, the flying alien is eventually referred to as "Jean Jacket", named after one of Em's horses.[17]
Wear and styling

While jean jackets are predominantly found in blue, denim can be dyed any color achievable with cotton, so jackets in colors such as white and violet also exist.[18] As with jeans themselves, it is possible to buy "raw" or "dry" denim jean jackets, which have not been washed or distressed at the factory and instead fade and break in naturally over time with wear.[19] Jean jackets with sherpa lining for warmth are also available.[18]
Canadian tuxedo
A man sitting on a statue of a tortoise and wearing a Canadian tuxedo

A "Canadian tuxedo" is a colloquial term for wearing a jean shirt or denim jacket with jeans.[20] The term reportedly originated in 1951 after Bing Crosby was refused entry to a hotel in Vancouver, British Columbia, because he was wearing a denim top and denim bottoms.[20][21] After learning of the incident, Levi Strauss & Co. designed a tuxedo made entirely of denim for Crosby as a publicity stunt.[20]

Despite its name, the "Canadian tuxedo" is not a specifically Canadian style, but is also closely correlated with images in American pop culture, such as the Marlboro Man.[22]

The Crosby incident has been credited with helping to spur the evolution of denim from blue collar work wear into a fashion staple;[23] however, the popularity of the full "Canadian tuxedo" look has varied, being accepted as stylish and on trend at some times and as a fashion faux pas at others.[23] Some fashion stylists have asserted that the look works better if the jeans and the jacket are different colours than it does if they're the same shade.[24] The "Canadian tuxedo" has also sometimes been interpreted as including a flannel shirt under the jacket,[25] although this is not a universal definition.

The Canadian tuxedo achieved a "pop cultural peak" in 2001 when Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake wore the combination to that year's American Music Awards.[20][26][21] In 2016, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau wore a "Canadian tuxedo" to a concert by The Tragically Hip.[27] Lady Gaga has also worn a Canadian tuxedo in public." (wikipedia.org)

"Cambric or batiste is a fine dense cloth.[1] It is a lightweight plain-weave fabric, originally from the commune of Cambrai (in present-day northern France), woven greige (neither bleached nor dyed), then bleached, piece-dyed, and often glazed or calendered. Initially it was made of linen; from the 18th and 19th centuries the term came to apply to cotton fabrics as well.

Chambray is a similar fabric,[2] with a coloured (often blue or grey) warp and white filling; the name "chambray" replaced "cambric" in the United States in the early 19th century.[3]

Cambric is used as fabric for linens, shirts, handkerchiefs, ruffs,[4] lace, and in cutwork and other needlework.[5][6] Dyed black, it is also commonly used as the dustcover on the underside of upholstered furniture....Chambray, though the same type of fabric as cambric, has a coloured warp and a white weft, though it may be "made from any colour as you may wish, in the warp, and also in the filling; only have them differ from each other."[11]

Chambray differs from denim in that "chambray's warp and weft threads will alternate one over the other, while denim’s warp thread will go over two threads in the weft before going under one."[12] As a result, the colour of chambray cloth is similar front and back, while the reverse side of denim is lighter in colour....Cambric is also similar to chambray (/ˈʃɒmbreɪ/) from a French regional variant of "Cambrai",[10] a name which "also comes from Cambrai, the French city, where the material was originally made of linen yarn".[25] Chambray (also spelled "chambrai") appears in North American English in the early 19th century.[10] Though the term generally refers to a cotton plain weave with a coloured warp and a white weft, close to gingham, "silk chambray" seems to have coexisted.[26] Chambray was often produced during this period by the same weavers producing gingham." (wikipedia.org)

"Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with the addition of copper pocket rivets added by Jacob W. Davis in 1871[1] and patented by Davis and Levi Strauss on May 20, 1873. Prior to the patent, the term "blue jeans" had been long in use for various garments (including trousers, overalls, and coats), constructed from blue-colored denim.[2]

"Jean" also references a (historic) type of sturdy cloth commonly made with a cotton warp and wool weft (also known as "Virginia cloth"). Jean cloth can be entirely cotton as well, similar to denim. Originally designed for miners, modern jeans were popularized as casual wear by Marlon Brando and James Dean in their 1950s films, particularly The Wild One and Rebel Without a Cause,[3] leading to the fabric becoming a symbol of rebellion among teenagers, especially members of the greaser subculture. From the 1960s onwards, jeans became common among various youth subcultures and subsequently young members of the general population. Nowadays, they are one of the most popular types of trousers in Western culture. Historic brands include Levi's, Lee, and Wrangler....20th century evolution

In 1901, Levi Strauss added the back left pocket to their 501 model.[19] This created the now familiar and industry-standard five-pocket configuration with two large pockets and small watch pocket in front with two pockets on the rear.

The popularity of "waist overalls", as jeans were sometimes called, expanded during World War II.[20] By the 1960s, both men's and women's jeans had the zipper down the front. Historic photographs indicate that in the decades before they became a staple of fashion, jeans generally fit quite loosely, much like a pair of bib overalls without the bib. Indeed, until 1960, Levi Strauss called its flagship product "waist overalls" rather than "jeans".

After James Dean popularized them in the movie Rebel Without a Cause, wearing jeans became a symbol of youth rebellion during the 1950s.[21][22] During the 1960s, the wearing of jeans became more acceptable, and by the 1970s it had become general fashion in the United States for casual wear.[23] In Japan in 1977, a professor of Osaka University Philip Karl Pehda chastised a female student wearing jeans in the classroom. Then he was protested by the students, and a controversy arose in the country.[24][25]

Examples of intentional denim distressing strictly to make them more fashionable can be seen as early as 1935 in Vogue's June issue.[26] Michael Belluomo, editor of Sportswear International Magazine, Oct/Nov 1987, p. 45, wrote that in 1965, Limbo, a boutique in the New York East Village, was "the first retailer to wash a new pair of jeans to get a used, worn effect, and the idea became a hit." He continued, "[Limbo] hired East Village artists to embellish the jeans with patches, decals, and other touches, and sold them for $200." In the early 1980s the denim industry introduced the stone-washing technique developed by GWG also known as "Great Western Garment Co." Donald Freeland of Edmonton, Alberta, pioneered the method,[27] which helped to bring denim to a larger and more versatile market. Acceptance of jeans continued through the 1980s and 1990s. Originally a utilitarian garment, jeans became a common fashion choice in the second half of the 20th century....Changes in appearance due to use

