[30] In 1967, Mattel released a toy astronaut with space vehicles and a Moon base for boys, with a gumby-like central character named Major Matt Mason.

In 1970, Hot Wheels forged a sponsorship agreement with drag racing drivers Don “The Snake” Prudhomme and Tom “The Mongoose” McEwen.

[53] In 1982, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe line of action figures was released, which inspired a three-issue comic book mini-series, an animated series and a live-action film.

[56] New York City-based venture capital firms E.M. Warburg, Pincus & Co., and Drexel Burnham Lambert invested a couple hundred million dollars in Mattel in 1984 to help the company survive.

In the late 1980s, John W. Amerman, who joined Mattel in 1980 as head of its international division, was named the company's new chairman and improved its financial performance in 1987 by focusing on core brands.

[18] On January 31, 1988, Mattel shut down its operations in the Philippines and shifted the distribution and sales of Mattel-branded toys and games to Richprime Global, Inc. (formerly Richwell Trading Corporation).

In 1998, Mattel acquired Pleasant Company (creators of the American Girl brand)[18] and Swindon, England-based toymaker Bluebird Toys (along with its most prized property, Polly Pocket).

[60] In 1997, the Fisher-Price Little People toys underwent a redesign to look more like real kids with different skin colors, added arms and hands, and greater detail on the face, hair, and clothes.

[61] Also that year, Mattel acquired View-Master,[62] and Hot Wheels partnered with NASCAR drivers Kyle Petty and Jack Baldwin leading to the production of the first NASCAR-themed vehicles.

[69] It was extended in 2002; Mattel became the master licensee for Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Justice League and Looney Tunes toys for all markets except Asia.

[78] In 2009, Mattel paid a $2.3 million fine to the Consumer Products Safety Commission for marketing, importing and selling non-compliant toys.

[79] Mattel was noted for its crisis response by several newspaper publications, including PRWeek, the Los Angeles Times, Fortune and Business Management.

[80][81][82] On September 13, 2009, Mattel's ticker symbol moved from the NYSE to the NASDAQ Global Select Market (NASDAQ-GS large cap).

Mattel had only sold Cinderella, Ariel, Belle and the two Frozen princesses (Anna and Elsa) around its last year of the Disney license in early 2016.

[100][101] In January 2015, board member Christopher Sinclair replaced CEO Bryan Stockton, following with 2/3 of senior executives resigning or receiving lay off.

[102] On January 21, 2016, Mattel acquired Fuhu, makers of Nabi tablets and other technology-driven hardware, in a bankruptcy proceeding for a sum worth $21 million.

[104] On July 19, 2016, NBCUniversal announced Mattel's license acquisition to produce toys based on the Jurassic Park franchise after Hasbro's rights expired in 2017.

[109] On January 29, 2018, Mattel and Chinese internet technology and video game company NetEase formed a joint venture mobile publishing and development studio, Mattel163, aimed at creating apps based on the former's key brands.

[113][114] Two months later, the company laid off 2,200 employees partially due to the liquidation of Toys "R" Us in the U.S.[115] Kreiz started reorganization of Mattel which included new board of directors and added that executives having entertainment backgrounds and a global franchise management group had been charged with finding new opportunities in existing markets.

The division was mandated to seek out new commercial opportunities plus to bring to together consumer products, content development and distribution, digital gaming, live events and partnerships.

Hsu was previously the CEO of Saban Brands,[117] where Frederic Soulie last worked before being appointed as senior vice president of content distribution and business development in the franchise division on September 28, 2018.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, Mattel released 20 new role model dolls in its Shero line to recognize influential women around the world.

[125][126] Mattel donated $1 from every sale to its Dream Gap Project Fund, which aims to work with other organizations to end the issue of girls seeing themselves as less capable than boys.

[131] The company also released a line of gender-neutral dolls called the “Creatable World”[132] Mattel Children's Foundation announced and organized its second annual "Global Day of Play", a company-wide community service initiative that focuses on working with nonprofits and organizations around the world to give children a day focused on the power of play.

[144] The first Play it Forward program was #ThankYouHeroes, which included a collection of action figures and Little People characters who represent those who work essential jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, like doctors, nurses, emergency medical technician (EMTs) and delivery drivers.

On November 20, 2021, Mattel launched a non-fungible tokens (NFTs) marketplace to allow fans purchase digital collectibles for its flagship brands; Barbie and Hot Wheels.

[153][154] Earlier the same year, a song from the movie that was kept under wraps up until that point (Ariana Grande's version of Popular) was leaked via Mattel produced singing dolls, causing minor backlash.

[191][192] Developed by Gamefan, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: You have the Power is a player-versus-player (PvP) battle-style game available through Roblox on Xbox One, PC and mobile devices.

[191][193][192][194] In December 2022, Mattel made three Masters of the Universe characters available for purchase on Rec Room, a virtual reality multiplayer online game.

[195][196] For a limited time in November 2022, Masters of the Universe characters joined Fall Guys a free battle royale-style game on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.