— By Plasteurope.com staff — 

In an apparent challenge to the market dominance of Lego (Billund, Denmark; www.lego.com), US toymaker Mattel (El Segundo, California; www.mattel.com) announced the launch of a new brand – Mattel Brick Shop.

Mattel, best known for its Barbie, Fisher-Price, and Matchbox brands, posted sales of just under USD 5.4 bn (around EUR 5.1 bn) for 2024 – considerably below estimates for its Danish competitor, which reported EUR 4.2 bn for the first half of 2024 alone.

While the product drop is planned for May, the new bricks were introduced at this year’s toy trade fair Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg, Germany. The US company did not provide information on sizes or which polymer is used, but it’s likely that the bricks are injection-moulded with ABS. Recycled content is also likely to play a role – the company in 2020 announced the goal of using 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastics by 2030.

No information was available regarding expected sales volumes, but the toymaker is probably also targeting adults. The toy market has evidenced notable growth in this area, which is considered particularly lucrative due to the higher purchasing power of the customers.

Related: German toy makers face cost pressure, ‘kidults’ target group grows

Mattel had entered the plastic building blocks market over ten years ago with the acquisition of Mega Brands and its Mega Bloks toy construction sets.