Over time dry denim will fade, which is considered fashionable in some circumstances. During the process of wear, fading will usually occur on those parts of the article that receive the most stress. On a pair of jeans, this includes the upper thighs, the ankles, and the areas behind the knees. Patterns of fading in jeans caused by prolonged periods of wear include:

    honeycombs – meshes of faded line-segments that form behind the knees
    whiskers – faded streaks that form radially from the crotch area
    stacks – irregular bands of fading above the ankle caused by accordioning of the fabric due to contact with the foot or shoe[33]
    train tracks – fading along the out-seams due to abrasion...Variations on the basic type
Cigarette: Designed to fit quite closely, but not tightly, to the thigh area, with a less close fit to the calf[54]
Cropped: Where the leg is cut to a lesser length, to somewhere above the ankle[54]
Relaxed[54]
Skinny: Worn to flatter the figure in the fashion of tight or close fitting[54]
Wide-leg; or with cropped variant: The waist line rides up past the wearer's actual waist, material below the knee is altogether away from the leg and descends as a straight line, standard type descends down to the ankle; cropped variant: the leg ceases at the lower leg mid-way down (or stops further down toward the ankle)[54]
Mom/Mum: Jeans which have a high waist (above the belly button), and are loose around the thighs, with a somewhat tapered fit.[55]
Straight-leg: Jeans which are the same width at the leg opening as they are at the bottom of the leg, making for a slightly baggy fit.[56]
Boyfriend: Often with a mid-low waist, boyfriend jeans have a baggy, "borrowed from the boys" fit.[55]
Flared, or bell-bottomed: Often fitted around the thigh area, then become wider from the knee down.[57]
High-waisted jeans were first popularized in the 1970s, but they have seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years. High-waisted jeans are characterized by a high rise that sits above the belly button. They can be fitted, relaxed, or loose-fitting, and they come in a variety of washes and colors." (wikipedia.org)

"Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced[1] textile in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This twill weave produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. Denim, as it is recognized today, was first produced in Nîmes, France.[2]

Denim is available in a range of colors, but the most common denim is indigo denim in which the warp thread is dyed while the weft thread is left white. As a result of the warp-faced twill weaving, one side of the textile is dominated by the blue warp threads, and the other side is dominated by the white weft threads. Jeans fabricated from this cloth are thus predominantly white on the inside.[3] Denim is used to create a wide variety of garments, accessories, and furniture.
Etymology
Denim originated as a contraction of the French phrase serge de Nîmes ('serge from Nîmes')." (wikipedia.org)

"A scarf (pl.: scarves or scarfs) is a long piece of fabric that is worn on or around the neck, shoulders, or head. A scarf is used for warmth, sun protection, cleanliness, fashion, religious reasons, or to show support for a sports club or team.[1] Scarves can be made from materials including wool, linen, silk, and cotton. It is a common type of neckwear and a perennial accessory....Uses and types

There are four functional types of scarf; the headscarf, the neck scarf, the beach scarf, and the winter scarf; these are hand-painted, block-printed, dyed, embellished, embroidered, beaded, or laced....Scarves that are used to cover the lower part of the face, and in particular the neck, are sometimes called cowls. Scarves can colloquially be called a neck-wrap.[16]

Scarves can be tied in many ways, including the pussy-cat bow, the square knot, the cowboy bib, the ascot knot, the loop, the necktie, and the gipsy kerchief.[17] Scarves have also been tied on the head as a headscarf....The basic scarf shapes are square, triangular, and rectangular.[17] The most common type is the square scarf, which can be folded to form a rectangular or triangular scarf. A sash is usually a long, narrow rectangle. The size of either can range from mini to maxi. The style of the garment with which the finished scarf is worn will make a difference, as will the way it is tied." (wikipedia.org)

"A backpack—also called knapsack, rucksack, pack, booksack, bookbag, haversack or backsack—is, in its simplest frameless form, a fabric sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders; but it can have an external or internal frame, and there are bodypacks.

Backpacks are commonly used by hikers and students, and are often preferred to handbags for carrying heavy loads or carrying any sort of equipment, because of the limited capacity to carry heavy weights for long periods of time in the hands.

Large backpacks, used to carry loads over 10 kilograms (22 lb), as well as smaller sports backpacks (e.g. running, cycling, hiking, and hydration), usually offload the largest part (up to about 90%) of their weight onto padded hip belts, leaving the shoulder straps mainly for stabilising the load. This improves the potential to carry heavy loads, as the hips are stronger than the shoulders, and also increases agility and balance, since the load rides nearer the wearer's own center of mass.
Terminology

The word backpack was coined in the United States in the 1910s. Moneybag and packsack were used prior, and now occur mainly as regionalisms.

The word rucksack is a German loanword mainly used in the UK, US and in other Western military forces. In Middle High German ruck(e) means "back" (dorsum), which led to the Upper German word ruggsack. In modern German the word "der Rucksack" is commonly used.[1] The name rucksack is cognate with the Danish rygsæk, Norwegian ryggsekk, Dutch rugzak, Afrikaans rugsak, Swedish ryggsäck, and Russian рюкзак (rjukzak).

The word knapsack was the usual name for a rucksack or backpack up until the middle of the 20th century. This is commonly used in Canada.

Alternative names include haversack from the German Hafersack meaning "oat sack"[2] (which more properly describes a small cloth bag on a strap worn over one shoulder and originally referred to the bag of oats carried as horse fodder), Kraxe (a German rucksack with a rigid framework), and bergen (a large load-carrying rucksack, from a design issued by the British Army during the Second World War).[3]

Backpacks can often simply be referred to as "packs", especially in outdoors contexts; though sometimes ambiguous compared to other bags such as saddlebags and duffel bags, context is generally sufficient for identification. They are also used in recreational activities, and are used to carry sports equipment and other materials.

