• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited

2

Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt

3

After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'

1

U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited

2

Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt

3

After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'
FinanceToys R Us

Why Mattel and Hasbro’s Stocks Aren’t Tanking Because of the Toys ‘R’ Us Bankruptcy

Lucinda Shen
By
Lucinda Shen
Lucinda Shen
Down Arrow Button Icon
Lucinda Shen
By
Lucinda Shen
Lucinda Shen
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 19, 2017, 5:56 PM ET
Toys R Us Is Said To File For Bankruptcy
Luke Sharrett—Bloomberg via Getty ImagesLuke Sharrett—Bloomberg via Getty Images

Though Mattel and Hasbro could potentially lose quite a lot if Toys ‘R’ Us’ bankruptcy goes sideways, investors weren’t too worried about either company.

Shares of Mattel and Hasbro fell slightly after rumors broke Monday that their second-biggest customer, Toys ‘R’ Us would soon be filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. But after the deed was done with a filing in a Richmond, Va. bankruptcy court, the initial fears appeared to abate. Shares of the two toymakers rebounded in trading Tuesday, with Hasbro erasing all of its losses from the day earlier, up about 2% and Mattel up 1.3%.

That’s likely because even going into the all-important holiday season, investors aren’t expecting demand for Mattel’s UNO card games or Hasbro’s Transformer sets to fall much — if at all. Not only do consumers have other channels to purchase those brands, Toys ‘R’ Us has also signaled that it plans to keep its shelves stocked through the holiday season. Already, the company has received $3 billion in debtor-in-possession financing to continue operations as it puts together a plan to restructure the company, and pay its creditors back as part of its Chapter 11 filing.

“We believe a top priority of the filing was to continue access to product from key vendors such as Mattel and Hasbro during the critical Christmas/holiday season while reducing real estate related debt,” Wells Fargo Senior Analyst Timonthy Conder wrote in a Tuesday note.

Another upside for Mattel and Hasbro: Toys ‘R’ Us’ bankruptcy filing, in which it revealed debt of $4.9 billion, also comes at a time when the two companies have already gradually lowered their dependence on the brick and mortar retailer.

While in 2000, Toys ‘R’ Us represented 22% of Mattel’s $4.7 billion in sales and 13% of Hasbro’s $3.8 billion in sales, by 2016, toys shown at Toys ‘R’ Us represented about 11% of Mattel’s $5.5 billion sales and 9% of Hasbro’s $5 billion, according to Morningstar.

In recent years, the two toymakers have instead partnered increasingly with Target and Walmart as Toys ‘R’ Us’ ability to successfully sell those toys appeared to have stalled. Wal-Mart is now Mattel’s and Hasbro’s largest customer, while Target is the third largest for both, just behind Toys ‘R’ Us.

“With Toys ‘R’ Us stabilized for now,” said Morningstar Senior Equity Analyst Jaime Katz in a note Tuesday referring to the $3 billion debtor-in-possession financing, “we think Mattel and Hasbro have some time to find alternate channels to distribute their products (through other vendors, e-commerce, or others) and prevent future sales shortages that may stem from degradation of the Toys ‘R’ Us channel.”

But investors are still uncertain about how Toys ‘R’ Us plans to restructure. Notably, Mattel and Hasbro are Toys ‘R’Us’ second, and third largest unsecured creditors, holding some $135.7 million and $59.1 million of the retailer’s debt.

That could hurt Mattel and Hasbro’s cash flow should they fail to be paid for those past debts, says Katz.

Still, while investors seem to think Mattel and Hasbro can shake off its Toys ‘R’ Us woes, another company, Spin Master, has fallen another 1% on the Toronto Stock Exchange Tuesday. According to Jefferies, Toys ‘R’ Us accounts for about 17% of its sales.

About the Author
Lucinda Shen
By Lucinda Shen
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Financial markets are losing the security blanket that’s bailed them out of trouble so many times, top economist warns 
EconomyMarkets
Financial markets are losing the security blanket that’s bailed them out of trouble so many times, top economist warns 
By Jason MaMay 31, 2026
2 hours ago
AI will make the ‘tech bro’ class even richer, Nobel laureate Joe Stiglitz says, just as it can take your job
AIJobs
AI will make the ‘tech bro’ class even richer, Nobel laureate Joe Stiglitz says, just as it can take your job
By Catherina GioinoMay 31, 2026
3 hours ago
peter thiel
AIskills
Forget the STEM safety net. Peter Thiel warns AI is a bigger threat to technical roles than to creative thinkers
By Jake AngeloMay 31, 2026
3 hours ago
Hegseth seeks to convince allies U.S. should stay quiet on Taiwan
AsiaChina
Hegseth seeks to convince allies U.S. should stay quiet on Taiwan
By Josh Xiao, Philip J. Heijmans and BloombergMay 31, 2026
4 hours ago
Allison Danielsen is CEO, Tallo.
CommentaryCareers
My wrist injury derailed my college plans. It’s why I’m a CEO today
By Allison DanielsenMay 31, 2026
7 hours ago
treble
CommentaryElections
I built a startup from scratch and still nearly died because of a broken healthcare system. That’s why I’m running for Congress
By Jonathan TrebleMay 31, 2026
7 hours ago

Most Popular

U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited
Politics
U.S. says deals with Iran for safe Hormuz transit are prohibited
By Jack Wittels and BloombergMay 30, 2026
1 day ago
Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt
Economy
Surging Treasury yields expose a brutal truth: America has no margin for error on its $39 trillion debt
By Shawn TullyMay 30, 2026
2 days ago
After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'
Law
After a judge ordered Trump's name be removed from the Kennedy Center, president says it will 'soon be closed, probably never to open again'
By Collin Binkley and The Associated PressMay 30, 2026
23 hours ago
After Blue Origin rocket explosion, NASA's entire moon exploration program depends on SpaceX for now as Musk eyes blockbuster IPO soon
Innovation
After Blue Origin rocket explosion, NASA's entire moon exploration program depends on SpaceX for now as Musk eyes blockbuster IPO soon
By Jason MaMay 30, 2026
24 hours ago
Damn the torpedoes — More ships are quietly slipping through the Strait of Hormuz as helicopters scare off Iran's fast-attack boats
Energy
Damn the torpedoes — More ships are quietly slipping through the Strait of Hormuz as helicopters scare off Iran's fast-attack boats
By Jason MaMay 30, 2026
1 day ago
Meet the Black women on Fortune's Most Powerful Women list shaping business leadership
MPW
Meet the Black women on Fortune's Most Powerful Women list shaping business leadership
By Cheyann HarrisMay 29, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.