• Guest, Help The DPF Community Thrive - Join Our Donation Drive Today!

    We're launching a special DPF Donation Drive to ensure our beloved forum continues to flourish. Your support is vital in helping us cover essential server costs and keep our community running smoothly — This is more than just a donation; it's an investment in the future of our community.

    Join us in this crucial drive and let's ensure our forum remains a vibrant and dynamic place for everyone.

    Please visit the DPF Donation Drive Thread for details and instructions on how you can make your donation today!

How Mattel lost the Disney Princess line to Hasbro

Status
Not open for further replies.
How Mattel lost the Disney Princess line to Hasbro
a4matte

a4matte

Poor Unfortunate Soul
Rating - 100%
32   0   0
Messages
1,167
Location
Phildadelphia, PA
Figured this forum would be the best place to post this since you doll collectors are here.

Bloomberg recently posted an article about the switch Disney has made for their dolls. They will now be made by Hasbro instead of Mattel. The dolls will have new looks and will be marketed differently. Each doll will have her own unique head with molded features vs the very similar heads the Mattel dolls used with painted features. The marketing of the princesses will focus more on their abilities, skills, and individuality instead of mostly just being a princess.

What do the doll collectors here think about these changes?
 
I do like how Hasbro (at least, for now) is marketing the princesses as actual characters again. The backs of the new boxes have little blurbs about their personality/what they do, which is nice. I don't like that the dolls have no articulation (although that can be remedied if people want to unbox and swap bodies) and I'm not crazy about them being different heights and looking more childish than the Descendants dolls, but it looks like they're marketing the princesses towards little kids whereas Descendants has a slightly older market.
 
I feel like this article is biased against Mattel and for Hasbro. Personally, I like both companies and hope they both do well. I'm worried that EAH and Descendants going head-to-head might not be good for either line (both of which I have mixed feelings and a small sampling of). I also dislike both the Mattel and Hasbro Disney princess dolls, I think both really pale in comparison to Disney Store dolls. It's unfortunate that if I weren't currently into doll collecting, and saw that article in Bloomberg, I would assume they've replaced one ugly type of dolls for another, and be sad that there were no pretty Disney princess dolls to buy. It'll probably discourage would-be collectors. People who don't go out of their way to visit the Disney Store probably have no idea about the beautiful dolls.
 
I really think the Mattel and Hasbro dolls are pretty ugly. but I think Hasbro is really creating a line that will be popular with young girls. Their outfits are really cute and they look like their quality control is going to be better. (A relative bought me a Mattel Elsa with her eyes derped)

Disney Store will probably do better with older girls and collectors, but Hasbro will make great starter dolls for their "target" audience.
 
I bought Snow White and Aurora today and a Tiana mini doll, and I would have bought more but Target didn't have the other princesses I wanted. I'm already so blown away by hasbro. There are definitely big differences between the toy brands version but I actually really like hasbro's cute over-animated dolls... I also love the price... $9 for a really great quality doll.

I really hope this is a wake up call to Mattel that people don't want the garbage dolls that are overpriced and have plastic molded clothing rather than actual clothing. I hope this helps them to damage control on Barbie... I've been a big fan of Mattel for all my life and I'm really over the lazy designs and cringe worthy attempts to save money and cut quality.
 
This explains a lot. Not Disney related but has anybody seen the new Monster High dolls? They're terrible . Mattel is basically using the same doll mold for every doll and it's horrible .
 
I'm liking the switch. I haven't bought any of the 9" (?) dolls yet, but I really like that they don't have molded clothes, and I think their faces are WAY better (more accurate) than the Mattel dolls.

But. I love. LOVE. The mini dolls. Little Kingdom or whatever they're called. They're all so adorable, and their accessories/playsets are so cute. I've never bought any of the mini dolls from Mattel's line, but I'm already addicted to Hasbro's!

I'll be really interested to see how they do with the movie dolls, like for the upcoming live action BatB. (Or will Jakks have those?)
 