Before its various terminologies began appearing in print, evidence of early backpacks was scarce. A contender for the earliest was found within the mummified remains of Ötzi in 3300BC....Designs

Backpacks in general fall into one of four categories: frameless, external frame, internal frame, and bodypack. A pack frame, when present, serves to support the pack and distribute the weight of its contents across the body more appropriately, by transferring much of the weight to the hips and legs. Most of the weight is therefore taken off the shoulders, reducing the chance of injury from shoulder strap pressure (many backpacks equipped solely with shoulder straps can affect the posture of a person carrying more than 14 kg (30 lbs)), as well as being less restrictive of the upper body range of motion. Most backpacks are capable of being closed with either a buckle mechanism, a zipper, or a dry-bag type closure, though a few models use a drawstring fitted with a cord lock for the main compartment.

A bodypack is a backpack fitted with one or more pockets that are suspended on the wearer's chest and loaded in such a way that the load in the front and the load in the back are close to equal. The majority of the load in a bodypack is carried by the hips. The ideal load carrying system should not disturb the wearer's natural posture, balance and maneuverability. The load must be dispersed onto the skeletal structure in an even manner, and should not produce unbalanced forces on the body....Daily use
See also: Schoolbags
Daypack

A daypack is a smaller, frameless backpack that can hold enough contents for a day hike, or a day's worth of other activities. They are not large enough for average wilderness backpacking that use full-sized sleeping bags and backpacking tents, but may be large enough for ultralight backpacking. Padded or unpadded waist straps may be provided to distribute weight across the body.
School bag

In many countries, backpacks are heavily identified with students, and are a primary means of transporting educational materials to and from school.[11] In this context they are sometimes known as bookbags or schoolbags. The purchase of a suitably fashionable, attractive, and useful backpack is a crucial back-to-school ritual for many students.

Typical school backpacks generally lack the rigid frame of an outdoor-style backpack and include only a few pockets in the front in addition to the main storage compartment. While traditionally very simple in design, school backpacks are often made with padded shoulder straps and backs as well as additional reinforcement to hold large numbers of heavy textbooks, as well as safety features such as reflective panels to make the wearer of the pack more visible at night.

Backpacks are sometimes worn as fashion accessories, in which they perform the same function as a purse.[11] Some such backpacks designed specifically for women are no larger than a typical purse, and are generally associated with younger women." (wikipedia.org)

"A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC.[1] The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head covering". Over time, the word has evolved and changed its meaning, but it still retains its association with headwear. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all.[2] They are popular in casual and informal settings, and are seen in sports and fashion.[2] They are typically designed for warmth, and often incorporate a visor to block sunlight from the eyes. They come in many shapes, sizes, and are of different brands. Baseball caps are one of the most common types of cap....Fashion
Sportswear found its way to fashion in the nineteenth century and on the contrary to what many believe it began to actually cater to the wants and needs of women. Sports cap however made an impact on the fashion industry around the 1980s when the company New Era, who had been designing hats for sports teams, began designing and selling hats to the general public. Baseball caps, fitted caps, snapback caps and truckers hats would then be seen in music videos, films, runways and even on Princess Diana's head, which helped nurture her appearance as the "people's princess." Along with hats, sports jerseys also became available in the 1980s as well, and now licensed apparel is a multi-billion dollar industry." (wikipedia.org)

"A baseball cap is a type of soft hat with a rounded crown and a stiff bill[1] projecting in front.[2]

The front of the hat typically displays a design or a logo (historically, usually only a sports team, namely a baseball team, or names of relevant companies, when used as a commercial marketing technique). The hat may be "fitted" to the wearer's head or the back may have elastic, a plastic prong-in-a-hole (multiple holes with one prong that can be inserted), *****, a zipper, or a tri-glide slide so that it can be quickly adjusted to fit different wearers' heads. The baseball hat is a part of the traditional baseball uniform worn by players, with the brim pointing forward to shield the eyes from the sun. Since the 1980s, varieties of the hat have become prevalent in the United States and many other nations, both for utilitarian (protecting the eyes from the sun) and fashion accessory purposes....Design
A simple baseball cap

Fitted baseball hats — those without an adjuster — are normally sewn in six sections, and may be topped with a matching fabric-covered button (also called a squatchee) on the crown. Metal grommets or fabric eyelets are often sewn or attached near the top of each of the six sections of fabric to provide ventilation. In some cases, the rear sections of the crown are made of net-like mesh material for extra ventilation. The peak is typically stiffened by a sewn-in piece of paperboard or stiff plastic.
Variations

Baseball hats are made of many types of material and shaped in various styles for different purposes. Major and minor league baseball players wear classic-style hats made of wool (or more recently, polyester) with their team's simple logo and colors; the logo is usually embroidered into the fabric. More recently there are brands that are using uncommon materials for snapback hats as for example wood brims.[5]

Formerly, baseball hats only came in standard hat sizes. Since the early 1970s, they have also been available in a one-size-fits-all form, with an adjustment strap in the back. The style, commonly called snapback, has become increasingly popular as a fashion accessory,[6] as have team caps, popularized especially by rap and hip-hop musicians.[2] Advances in textiles have led to the "stretch-fit" hat, which uses Lycra or rubber to allow a hat to have a fitted style while still being "adjustable" within sizes.

The front may be soft, or may be stiffened by buckram to display a logo more clearly.[7]

Another version of the baseball hat is a plastic mesh hat with a foam front imprinted with a company logo. This style is sometimes called a trucker hat or a "gimme hat" because it is given away for free as a promotional item.

There are 4 major types of baseball hats:

    Snapback hat – (hat with a snap closure in the rear) with flat brim, high profile, adjustable.
    Adjustable hat – (hat with a [hook and loop] closure or buckled strap in the rear) unstructured, low profile, curved brim, adjustable.
    "Flexfit" hat – curved or flat brim, structured cap, high profile, adjustable by the use of elastic materials.
    Fitted hat – curved or flat brim, structured cap, high profile, unadjustable." (wikipedia.org)

"Chino cloth (/ˈtʃiːnoʊ/ CHEE-noh) is a twill fabric originally made from 100% cotton. The most common items made from it, trousers, are widely called chinos.[1] Today it is also found in cotton-synthetic blends.

