Rio Tinto Shares Hit Record High After Ending Glencore Merger Talks 
Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
South Korea’s Weak Won Struggles as Retail Investors Pour Money Into U.S. Stocks 
Japan Economy Poised for Q4 2025 Growth as Investment and Consumption Hold Firm 
Trump Lifts 25% Tariff on Indian Goods in Strategic U.S.–India Trade and Energy Deal 
TSMC Eyes 3nm Chip Production in Japan with $17 Billion Kumamoto Investment 
Weight-Loss Drug Ads Take Over the Super Bowl as Pharma Embraces Direct-to-Consumer Marketing 
Instagram Outage Disrupts Thousands of U.S. Users 
RBI Holds Repo Rate at 5.25% as India’s Growth Outlook Strengthens After U.S. Trade Deal 
Dollar Steadies Ahead of ECB and BoE Decisions as Markets Turn Risk-Off 
Trump’s Inflation Claims Clash With Voters’ Cost-of-Living Reality 
Amazon Stock Rebounds After Earnings as $200B Capex Plan Sparks AI Spending Debate 
Japanese Pharmaceutical Stocks Slide as TrumpRx.gov Launch Sparks Market Concerns 
Uber Ordered to Pay $8.5 Million in Bellwether Sexual Assault Lawsuit 
U.S. Stock Futures Slide as Tech Rout Deepens on Amazon Capex Shock 
Asian Stocks Slip as Tech Rout Deepens, Japan Steadies Ahead of Election 
China Extends Gold Buying Streak as Reserves Surge Despite Volatile Prices 
Mattel Inc. revealed this week that it was able to take back the license for making toys based on Walt Disney’s “Frozen” and Disney Princess characters. The Barbie doll and Hot Wheels toymaker was able to recoup the license after losing it to its rival, Hasbro Inc. in 2016.
Reuters reported that the new licensing deal between Mattel and Walt Disney will allow the former to produce Disney characters toys again. The two camps signed a multi-year global licensing agreement and the Mattel will start selling a new range of Disney toy collections in 2023.
Moreover, with the license, Mattel will be free to develop products for Disney consumer products, publishing, and games including small dolls and figures. Aside from “Frozen,” the other Disney characters-based dolls that Mattel can create under the new agreement are “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Princess and the Frog,” “Cinderella,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Aladdin,” “Brave,” “Mulan,” “Tangled,” and “Pocahontas.”
“We are incredibly proud to welcome back the Disney Princess and Frozen lines to Mattel,” Mattel president and chief operating officer, Richard Dickson, said in a press release. “As the worldwide leader in dolls, we look forward to bringing our unique Mattel Playbook approach to brand management, product and marketing expertise, and unrelenting attention to detail and quality to create innovative and inspiring lines for these iconic stories and characters.”
The new deal banks on the existing licensing alliance between Mattel and Disney for Pixar Animation Studios’ “Cars” and “Toy Story” franchises. Recently, the former was granted a license for Pixar’s “Lightyear.”
Meanwhile, the financial terms for the new licensing deal were not publicly disclosed. CNBC further noted that Mattel’s shares soared on Wednesday, Jan. 26, after it announced the good news of winning back the license for Walt Disney characters.
On the other hand, while Mattel saw an increase of around eight percent, Hasbro’s shares reportedly fell by one percent in premarket trading. As it loses its Disney license, Hasbro will now be relying more on the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” franchise.
