DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Barbie and Ken, one of the hottest couples of the summer, were actually named after a brother and sister
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ruth Handler's children resented the dolls named after them and didn't buy any for their own children. The plastic dolls were actually named after a sister and brother – the children of Mattel cofounder and Barbie creator Ruth Handler. Almost immediately after Barbie hit toy shop shelves in 1959, Mattel started receiving "hundreds of letters from little girls begging us to make a boyfriend for Barbie," Handler wrote. "If people did find out, she'd tell them in no uncertain terms that she was not the Barbie doll." Barbara, meanwhile, said: "I'm tired of being Barbie doll."

Persons: Barbie, Ken, Ruth Handler's, —, Greta Gerwig's, –, Ruth Handler, Frederic Neema, Handler, Babs, Barbara, Barbara Millicent Roberts, Ruth, Jens, Ulrich Koch, Stache, Cyrus McCrimmon, Lobel, Blaine, Mel Melcon, Mattel Barbara, Barbie Ken, Iris Schneider, Elliott Handler, Bettmann, Barbara Handler, Handler's, Barbies . Bork, bimbo, Timm Schamberger, hadn't Organizations: Service, Mattel, Getty, Los Angeles Times, Hulton, Valentine's, Express, DDP, Getty Images, Denver, Fair Locations: Europe, AFP, Nuremberg, Germany

The decision is likely to force companies to toe a more careful line when making commercial products that mimic other brands for the sake of parody, legal experts said. The Rogers test is "not appropriate when the accused infringer has used a trademark to designate the source of its own goods - in other words, has used a trademark as a trademark," Justice Elena Kagan wrote. Other experts said the decision leaves space for the First Amendment to apply to parody products. "The likelihood of confusion analysis will still take the challenged product's funny message into account," Brannen said. (This story has been refiled to change dateline to June 12)Reporting by Blake Brittain in WashingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brown, Forman, Jack Daniel's, Rogers, infringer, Elena Kagan, Kagan, Megan Bannigan, Plimpton, Bannigan, VIP, Doug Masters, Loeb & Loeb, Masters, Alexandra Roberts, Roberts, Elizabeth Brannen, Maher, Brannen, Blake Brittain Organizations: U.S, Supreme Court, Constitution, VIP Products, MCA Records, Mattel, Debevoise, Loeb &, Northeastern University, Stris, Thomson Locations: Danish, Washington

☆ Your vintage Barbie doll could fetch as much as $27,000 on the resale market, new research shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Your vintage Barbie dolls sitting at home could make you a quick buck, according to new research. BonusFinder made a list of the most valuable Barbies of all time and their maximum resale price. The first Barbie – released in 1959 for just $3 – has a maximum resale value of $27,450. The second most valuable Barbie doll is Dahlia Barbie, created by Robert Best in 2006, and has a resale value of up to $2,423. The maximum resale value for other Barbies on Bonus Finder's list ranged from $886 to $1,451.

Persons: BonusFinder, Barbie –, —, there's, Ruth Handler, Barbie, Dahlia Barbie, Robert Best, Greta Gerwig's, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling Organizations: Service, Mattel

☆ Retailers are gamifying shopping with virtual storefronts to boost engagement, loyalty
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Crew virtual beach house. Crew virtual beach house. Crew virtual beach house. Crew virtual beach house. Crew virtual beach house.

Persons: Crew's, Derek Yarbrough, J, Yarbrough, Obsess, Neha Singh, Singh, Elizabeth Arden, Dior, Ralph Lauren, Corona, Johnson, metaverse, it's, Crew's Yarbrough Organizations: CNBC, American, Mattel, Maybelline, Amazon Locations: New York, Los Angeles, Laneige

☆ Mattel Experiments With ChatGPT in Cybersecurity
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Catherine Stupp | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Toy maker Mattel is experimenting with generative-artificial-intelligence tools including ChatGPT to help its cybersecurity teams, but the company’s head of cybersecurity said the risk of inaccurate results from the new technology is too great to deploy it broadly. But many results from queries to the AI tools are incorrect, even if they appear convincing, he said. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ Pro Cybersecurity Cybersecurity news, analysis and insights from WSJ's global team of reporters and editors. All Mattel employees using ChatGPT are receiving training on how to use generative AI tools securely, he said. German e-commerce giant Zalando plans to offer a shopping assistant using ChatGPT.

