A well-oiled machine—that's what one of the world's greatest, Jill Bard, the CEO, would say. A woman who once ran Mattel and everything the global market represents. In 1997, they bought Tyco Toys and began expanding into the video game sector, with a fervent push from every possible angle.
Some time ago, Billy Carson arrived with the idea of a long-term collaboration in which, as he saw it, they would use Mattel's Fisher-Price and Barbie brands to expand their characters and designs, while taking over the IPs to create a shared minimum core of interconnected series. Billy used My Little Pony, Monster High, Women's Academy, and Dora the Explorer.
It became a major production, multiplying sales through a single sales strategy. Television series make selling effortless; the average child watches between 6 and 18 hours of TV a week, which makes it easy for these big companies to turn a profit. They ceded their rights to produce video games, TV shows, and films, with theatrical percentages, while Billy received between 8% and 15% net from merchandise depending on sales.
With Lux Comics, he produced short comics, books, and posters of the series he marketed independently, backed by a major studio. His drawings were famous for their quality, and this was no exception. Using his skillset, he developed two series for Lux Comics—Hot Wheels and Barbie—from fresh angles that, in reason and essence, were an excellent way to tell stories while selling products. This now led him to negotiate a bigger slice of the pie, because Billy Carson had arrived at Mattel's doorstep intent on buying 5% of the company's shares, aiming to launch one of the largest car series ever made, complete with new vehicles. Both Lotus and Lamborghini were iconic brands beloved by fans, but Billy wanted to take that to another level.
He wanted to move from traditional series to creating a major car show as an audiovisual project where the vehicles would be showcased at 100%. He now had the project in hand—one he bought off an unsuspecting seller. Fast & Furious was on its way, and meanwhile, the series created an implicit collaboration with Mattel. Separately, he would produce another series dedicated solely to cars, while activating Speed Racer—three separate pillars.
…
Steve Parks loved the thrill of big acquisitions. The office work was relatively tedious: negotiating pencil contracts, organizing inventory, ordering his subordinates to do their tasks—it all annoyed him. But now he was doing the very thing that made his tongue itch: buying a solid chunk of Mattel, all through a well-placed poison pill, a small percentage of shares, all for the sake… of a plan he himself didn't fully understand. Billy was a genius in thought, unstoppable in execution. His business deals cycled through thousands of ideas before closing, all for the purpose of selling—and selling in a way that seemed to cut off everyone else around him.
One step, one day, often repeated, leading to a large office overlooking the city—a woman considered the queen of toys behind the curtain, running the company. The board was set on backing the bold move. Billy was direct: either with you or without you.
—Good morning, Miss Bard. —whispered Steve Parks, though his voice carried loud and clear in the room, echoing deeply.
—Take a seat, Mr. Parks. —Jill Bard replied, while the attorney from Fidelity Investments sat beside her, a holder of a large portion of shares. Vanguard Group, State Group, and State Street Global Advisors also had seats at the table.
—Well, I think Billy's proposal was very well put together. —said Steve Parks.
—Let's have some coffee. —Jill replied.
Steve Parks savored the coffee as it struck his throat—he was fully aware of the tension in the room. Not tension about purchasing shares at $8, but about the 1.3 million shares being considered, tied to longstanding permissions from investors who were now also members of Hasbro.
***
Tommy walked through the toy store, looking at the new seasonal SpongeBob collection—the yellow toys, the adorable pink starfish, the grumpy octopus, the greedy crab, the explorer mermaid.
—Mom, I want. That. —said Tommy, pointing at the toys stamped with the Lux Animation logo. His gleaming eyes were almost a declaration that he would not back down. Strict, distant Tommy's mother observed Billy Carson's toys. At 30, she had read the Titanic novel and had some idea why his stories were so famous, though she had read nothing beyond the love story. She watched the movie, found it romantic, and even saw it three times.
—If your father lets you buy those toys, you know the drill, honey. Your father decides. —She answered, giving a hard glance to the man who was only looking at the sports discounts two shelves over. Wanting to avoid conflict, he completely missed the look and gave a vague yes gesture, lost in his own thoughts.
—I'm getting it! —shouted the boy, wild with excitement, while his mother fixed her gaze on him.
The act stemmed from a wish to avoid buying more toys, but now it seemed she'd have to wait. If in one hour she finished shopping and Tommy still wanted the plush toy, she would buy it, though she could only hope her husband would hate it.
...
On every shelf, people were part of the toy market that generated millions of dollars a year, thousands of days in which children bought and gifted toys. First-hand buyers were the kids; then came garage sales, pawn shops, and second-hand stores, forming the secondary market that reached children with fewer resources or amateur collectors who valued buying and reselling in later years.
A total of 9 stores in the United States, but Lux Toys had its products in many places, outsourced through major toy manufacturers. The peak season—from October to December—turned everyone into compulsive buyers, full of a loneliness that kept them from seeing beyond owning and owning. The golden age of toys, far from the tech sector, though one toy stood out: consoles.
...
—It's nearly 8.9 million dollars. They told Steve Parks, who nodded in acknowledgment.
A purchase, a sale.
—It's considerable, as long as we secure good exclusivity rights and creative control. —answered Steve Parks.
...