I like the new hasbro dolls, except for Snow White and Cinderella. Snow White looks like cinderella's stepsister with plastic surgery, and Cinderella looks like some kind of actress or model.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I'm not a fan of the Hasbro dolls. I hate to say that. I was waiting to reserve judgement until I saw them in person, and then still sat on my opinion trying to get comfortable with the difference, but I just don't care for them. I like that Hasbro is trying to make them look more like the real characters in contrast to Mattel making all their dolls look too similar to Barbies. Still, I just don't find them appealing. I think it has to do with the head being so out of proportion from the body. I like the head sculpt by itself. Understandably, they have to look different from the Mattel line, but I'm just not crazy about them. I'll stick with the Disney Store classic dolls, or I might buy a Hasbro doll as a project if one is on sale and I can find another body for the head.

I first saw these in person over New Year's. I took my niece to Target and I heard her exclaim "What ugly dolls" from behind me. I turned around and it was the Hasbro princesses. She just turned 12 yesterday, but still kind of likes dolls (MH, EAH, Pullip, Barbie, etc). My 7 year old niece also has no interest them (she wasn't there when the 12 year old said they were ugly, so wasn't influenced by that). She always liked the Mattel princesses, though. I think maybe a fairly young child would be happy with them and like the fact they look more like the animated characters.
 
I don't collect dolls that much, but I like the fact that Hasbro is giving girls more of a variety of princess. It said in the article that all 11 princesses will be available in stores. I also really liked this part of the article were it said: "These distinctions are subtle, but, Hasbro and Disney hope, they’ll make each princess feel like a fully realized person, not just one of 11 lookalikes separated only by the color of her dress." and to be honest I have been a lifelong fan of Mattel, but it's just not cutting it anymore.
 
Last edited:
Saw these in person today. I really love the face but why did they not make it proportional to the body? I definitely want some since they're only $9 at Walmart.
 
Interesting - just heard that Hasbro and Mattel may be merging. Wonder if that will affect anything?
 
I also am not a fan of how disproportionate the dolls look with the larger head and smaller body, but I thought maybe they needed to really distance themselves from Mattel's look. I DO like how they want to focus on each character's abilities and traits, and I do like how they are really going full force with smaller dolls, figures and all sorts of things. It makes the news of a possible merger between the two companies worrisome. How can that not have some kind of effect.
 
I doubt they would but I would love if Disney would let hasbro do a line of starwars dolls... I would love a leia in hasbro form.
 
So, is Mattel responsible for Disney redesigning all of the princesses to make them all look younger, like they just had plastic surgery, and basically all the same (interchangeable)??

If Hasbro makes princess dolls that look more like the characters from their original movies, will Disney redesign the princesses once again to look like their original selves??

I sure hope so...
 
I actually really like Hasbro's take on Disney princess. I think they're cute and more child friendly than Mattel's... And by far better quality for your money's worth. I'm excited to see where the brand goes... I'm especially hoping for future Prince dolls as we only have Kristoff so far... I would love a prince Eric, a Flynn, and a Phillip!
 
Mcandy said:
nope hasbro is a different company i think...not sure..but I know the disney store produces the LE dolls
Click to expand...

Hasbro is a totally separate company, one of the two main giants producing toys you will find at places like Toys R Us and Walmart. They make brands like My Little Pony, lots of board games, and more. (Their main rival company in the same stores is Mattel, the one who used to have the rights to make the Disney princess dolls for stores like that).

Many people don't go to the Disney Store (might not even be around them) and don't even know about the Disney Store classic dolls, so they assume that the Mattel (and now Hasbro) Disney princess dolls are THE Disney princess dolls.
 
Most of my friends shop in walmart and toys rus and seldom go to disney store. They said their costumes are too expensive..but me I love the disney store..they do have sales sometimes and their classic dolls really look so real to their animation. Example:elena of avalor. Shes so pretty in the disney store version. But in hasbro not so much.
 
I personally thought that the Mattel Disney dolls were really bad. Cute enough, but BAD. (They don't look like their characters imo, they look like a random doll dressed up as the character.)
I think the Hasbro ones are much better, although I still find the Disney Store ones as the best:)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top