Persons: cybersecurity, Tom Le, ” Le, OpenAI, Mattel’s Le, Ilia Kolochenko, ”, Goldman Sachs, Le, Catherine Stupp Organizations: Mattel, Training, Employees, JPMorgan, Verizon, Commonwealth Bank of Australia

☆ 'Barbie' movie's pink paint splurge led to global shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Lianne Kolirin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Creating the perfect backdrop for the upcoming “Barbie” movie required so much pink paint that it led to a global shortage, according to its production designer. “The world ran out of pink,” said Sarah Greenwood in a recent interview with Architectural Digest. Warner Bros. PicturesGreenwood, who has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including for the art direction of “Pride & Prejudice” and “Atonement,” said constructing the set involved huge amounts of Rosco’s fluorescent pink paint. Warner Bros.’ live-action movie, which hits theaters on July 21, stars Margot Robbie in the titular role and a blond Ryan Gosling as her plastic boyfriend, Ken. (Warner Bros., like CNN, is a unit of Warner Bros.

Persons: Barbie, ”, Sarah Greenwood, Margot Robbie, Pictures Greenwood, ’, Ryan Gosling, Ken, CNN Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, “, Gerwig, Greenwood, Katie Spencer, Lauren Proud Organizations: CNN, Architectural, Warner Bros, Pictures, Warner Bros . Locations: London, Palm

☆ Barbie owes her existence to a 1950s German comic strip
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Barbie likely wouldn't exist if Mattel's founder hadn't stumbled across Bild Lilli, a plastic doll based on a comic strip. The first Barbie doll, from 1959, had Lilli's red lips, high blonde ponytail, and winged eyeliner. But these dolls had flat chests, big bellies, and squatty legs – they were built like overweight six- or eight-year-olds," Handler wrote. The newspaper began making Lilli dolls in 1955 because of the comic's popularity and to market the newspaper. "Here were the breasts, the small waist, the long, tapered legs I had enthusiastically described for the designers all those years ago," Handler wrote.

Persons: Barbie, hadn't, Ruth Handler, —, Ruth Handler —, Mattel —, Barbara, Handler, Lilli, SSPL, Axel Springer publication's, Reinhard Beuthein, Robin Gerber, Ruth, Gerber, Elliot, Frederic Neema, Mattel, Lobel, Greiner, Louis Marx, Marx, Fiona Hanson, Hausser Organizations: Bild Lilli, Service, Mattel, Getty Images, Hausser, Getty, Greiner, Hausser's Locations: Europe, Lucerne, Swiss, Los Angeles, Lilli, New York

☆ Ryan Gosling has hilarious reply to those saying he's 'too old' to play Ken in 'Barbie' movie
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Ryan Gosling channeled his “Ken-ergy” to defend himself against those who think he’s “too old” to play doll Ken in the new “Barbie” movie. The origin of this silliness began back in April when the first “Barbie” movie trailer was released and a debate on social media ensued, with some users voicing their opinion that the 42-year-old actor appeared too “grown up” to play Ken. “If people don’t want to play with my Ken, there are many other Kens to play with,” Gosling said in a new GQ interview published on Wednesday in response to those skeptics. You never cared,” he said, adding that “if you ever really cared about Ken, you would know that nobody cared about Ken. So your hypocrisy is exposed.”(From left) Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie in 'Barbie.'

Persons: CNN — Ryan Gosling, Ken, ergy, Barbie, “, ” Gosling, we’ve, ’, ”, Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie, Gosling, Ken’s, Greta Gerwig, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Hari Nef, Eva Mendes, Barbie ” Organizations: CNN, Warner Bros, Mattel, Ferrera

☆ How Barbie went from poor sales in the 1950s to becoming the most popular doll in the world
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( James Pasley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

In the 1950s, Ruth Handler, the woman behind Barbie, found it difficult to find support for her idea. After being warned it was a bad idea and that no one would buy it, Barbie was a huge hit. Mattel, Handler's toy company, went on to make billions of dollars off the doll. But she kept selling and remains the most popular doll in the world. In July, the highly-anticipated "Barbie" movie, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie as the titular character, will be released.

☆ How TikTok sensation Squishmallows found Warren Buffett
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

May 13 (Reuters) - Squishmallows joined Warren Buffett's business empire two years after Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and others helped make the plush stuffed toys a viral sensation on TikTok. They married in 1993 and embarked on law careers, but Judd Zebersky soon realized that wasn't his destiny. Laura Zebersky, a litigator, sold her practice in 2005 and joined him, becoming Jazwares' president. "This was a brand that needed a lot of love," Judd Zebersky said. "Greg is exactly what we have all learned about the Berkshire model," Laura Zebersky said.

