Does Barbie Have An Archnemesis? Piper Jaffray Thinks She Might

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Mattel, Inc. MAT reported disappointing second-quarter numbers on Thursday as sales of Barbie continue to decline. Stephanie Wissink, Piper Jaffray analyst, was on CNBC Friday to discuss which is a better pick among Mattel and Hasbro, Inc. HAS. She also discussed whether Barbie will soon cease to exist.

Hasbro: Better Pick

"We are stepping back and looking at the next several years," Wissink said. "I still think Hasbro probably has the advantage. But these companies, which used to look very similar, have started to look very different.

"Hasbro taking a lean a bit more towards content-driven properties, where Mattel has looked a bit more like a CPG company and really wants to own brands and bring those brands directly to the market."

Related Link: Bearish Expectations For Mattel

Saving Barbie

Wissink was asked if the declines in Barbie continue like this would the brand soon be extinct. She replied, "Well, certainly it raises some questions around Barbie's brand equity and the perception of the Barbie in the marketplace. We have done some studies, and we know that moms have some concerns around Barbie with respect to body image, portrayal of vanity, things like that.

"But I do think that Mattel is doing some intriguing things more recently to try to reverse some of that negativity, and we are watching it very closely. I think the dolls industry is a really important industry and category, frankly, for Mattel. It's very much a part of their profits and they have a direct manufacturing capability.

"So, they need to get the dolls business right and Barbie is the biggest piece of that," Wissink concluded.

Image Credit: Public Domain
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Posted In: Analyst ColorCNBCMediaPiper JaffrayStephanie Wissink
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