Developed in the mid-19th century for British and French military uniforms, it has since migrated into civilian wear. Trousers of such a fabric gained popularity in the U.S. when Spanish–American War veterans returned from the Philippines with their twill military trousers.
Etymology

As the cloth itself was originally made in China, the trousers were known in Spanish as pantalones chinos (Chinese pants), which became shortened to simply "chinos" in English.[1]
History

First designed to be used in the military, chino fabric was originally made to be simple, durable and comfortable for soldiers to wear; the use of natural earth-tone colors also began the move towards camouflage, instead of the brightly colored tunics used prior. The British and United States armies started wearing it as standard during the latter half of the 1800s.[1]

The all-cotton fabric is widely used for trousers, referred to as chinos. The original khaki (light brown) is the traditional and most popular color, but chinos are made in many shades." (wikipedia.org)

"The color khaki (UK: /ˈkɑːki/, US: /ˈkæki/) is a light shade of tan with a slight yellowish tinge.

Khaki has been used by many armies around the world for uniforms and equipment, particularly in arid or desert regions, where it provides camouflage relative to sandy or dusty terrain. It has been used as a color name in English since 1848 when it was introduced as a military uniform.[1] In Western fashion, it is a standard color for smart casual dress trousers for civilians, which are also often called khakis.

In British English and some other Commonwealth usage, khaki may also refer to a shade of green known as olive drab.[2][3][4]
Etymology

Khaki is a loanword from Urdu خاکی 'soil-colored', which in turn comes from Persian خاک [χɒːk] khâk 'soil' + ی (adjectival attributive suffix); it came into English via the British Indian Army.[5][6]
Origin

Khaki was first worn as a uniform in the Corps of Guides that was raised in December 1846 by Henry Lawrence (1806–1857),[6] agent to the Governor-General for the North-West Frontier and stationed in Lahore. Initially the border troops were dressed in their native costume, which consisted of a smock and white pajama trousers made of a coarse home-spun cotton, and a cotton turban, supplemented by a leather or padded cotton jacket for cold weather. In 1848, a khaki uniform was introduced.[7] Subsequently, all regiments serving in the region, whether British or Indian, had adopted khaki uniforms for active service and summer dress. The original khaki fabric was a closely twilled cloth of linen or cotton." (wikipedia.org)

"Shopping bags are medium-sized bags, typically around 10–20 litres (2.5–5 gallons) in volume (though much larger versions exist, especially for non-grocery shopping), that are used by shoppers to carry home their purchases. Some are intended as single-use disposable products, though people may reuse them for storage or as bin liners, etc.; others are designed as reusable shopping bags." (wikipedia.org)

"A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt, or tee for short) is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a crew neck, which lacks a collar. T-shirts are generally made of stretchy, light, and inexpensive fabric and are easy to clean. The T-shirt evolved from undergarments used in the 19th century and, in the mid-20th century, transitioned from undergarments to general-use casual clothing.

They are typically made of cotton textile in a stockinette or jersey knit, which has a distinctively pliable texture compared to shirts made of woven cloth. Some modern versions have a body made from a continuously knitted tube, produced on a circular knitting machine, such that the torso has no side seams. The manufacture of T-shirts has become highly automated and may include cutting fabric with a laser or a water jet.

T-shirts are inexpensive to produce and are often part of fast fashion, leading to outsized sales of T-shirts compared to other attire.[1] For example, two billion T-shirts are sold worldwide per year,[2] and the average person in Sweden buys nine T-shirts a year.

History

Simple, T-shaped top garments have been a part of human clothing since ancient times; garments similar to the T-shirt worn earlier in history are generally called tunics.

The modern T-shirt evolved from undergarments used in the 19th century. First, the one-piece union suit underwear was cut into separate top and bottom garments, with the top long enough to tuck under the waistband of the bottoms. With and without buttons, they were adopted by miners and stevedores during the late 19th century as a convenient covering for hot environments.

In 1913, the U.S. Navy first issued them as undergarments.[6] These were a crew-necked, short-sleeved, white cotton undershirt to be worn under a uniform. It became common for sailors and Marines in work parties, the early submarines, and tropical climates to remove their uniform jacket, thus wearing (and soiling) only the undershirt.[7] They soon became popular as a bottom layer of clothing for workers in various industries, including agriculture. The T-shirt was easily fitted, easily cleaned, and inexpensive; for these reasons, it became the shirt of choice for young boys. Boys' shirts were made in various colors and patterns. The word T-shirt became part of American English by the 1920s, and appeared in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

By the Great Depression, the T-shirt was often the default garment to be worn when doing farm or ranch chores, as well as other times when modesty called for a torso covering but conditions called for lightweight fabrics.[7] Following World War II, it was worn by Navy men as undergarments and slowly became common to see veterans wearing their uniform trousers with their T-shirts as casual clothing. The shirts became even more popular in the 1950s after Marlon Brando wore one in A Streetcar Named Desire, finally achieving status as fashionable, stand-alone, outerwear garments.[8] Often boys wore them while doing chores and playing outside, eventually opening up the idea of wearing them as general-purpose casual clothing.

Printed T-shirts were in limited use by 1942 when an Air Corps Gunnery School T-shirt appeared on the cover of Life magazine.[9] In the 1960s, printed T-shirts gained popularity for self-expression as well as for advertisements, protests, and souvenirs.

Current versions are available in many different designs and fabrics, and styles include crew-neck and V-neck shirts. T-shirts are among the most worn garments of clothing used today. T-shirts are especially popular with branding for companies or merchandise, as they are inexpensive to make and purchase.
Trends
A blue crew neck T-shirt

T-shirts were originally worn as undershirts, but are now worn frequently as the only piece of clothing on the top half of the body, other than possibly a brassiere or, rarely, a waistcoat (vest). T-shirts have also become a medium for self-expression and advertising, with any imaginable combination of words, art and photographs on display.[10]

A T-shirt typically extends to the waist. Variants of the T-shirt, such as the V-neck, have been developed. Hip hop fashion calls for tall-T shirts which may extend down to the knees. A similar item is the T-shirt dress or T-dress, a dress-length T-shirt that can be worn without pants.[11] Long T-shirts are also sometimes worn by women as nightgowns. A 1990s trend in women's clothing involved tight-fitting cropped T-shirt or crop tops short enough to reveal the midriff. Another less popular trend is wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt of a contrasting color over a long-sleeved T-shirt, which is known as layering. T-shirts that are tight to the body are called fitted, tailored or baby doll T-shirts.