Where to watch RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars in the USViewers in the US can watch RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars easily through a Paramount Plus subscription. Where to watch RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars in CanadaCanadian fans of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars can watch the new season with a Crave subscription. How to watch RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars worldwideIf your country doesn't have access to Paramount Plus or Crave, you can still watch RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars with the help of a VPN. Where to watch RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars for freeTo watch the new season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars at no cost, you can sign up for a free trial of Paramount Plus. Watch the trailer for season 8 of RuPaul's Drag Race All StarsWho is competing in RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars season 8?

☆ 5 ways Russia's been sidestepping Western sanctions and keeping its economy alive, from switching to the Chinese yuan and dabbling in ghost trades
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A fleet of aging oil tankers that do not turn on their tracking signals is suspected of secretly transporting sanctioned Russian oil globally. Russia has also put together a "shadow fleet" of more than 100 oil tankers to skirt the sanctions, the FT reported in December. By August, such gray market sales reached nearly $6.5 billion, said Denis Manturov, the Russian trade and industry minister, according to an Interfax report. Russian oil is still getting into Western countries, thanks to intermediaries. Western nations that banned Russian oil have collectively imported nearly $46 billion worth of Russian oil products, according to a study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, or CREA, published in April.

☆ Summer movie preview 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Dan Heching | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Most moviegoers can pinpoint one summer movie – or perhaps, a summer of movies – in their formative years that really and truly cemented their love for going to the cinema, whether it be 1975’s “Jaws,” “E.T. And while streaming has clearly siphoned off part of the audience, particularly for more serious films, what we think of as “summer movies” still have the potential to rake in cash just like the old days. (CNN and DC are both part of the same parent company, Warner Bros. Courtesy Warner Bros. PicturesInitially meant for streaming platforms, this vehicle will herald the cinematic arrival of DC Studios’ first Latino superhero, played by Xolo Maridueña of “Cobra Kai” and “Parenthood” fame. If the fast-paced trailer is any indication, the movie looks sure to whisk those dog days of summer doldrums away quite nicely.

May 4 (Reuters) - Shopify Inc (SHOP.TO), posted a surprise first-quarter profit on Thursday and said it would lay off 20% of its workforce in a second round of mass job cuts, sending its U.S.-listed shares more than 18.7% higher in early trade. The layoffs announced on Thursday are expected to result in a severance charge of between $140 million and $150 million in the second quarter. "Combined with the reduction in force, management is showing its commitment to profitability which investors had been concerned about," Luria added. Adjusted profit was 1 cent per share, compared with expectations for a 4 cent loss. Reporting by Chavi Mehta and Akshita Toshniwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Shopify to lay off 20% of workforce, revenue tops expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Known as the e-commerce platform for small businesses, Shopify had ramped up its order fulfillment network, when it expected the pandemic-led e-commerce boom to persist. But by mid-2022, it said it had over overestimated growth levels and laid off 10% of its workforce in July. Revenue was $1.51 billion in the quarter ended March 31, topping analysts' estimates of $1.43 billion, according to Refinitiv data. The company also posted a surprise adjusted profit of 1 cent per share, compared with expectations for a 4 cent loss. Reporting by Chavi Mehta and Akshita Toshniwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz on the state of the toy industry and health of U.S. consumer
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMattel CEO Ynon Kreiz on the state of the toy industry and health of U.S. consumerYnon Kreiz, the chairman and CEO of Mattel, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss key topics at this year's Milken Institute Global Conference, toy sales trending downward, and the licensing agreement between Mattel and Hasbro.

This week marked halfway point of the earnings season, with 50% of S & P 500 companies having now posted their quarterly results. The S & P 500 is up about 0.7% week to date through Friday afternoon trading. Here are of the stocks that saw the largest gains this week, and where analysts see them going forward. Almost 70% of analysts covering Hasbro are bullish on shares, according to FactSet dating. Meta shares rose 11.5% this week after the company reported its first sales increase in four quarters, as well as higher-than-expected quarterly earnings.

☆ Hasbro revenue beats as gaming boost offsets slowing demand for toys
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The Hasbro, Inc. logo is seen on a toy for sale in a store in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 16, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew KellyApril 27 (Reuters) - Hasbro Inc (HAS.O) topped Wall Street expectations for quarterly revenue on Thursday as players snapped up its "Magic: The Gathering" game sets, helping counter slowing demand for its toys and action figures. Hasbro is also banking on the August release of "Baldur's Gate 3" video game to boost gaming revenue in the third quarter. In contrast, rival Mattel Inc (MAT.O) on Wednesday posted a bigger-than-expected quarterly loss, pinched by retailers trimming orders for its Barbie and Hot Wheels toys. Hasbro reported net revenue of $1.00 billion in the first quarter, down 14% from a year earlier, but better than analysts' estimates of $878.4 million, according to Refinitiv IBES data.

