Mattel lobbies up after ‘Barbie’ box office boon

Barbie has a new team of powerhouse lobbyists.

Mattel, the maker of Barbie, Hot Wheels and other iconic toys, hired a new lobbying firm this week, marking its return to the Washington influence game after more than 3 years.

The toy giant hired Mehlman Consulting, led by Bruce Mehlman, former assistant secretary of Commerce for technology policy under President George W. Bush, to lobby on manufacturing and trade issues.

More specifically, the firm will lobby on “U.S. trade policy, U.S.-China policy, and supply chain policy,” according to the new federal lobbying registration.

The new hire comes on the heels of the record-smashing “Barbie” movie, which starred Margot Robbie as Mattel’s iconic Barbie doll, blew past box office benchmarks last summer and was a huge boon for the Mattel brand.

Mattel’s North American net sales topped $3 billion in 2023, up 1 percent from the previous year, according to the company’s year-end earnings report. North American global billings for Barbie, the company’s top “power brand,” were up 8 percent to $840.4 million in 2023 from $776.3 million in 2022. 

During the fourth quarter, which includes the busy holiday season, Barbie billings were up a whopping 43 percent from the same period in 2022, and the company’s net sales were up 32 percent, according to the report.

“2023 was a milestone year for Mattel. We extended our leadership in our key toy categories and gained significant share overall, achieved extraordinary success with the Barbie movie, and further strengthened our financial position,” CEO and Chair of Mattel Ynon Kreiz said during the company’s year-end earnings call.

But not everyone loved everything about the “Barbie” movie. Some Republican lawmakers criticized the film for a scene featuring a map that critics say depicted parts of the South China Sea claimed by Vietnam as Chinese territory. Vietnam banned the movie for the depiction.

Warner Bros. Film Group dismissed the “child-like crayon drawing” in “Barbie Land,” saying it “was not intended to make any type of statement,” in a message to Variety.

Details in the new lobbying disclosure around Mattel’s lobbying on policies related to trade and the U.S.-China relationship are vague. Neither Mehlman nor Mattel returned requests for comment from The Hill.

The new Mattel account, however, is stacked with former officials and Capitol Hill alums.

In addition to Mehlman himself, the team includes Alex Perkins, who was previously trade counsel to the House Ways and Means Committee and counsel to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.); Sage Eastman, former senior counselor to the Ways and Means Committee; David Thomas, former deputy director of legislative affairs for Vice President Al Gore and director of congressional relations at the Federal Trade Commission; and Elise Pickering, former executive director for the House Republican Policy Committee.

Michael Robinson, Constantine Hingson, Helen Tolar, Nichole Distefano, Paul Thornell and Stephen Cote are also on the account.

The last time Mattel hired a federal lobbying firm was in June 2021 as it prepared for a hearing before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on infant deaths linked to its Fisher-Price “Rock ‘n Play.” Mattel recalled millions of the popular reclining baby sleeper, but got a tongue lashing from members.

The lobbyist who helped prepare Mattel for the hearing and educate members was former Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R-N.Y.), who was also previously a commissioner at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, according to the registration by Williams and Jensen.

The company terminated its agreement with the firm after the hearing, and no other internal or external lobbyists have registered on behalf of Mattel since, according to The Hill’s analysis of federal lobbying disclosures.

Before 2021, no federal lobbyists had registered on behalf of Mattel since 2009. 

The brand has also never launched a Lobbyist Barbie, according to this comprehensive Buzzfeed list.