With the rise of social media and video sharing sites also came numerous tutorials on DIY T-shirt projects.[12] These videos typically provided instructions on how to modify an old shirt into a new, more fashionable form....Screen printing
A woman wearing a T-shirt with an architectural motif

The most common form of commercial T-shirt decoration is screen printing. In screen printing, a design is separated into individual colors. Plastisol or water based inks are applied to the shirt through mesh screens partially coated with an emulsion which limits the areas where ink is deposited. In most commercial T-shirt printing, a limited number (typically one to four) of spot colors are used to print the design. To achieve a wider color spectrum with a limited number of colors, process printing (using only cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink) or simulated process (using only white, black, red, green, blue, and gold ink) is effective. Process printing is best suited for light colored shirts.[20] The simulated process is best suited for dark colored shirts.

In 1959, the invention of plastisol provided an ink more durable and stretchable than water-based ink, allowing much more variety in T-shirt designs. Very few companies continue to use water-based inks on their shirts. The majority of companies that create shirts prefer plastisol due to the ability to print on varying colors without the need for color adjustment at the art level.

Specialty inks trend in and out of fashion and include shimmer, puff, discharge, and chino based[21] inks. A metallic foil can be heat pressed and stamped onto any plastisol ink. When combined with shimmer ink, metallics give a mirror like effect wherever the previously screened plastisol ink was applied. Specialty inks are more expensive to purchase as well as screen and tend to appear on garments in boutiques.

Other methods of decoration used on T-shirts include airbrush, applique, embroidery, impressing or embossing, and the ironing on of either flock lettering, heat transfers, or dye-sublimation transfers. Laser printers are capable of printing on plain paper using a special toner containing sublimation dyes which can then be permanently heat-transferred to T-shirts." (wikipedia.org)

"A paper bag is a bag made of paper, usually kraft paper. Paper bags can be made either with virgin or recycled fibres to meet customers' demands. Paper bags are commonly used as shopping carrier bags and for packaging of some consumer goods. They carry a wide range of products from groceries, glass bottles, clothing, books, toiletries, electronics and various other goods and can also function as means of transport in day-to-day activities." (wikipedia.org)

"Mattel, Inc. (/məˈtɛl/ mə-TEL) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth and Elliot Handler[8] in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. Mattel has a presence in 35 countries and territories; its products are sold in more than 150 countries.[9] Mattel consists of three business segments: North America, International and American Girl.[10]

It is the world's second largest toy maker in terms of revenue, after The Lego Group.[11][12] Two of its historic and most valuable brands, Barbie and Hot Wheels, were respectively named the top global toy property and the top-selling global toy of the year for 2020[13] and 2021[14] by The NPD Group, a global information research company.
History
Origins and early years

Businessman Harold "Matt" Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Elliot and Ruth Handler founded Mattel as Mattel Creations in January 1945 in a garage in Los Angeles.[15][16] The company name chosen is a portmanteau of the surname of Matson and first name of Elliot, with former chairman and CEO Bob Eckert revealing at a 2013 Christmas Day Peninsula Seniors lecture that the founders, according to Elliot, couldn't fit Ruth's name into that of their company.[17] The company began selling picture frames and later dollhouse furniture out of the scraps from those frames. Matson sold his share and stake to the Handlers due to poor health the following year, with Handler's wife, Ruth, taking over his stake.[18] In 1947, the company had its first successful toy, a ukulele called "Uke-A-Doodle".[16]

The company was incorporated in Hawthorne, California in 1948.[18] In 1950, the Magic 8-Ball, currently owned by Mattel themselves, was invented by Albert C. Carter and Abe Bookman.[19] Mattel started television advertisement when it became the first sponsor of the Mickey Mouse Club TV series.[20] The Fisher-Price Corn Popper, and the Xylophone was released in 1957.[21][22] Mattel would ultimately acquire Fisher-Price on August 20, 1993.[23] The Barbie doll debuted on March 9, 1959, going on to become the company's best-selling toy in history.[24] In 1960, Mattel introduced Chatty Cathy, a talking doll that was voiced by June Foray and revolutionized the toy industry, leading to pull-string talking dolls and toys flooding the market throughout the 1960s and 1970s.[18][25] In 1961, Mattel introduced the Ken doll.[26] The company went public in 1960 and became listed on the New York Stock Exchange 3 years later. Mattel also acquired a number of like-minded companies during the 1960s.[18]

The Barbie Dreamhouse made with cardboard and paper made its debut in 1962,[27] when also the Astronaut Barbie, the first of many space-themed iterations of the doll, was introduced.[28] In 1965, the company built on its success with the Chatty Cathy doll to introduce the See 'n Say talking toy, spawning a line of products.[29] Barbie traveled to the Moon four years before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.[30] In 1967, Mattel released a toy astronaut with space vehicles and a Moon base for boys, with a gumby-like central character named Major Matt Mason.[31]

On May 18, 1968, Hot Wheels was released to the market.[18] Hot Wheels was invented by a team of Mattel inventors, which included a rocket scientist and a car designer.[32][33] That year also saw another doll release, this time, Christie, Barbie's friend and the first black doll,[34] which in the following years and decades would spawn an endless line of Barbie-themed and branded family and friends. In 1969, Mattel changed the Mattel Creations and the "Mattel, Inc. – Toymakers" marketing brands to just Mattel and launched the "red sun" logo with the Mattel wordmark in all capitals for better identity. In 1970, Hot Wheels forged a sponsorship agreement with drag racing drivers Don “The Snake” Prudhomme and Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen.[35] In addition to other marketing measures, the two racers’ cars, a yellow Barracuda and a red Duster, were reproduced as Hot Wheels toys.[35]

