A royal shakeup in the toys and licensing industry has entered a new chapter.
After losing the rights to produce Disney Princess and Frozen dolls to Hasbro in 2014, Mattel has regained the license.
Beginning in 2023, Mattel will release a full range of fashion dolls, small dolls, and figures inspired by Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Brave, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, Pocahontas, The Princess and the Frog, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Tangled, Disney Frozen, the upcoming Moana and Tiana Disney+ series, and the live-action versions of Aladdin, Beauty & the Beast, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, and Mulan.
“We are incredibly proud to welcome back the Disney Princess and Frozen lines to Mattel,” says Mattel President and Chief Operating Officer Richard Dickson. “As the worldwide leader in dolls, we look forward to bringing our unique Mattel Playbook approach to brand management, product and marketing expertise, and unrelenting attention to detail and quality to create innovative and inspiring lines for these iconic stories and characters.”
In 2014, industry rumblings pegged Mattel’s internal focus on its Monster High and Ever After High brands as the reasoning behind Disney’s decision to award the license to the company’s East Coast rival. Under the terms of the agreement, Hasbro began producing Disney Princess and Frozen toys beginning in 2016.
Mattel’s relationship with Disney dates back to the 1950s and has continued in recent years through extensive licensing collaborations across multiple brands and categories.