☆ Morningstar's chief U.S. market strategist shares his outlook for the economy and ways to play the market turbulence ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

But even in a turbulent environment, there are value opportunities for investors who look carefully, according to Dave Sekera, Morningstar's chief U.S. market strategist. "We think the stock market is undervalued," Sekera told CNBC during an interview at the Morningstar Investment Conference in Chicago. "However, I'd say at this point, the easy returns have already been made thus far this year, and I do see a rough road ahead for the next couple of quarters for the stock market in general." For regional bank stocks, Morningstar expects earnings to slowly decline through 2023. Today, Morningstar views many of those names, in areas such as energy, healthcare and consumer defensives, as fully valued.

☆ Hasbro, Mattel shares rise as toymakers announce multiyear licensing agreement, increased IP focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Barbie maker Mattel posted first-quarter results after markets closed on Wednesday that beat revenue expectations but fell short of expectations on the bottom line. Other toy stocks, including Hasbro competitor Mattel and pop culture consumer company Funko , also jumped on Thursday. Toymaker stocks rallied Thursday after rivals Hasbro and Mattel posted quarterly results and offered optimistic comments about how their intellectual property will boost their businesses. Amid the challenging toy and game market, both Hasbro and Mattel are eyeing a future increasingly focused on intellectual property. Hasbro's "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" from Paramount is slated for a June 9 release, while Mattel's much-hyped "Barbie" movie from Warner Bros. is scheduled for a July 21 release.

☆ A drug company abandoned a treatment for ‘bubble boy disease.’ After a 5-year fight, this little girl is about to get it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Elizabeth Cohen Lauren Mascarenhas | Elizabeth Cohen | Lauren Mascarenhas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +29 min

The Sulacks weighed their options: Have a transplant with a match that was less than ideal – far less – or wait for gene therapy to become available. The news release didn’t say anything else about the SCID gene therapy. Or was the company abandoning its plans for SCID gene therapy altogether? In February, 2021, the parents of more than 20 children who were waiting for the gene therapy treatment, including the Sulacks, wrote a letter to Gaspar. Insurance companies have sometimes balked at paying for gene therapy, which is typically given in one treatment.

April 26 (Reuters) - Mattel Inc (MAT.O) reported a bigger-than-expected loss for the first quarter on Wednesday as the toymaker grappled with higher costs and retailers cutting back on orders. "Retailers are working through this inventory and expect that to be corrected by the end of the first half." Price increases have also discouraged consumers from spending more on its products, leading to a 21% drop in net sales for Mattel to $815 million after adjusting for currency fluctuations. Worldwide gross billings for Barbie, which represents amounts invoiced to customers, fell 41%, while Hot Wheels' billings rose only 1%. The company, however, stuck to its full-year net sales and adjusted profit forecasts and said it expects inflation to moderate in 2023.

☆ Warner Bros. Discovery previews a stacked film slate, centered around this summer's 'Barbie'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. is offering a wide slate of films in 2023 across drama, comedy, horror and action. Warner Bros. capped its presentation with words from Peter Safran, one half of its new duo of creative leaders at DC Studios. Zaslav says he's seen "The Flash" three times and told CinemaCon audiences "it's the best superhero movie I've ever seen." He also reassured media and insiders that Warner Bros.

☆ Mattel introduces Barbie doll with Down's syndrome
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, April 25 (Reuters) - Toy maker Mattel (MAT.O) has introduced its first Barbie with Down's syndrome in a bid to make its famous doll range more inclusive. [1/3] French City Counsellor & Author Eleonore Laloux holds the new Barbie doll with Down's syndrome, in Paris, France April 19, 2023. Mattel/Matthieu Suprin/Handout via REUTERS 1 2 3"The doll’s palms even include a single line, a characteristic often associated with those with Down’s syndrome," Mattel said. The doll is dressed is a puff sleeved frock adorned with butterflies and flowers in yellow and blue - colours associated with Down’s syndrome awareness. “Our goal is to enable all children to see themselves in Barbie, while also encouraging children to play with dolls who do not look like themselves," Lisa McKnight, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Barbie & Dolls, Mattel, said in the statement.

☆ Mattel introduces first Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Mattel on Tuesday introduced its first-ever version of the Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome. The new doll is part of Mattel Barbie Fashionistas line, which aims to offer kids more diverse representations of beauty and fight the stigma around physical disabilities. Mattel introduced its first Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome. The new Barbie is part of Mattel's Barbie Fashionista line of dolls which champions diverse representations of beauty and appearance. We are proud to introduce a Barbie doll with Down syndrome to better reflect the world around us and further our commitment to celebrating inclusion through play,” she said.

Search resuls for: "Mattel"

25 mentions found