Mattel's Mom Issue: They Really Don't Get Hot Wheels

Earlier this month, influential mommy bloggers gathered in a penthouse suite at Manhattan’s Royalton Hotel for a brunch of bloody marys, mimosas, and a buffet. Their host was Matt Petersen, a Mattel vice president who runs its North American boys’ toys and games division. In town for a toy fair, Petersen had invited the women to discuss one of the great mysteries of modern life: why moms don’t know how to play Hot Wheels with their sons.

For Mattel executives, pondering such questions is far from a trivial marketing exercise. The company, the world’s largest toymaker, pulls in more than $1 billion a year from sales of its iconic toy car brands, including its Big Three—Hot Wheels, Matchbox, and Tyco R/C products. The more Mattel executives understand the disconnect between moms and their sons when it comes to these tiny vehicles, the better shot they have of bridging that divide—and selling more toy cars. “By talking to Mom, we are extending out the conversation to the actual purchaser,” Petersen says. “I know it sounds so silly. It’s kind of like ‘Why didn’t you do that forever ago?’ ”