In May 1970, Mattel formed a joint venture film production company "Radnitz/Mattel Productions" with producer Robert B. Radnitz,[36] which would kickstart Mattel's venture into full-time entertainment to accompany its most famed toy TV commercials,[37] and later entered a multimillion-dollar partnership with Mehra Entertainment, whose CEO, Dr. Nishpeksh Padmamohan Mehra and Nishchal Shome, are one of Mattel's Inc.'s main directors for Barbie (film series).[38]

The card game Uno (now stylized as UNO) was invented by Merle Robbins in 1971,[39] and was acquired by Mattel in 1996.[40]
Acquisitions     Year[18]
Dee & Cee Toy Co. Ltd.     1962
Standard Plastic Products, Inc.     1966
Hong Kong Industrial Co., Ltd.
Precision Moulds, Ltd.
Rosebud Dolls Ltd.     1967
Monogram Models, Inc.     1968
A&A Die Casting Company
Ratti Vallensasca, Mebetoys, Ebiex S.A.     1969
H&H Plastics Co., Inc.
Meta frame Corp.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
/Feld Productions     1971–1982
Ice Follies     1979–1982
Holiday on Ice
Western Publishing     1979
Corgi Toys, Ltd.     1989[41]
International Games     1992[42]
Fisher-Price, Inc.     1993
Tyco Toys, Inc.     1997
Pleasant Company     1998[18]
Bluebird Toys (original home of Polly Pocket)     1998
The Learning Company (formerly SoftKey)     1999–2001[18]
Pinky:st.     2004
HIT Entertainment     2012[43]
Mega Brands     2014[44]
Fuhu     2016

In 1971, Mattel purchased The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from the Feld family for $40 million, whom Mattel kept on as management.[45] Mattel sold the circus corporation by December 1973 although it was profitable; Mattel showed a $29.9 million loss in 1972.[46]

In 1974, an investigation found Mattel guilty of issuing false and misleading financial reports, which led to the banishing of Elliot and Ruth Handler from the company they had founded.[18]
Post-Handlers

Arthur S. Spear, then a Mattel vice president, took control of the company in 1975 and returned the company to profitability in two years.[47] In 1978, the Mattel Children's Foundation was founded. Ruth Handler sold her stock in 1980 and finally let loose of the company she co-founded.[18]
Logo of Mattel Electronics (1977–1984)Logo of Mattel Electronics (1977–1984)

Mattel debuted its Electronics line in 1977 with an all-electronic handheld game. Its success led to its expansion with game consoles then the line, eventually becoming incorporated in 1982.[48] Mattel Electronics forced Mattel to take a $394 million loss the following and almost filed for bankruptcy.[18]

In 1979, through Feld Productions, Mattel purchased the Holiday on Ice and Ice Follies for $12 million,[49] Also acquired that year was Western Publishing for $120 million in cash and stock.[50] which they sold to Richard A. Bernstein in December 4 years later.[50]

In 1980, Mattel introduced the first diverse line of Barbie dolls with a Hispanic doll and the first African-American Barbie (unrelated to Barbie friend Christie),[51][52] which will eventually include iterations of Barbie from more than 40 countries.[52]

In 1982, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe line of action figures was released, which inspired a three-issue comic book mini-series, an animated series and a live-action film.[53]

The Felds bought the circus (and related companies) in 1982 for $22.8 million.[54]

In the early 1980s, Mattel produced video game systems, under its own brands and under license from Nintendo.

In 1985, the company launched the Barbie “We Girls Can Do Anything” TV advertising campaign to encourage girls to believe in themselves.[55] They also released the CEO / Day-to-Night Barbie to celebrate women becoming CEOs.[56] In 1986, Barbie joined the list of famous individuals painted by Andy Warhol.[55]

New York City-based venture capital firms E.M. Warburg, Pincus & Co., and Drexel Burnham Lambert invested a couple hundred million dollars in Mattel in 1984 to help the company survive. However, the Masters of the Universe action figure line sales dropped, causing a $115 million loss in 1987.

In the late 1980s, John W. Amerman, who joined Mattel in 1980 as head of its international division, was named the company’s new chairman and improved its financial performance in 1987 by focusing on core brands. It paid off as sales of Barbie dolls and accessories increased from $430 million to almost $1 billion between 1987 and 1992.[18]

Mattel secured licensing and sponsorship rights from The Walt Disney Company for a new line of infant and preschool plush toys in 1988, sponsor attractions and to develop and sell toys at three Disney theme parks.[18] Mattel also negotiated the exclusive rights to sell dolls, stuffed characters and preschool toys based on Disney characters.[18] On January 31, 1988, Mattel shut down its operations in the Philippines and shifted the distribution and sales of Mattel-branded toys and games to Richprime Global, Inc. (formerly Richwell Trading Corporation). Mattel returned to working with Disney the following year.[18]
Headquarters in El Segundo, California, in 2012Headquarters in El Segundo, California, in 2012

In 1991, Mattel moved its headquarters from Hawthorne to its current El Segundo site, in Los Angeles County.[57]
Uno, Fisher-Price, American Girl, Pinky:st., Polly Pocket: 1992–2009

In 1992, Mattel created the first President Barbie, claiming that Barbie has run for President 7 times since 1992 and released an all-ticket in 2016.[58]

Mattel entered the gaming business in 1992 with the purchase of International Games, creators of UNO and Skip-Bo.[42] The company purchased Fisher-Price, Inc. on August 20, 1993, and Tyco Toys, Inc. (owners of the Matchbox and Dinky Toys brands) in 1997. In 1998, Mattel acquired Pleasant Company (creators of the American Girl brand)[18] and Swindon, England-based toymaker Bluebird Toys (along with its most prized property, Polly Pocket). In the same year, the first American Girl retail store opened for business in Chicago.[59]

In 1997, the Fisher-Price Little People toys underwent a redesign to look more like real kids with different skin colors, added arms and hands, and greater detail on the face, hair, and clothes.[60] Also that year, Mattel acquired View-Master,[61] and Hot Wheels partnered with NASCAR drivers Kyle Petty and Jack Baldwin leading to the production of the first NASCAR-themed vehicles.[62]

