Mattel, Inc. - 1960 dated Stock Certificate

Stock printed by Jeffries Banknote Company.

Harold "Matt" Matson, Ruth Handler, and Elliot Handler established Mattel, originally known as Mattel Creations, in January 1945 within a garage located in Los Angeles. Initially, the company focused on selling picture frames, and subsequently expanded to offer dollhouse furniture made from the remnants of those frames. Due to health issues, Matson divested his share and interest to the Handlers the following year, at which point Ruth Handler assumed control. In 1947, the company launched its first successful toy, a ukulele named "Uke-A-Doodle." Mattel was officially incorporated in 1948 in Hawthorne, California. In 1950, the Magic 8-Ball was created by Albert C. Carter and Abe Bookman; this toy is currently owned by Mattel. The company began its television advertising campaign by becoming the inaugural sponsor of the Mickey Mouse Club TV series. The year 1957 marked the introduction of the Fisher-Price Corn Popper and the Xylophone. Ultimately, Mattel acquired Fisher-Price on August 20, 1993. The Barbie doll made its debut on March 9, 1959, and has since become the best-selling toy in the company's history. In 1960, Mattel launched Chatty Cathy, a talking doll voiced by June Foray, which transformed the toy industry and led to a surge of pull-string talking dolls and toys in the 1960s and 1970s. The Ken doll was introduced by Mattel in 1961. The company went public in 1960 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1963. During the 1960s, Mattel also acquired several other companies with similar interests.