Barbie, 57 years young, appears as robust as ever — and that’s before the curvy, petite and tall versions were unveiled.
Mattel said Monday global sales of Barbie dolls ticked up 1 percent in the fourth quarter — or 8 percent on a constant currency.
The increase reverses several years of double-digit sales declines.
Overall, the El Segundo, Calif., company reported a fourth-quarter profit of $215.2 million, or 63 cents a share, on sales of $2 billion.
Both exceed Wall Street expectations.
It’s been a long slog for management to turn around the fortunes of the toy company.
Chief Executive Christopher Sinclair, who took over last April, said the fourth quarter “stabilized our business.”
Mattel’s Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price brand joined Barbie as stellar performers.
American Girl was a different story, however.
Mattel will need a boost this year, as its American Girl division was down 14 percent in the fourth quarter and it lost the Disney Princess license to competitor Hasbro.
Management is hoping a deal with Amazon Studios that will feature American Girl characters will boost sales. It will also roll out lower-priced versions of the old-fashioned dolls and add more retail outlets.
“We think it’s fixable,” Sinclair said, adding that American Girl will be sold by specialty retailers and on Amazon.com, in addition to the standalone American Girl stores.