In 1998, Mattel donated $25 million to help rebuild UCLA’s children’s hospital, which was later renamed the UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital.[63] Barbie was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame that year[64] and the first Thomas & Friends theme park, Thomas Land, opened in Fujikyu Park in Japan.[65]

Mattel purchased The Learning Company (formerly SoftKey) in 1999 for $3.5 billion, but sold it the following year at a loss. The company had a $430.9 million net loss that year.[18]

Mattel earned the first grant for the Disney Princess doll license in 2000.[66] In December 2000, Mattel sued Danish-Norwegian europop band Aqua, claiming their song "Barbie Girl" violated the Barbie trademark and turned her into a sex object, referring to her as a "blonde bimbo". The lawsuit was rejected two years later.[67]

In 2000, Mattel signed a deal with Warner Bros. to become the master licensee for Harry Potter branded toys.[68] It was extended in 2002; Mattel became the master licensee for Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Justice League and Looney Tunes toys for all markets except Asia.[69]

In 2001, the first life-sized Hot Wheels car, the Twin Mill, was created.[70] More than twenty life-sized cars were created and all of them were inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends.[71]

American Girl launched its “Girl of the Year” campaign in 2001 to highlight dolls with contemporary stories; each doll is only available for a year.[72]

In 2002, Mattel closed its last factory in the United States; the factory was originally part of Fisher-Price outsourcing production to China. A chain of events followed that led to its distribution of millions of hazardous toys, including ones contaminated with lead.[73] On August 14, 2007, Mattel recalled over 18 million products, with Louise Story of The New York Times in close coverage.[74][75][76] Many of the products had surface coatings that contained more than the U.S. legal limit of .06% lead by weight.[76] Other toys were recalled because their strong, detachable magnets could endanger children. Mattel re-wrote its policy on magnets, finally issuing a recall in August 2007.[77] The recall included 7.1 million Polly Pocket toys produced before November 2006, 600,000 Barbie and Tanner Playsets, 1 million Doggie Daycare, Shonen Jump's One Piece and thousands of Batman Manga toys due to exposed magnets.[77] In 2009, Mattel paid a $2.3 million fine to the Consumer Products Safety Commission for marketing, importing and selling non-compliant toys.[78] Mattel was noted for its crisis response by several newspaper publications, including PRWeek, the Los Angeles Times, Fortune and Business Management.[79][80][81]
More acquisitions and brand portfolio expansion: 2010–2016

On June 11, 2010, Mattel launched Monster High, a fashion doll line featuring the teenage children of famous and well-known monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein, Cleopatra, Gorgon, Werewolf, and The Mummy.[82][83] It led to popularity and cult following success which Mattel translated into two spin-offs, each with a different focus than Monster High; Ever After High in 2013[84][85] and Enchantimals four years later. In 2011, Hot Wheels set a new world-record for a jump made by a four-wheeled vehicle at the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500.[86] The 332 feet jump broke the previous 301 feet record set in 2009.[86]

In early 2010, HIT Entertainment licensed Thomas & Friends to Mattel for toys.[87] Mattel then agreed to purchase HIT Entertainment from Apax Partners on October 24, 2011, for $680 million, excluding its share of the PBS Kids Sprout channel (now Universal Kids), which would be completed on February 1, 2012 for £680m,[88] and be managed under Mattel's Fisher-Price unit.[89] In 2012, Mattel introduced a doll, Ella, to the Barbie line.[90] The doll is bald and was distributed directly through hospitals to children experiencing hair loss due to cancer and other diseases.[90] On October 16, 2013, with reports of high profitability, Mattel launched an in-house film studio, Mattel Playground Productions, through which it produces original films, TV shows, Web series, live events, and games.[91][92]

Fortune Magazine named Mattel one of the top 100 companies to work for in 2013, noting only 1,292 positions were full, out of 164,045 job applications during the previous year, as well as more than 1,000 employees had been with the company longer than 15 years.[93]

On February 28, 2014, Mattel acquired Mega Brands[44] and Pinky:st. celebrated its 10th anniversary. On April 16, 2015, Mattel announced a partnership with invention platform Quirky to crowd-source a number of products.[94]

Mattel added a princess-themed Barbie line in 2010. Barbie sales began plummeting in 2012, thus removing focus from the Disney Princess line. Mattel had only sold Cinderella, Ariel, Belle and the two Frozen princesses (Anna and Elsa) around its last year of the Disney license in early 2016. With these competing lines and an expiration of the brand license at the end of 2015, Disney gave Hasbro a chance to gain the license given their work on Star Wars, which led to a Descendants license. Disney Consumer Products also made an attempt to evolve the brand from "damsels" to "heroines." In September 2014, Disney announced Hasbro as the licensed doll maker for the Disney Princess line starting on January 1, 2016.[66] Mattel again became the licensed doll maker, instead of Hasbro, on January, 2022 and the characters of Frozen were part of the line.[95][96] The latest collection of dolls was available for purchase in January 2023.[97][98]

In January 2015, board member Christopher Sinclair replaced CEO Bryan Stockton, following with 2/3 of senior executives resigning or receiving lay off.[66] The following month, an upgraded View-Master to provide a virtual reality viewing experience was announced through a partnership with Google Cardboard.[99]

On January 21, 2016, Mattel acquired Fuhu, makers of Nabi tablets and other technology-driven hardware, in a bankruptcy proceeding for a sum worth $21 million.[100] On March 30, 2016, Mattel formed a "senior head" division named Mattel Creations to centralize its multi-platform content output. In the process, the production teams and operations of Mattel Playground Productions, HIT Entertainment and the American Girl content creation team in Middleton, Wisconsin were absorbed into Creations the following day.[101] On July 19, 2016, NBCUniversal announced Mattel's license acquisition to produce toys based on the Jurassic Park franchise after Hasbro's rights expired in 2017.[102]
Hasbro's failed takeover and Mattel163: 2017–2018

Former Google executive, Margo Georgiadis, was announced as company CEO on 17 January 2017.[103] On November 10, 2017 The Wall Street Journal reported that Hasbro had made a takeover offer for Mattel,[104][105] with Hasbro worth about $11 billion at the time and Mattel, $5 billion.[105] The latter rejected the offer less than a week later, according to Reuters.[106]

On January 29, 2018, Mattel and Chinese internet technology and video game company NetEase formed a joint venture mobile publishing and development studio, Mattel163, aimed at creating apps based on the former's key brands.[107][108][109] That same year, American Girl released “Create Your Own,” allowing kids to create a doll from scratch and customize everything including facial features, hair, accessories and outfits, and the doll’s favorite places and hobbies.[72]
Company reorganization and production partnership increments: 2018–present

On April 19, 2018, Mattel named former Maker Studios CEO Ynon Kreiz as chairman and the replacement CEO for outgoing CEO Georgiardis who moved on to head Ancestry.com, effective from April 26, 2018.[110][111] Two months later, the company laid off 2,200 employees partially due to the liquidation of Toys "R" Us in the U.S.[112] Kreiz started reorganization of Mattel which included new board of directors and added that executives having entertainment backgrounds and a global franchise management group had been charged with finding new opportunities in existing markets.[113]

On 30 August 2018, Mattel indicated the formation of its global franchise management division to be headed by Janet Hsu as chief franchise management officer. The division was mandated to seek out new commercial opportunities plus to bring to together consumer products, content development and distribution, digital gaming, live events and partnerships. Hsu was previously the CEO of Saban Brands,[114] where Frederic Soulie last worked before being appointed as senior vice president of content distribution and business development in the franchise division on September 28, 2018.[115] Hot Wheels celebrated its 50th anniversary the same year by recreating and selling as a set the original 16 Hot Wheels die-cast cars.[116] That same year in September, Thomas & Friends announced an alliance with the United Nations to introduce some of the organization’s Sustainable Development Goals, including quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production and life on land, into the show’s content.[117]

On December 24, 2018, Mattel announced the loss of the DC Comics toy license to Spin Master starting in the spring of 2020, hitting an 18-year low on its share price which concluded at $9.25 for a share.[118]

Mattel reorganized Mattel Creations and renamed it Mattel Television on February 5, 2019, which would be headed by former Disney Branded Television programming executive Adam Bonnett.[119] On June 30, 2020, Fred Soulie in turn was "role-tripled" to general manager and senior vice president of the new division.[120][121]

On March 9, 2019, Mattel celebrated Barbie's 60th anniversary. As part of the anniversary celebrations, Mattel released 20 new role model dolls in its Shero line to recognize influential women around the world.[122][123] Mattel donated $1 from every sale to its Dream Gap Project Fund, which aims to work with other organizations to end the issue of girls seeing themselves as less capable than boys.[124]

On June 14, 2019, Mattel released new Hot Wheels ID line of cars, which are embedded with NFC chips so that people can scan the cars and then build tracks, race, and view race stats for combined digital and physical racing play.[125] On December 16, Mattel released an update that allowed kids to scan their cars into an app and then access different coding exercises.[126] On August 19, 2019, Mattel announced a reboot of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, including new toy lines and brand extensions, a new comic book series and a Netflix series.[127]

In October 2019, Mattel released Hot Wheels Monster Trucks, which included a full line of die-cast vehicles, and a national live-event tour, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live.[128] The company also released a line of gender-neutral dolls called the “Creatable World”[129] Mattel Children’s Foundation announced and organized its second annual "Global Day of Play", a company-wide community service initiative that focuses on working with nonprofits and organizations around the world to give children a day focused on the power of play.[130]

While formerly associated with content productions, as of 2020 Mattel Creations is now an e-commerce and content platform, of Mattel, Inc.[131][132] In April 2020, the company released a Thomas & Friends special titled “The Royal Engine” to celebrate the program’s 75th anniversary, featuring animated versions of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles as children and introduced by the Duke of Sussex.[133] In the same month, the new Basquiat Barbie was introduced, featuring the work of the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.[134] Mattel also created an online resource, "Mattel Playroom", to provide free games, activities, coloring sheets, DIY projects resources for parents/caregivers and more to help families during the COVID-19 pandemic.[135]

Warner Music Group's Arts Music division arranged to become the distributor of Mattel's music catalog on May 1, 2020.[136][137][138] Arts Music planned to make available hundreds of never-before-released songs and new songs for existing brands, with the 8th May digital launch of Thomas & Friends’ birthday album first up[139] which was managed/handled by ADA Worldwide under the pseudonym label: "Mattel–Arts Music."[140] Also in May 2020, Mattel announced an initiative known as "Play it Forward" which focuses on using Mattel brands to give back.[141] The first Play it Forward program was #ThankYouHeroes, which included a collection of action figures and Little People characters who represent those who work essential jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, like doctors, nurses, emergency medical technician (EMTs) and delivery drivers.[141] On October 15, 2020, Mattel celebrated Fisher-Price’s 90th anniversary by creating a virtual Toy Museum, which featured more than 90 different exhibits created by artist, set designer and photographer Leila Fakouri.[142] Mattel Creations was also launched that month; it is an e-commerce and content platform.[143] It features limited edition, curated items made with collaboration from pop-culture artists.[143] The site’s inaugural collection included the Artist Collaboration Collection, featuring brands Barbie, Masters of the Universe, Hot Wheels, and the Magic 8-Ball[143] as well as artists Gianni Lee, Cristina Martinez, Travis Ragsdale, and Distortedd.[144]

On October 12, 2020, Mattel announced Season 25 of Thomas & Friends[145] but instead retooled launching a traditionally-animated take on it titled Thomas and Friends: All Engines Go!, which began on September 13, 2021.[146] That ended the show at 24 series/seasons over 37 years.

On November 20, 2021, Mattel launched a non-fungible tokens (NFTs) marketplace to allow fans purchase digital collectibles for its flagship brands; Barbie and Hot Wheels.[147][148][149]

On April 5, 2022, the Mattel board of directors led by its CEO, Ynon Kreiz, named company chief commercial officer, Steven Totzke, as company co-president with Richard L. Dickson alongside his original post and would continue to report to Kreiz as before.[1][2][3][4][5] On July 21 of that year, Mattel appointed the senior vice president of strategic partnerships at Scopely, Mike DeLaet, as the global head of its digital gaming division." (wikipedia.org)