Updated March 28, 2024
Your privacy is important to us at the Mattel Family of Companies (which includes Mattel, Inc., Fisher-Price, Inc., American Girl Brands, LLC, HIT Entertainment Limited, Mega Brands Inc., and their affiliates and subsidiaries) (“Mattel”, “we”, “us”, “our”). This Privacy Statement describes the information Mattel collects from you and how we use and disclose that information. It also describes what information third parties collect from you and how we use that information. You can click on the following links to go directly to the corresponding sections of this Privacy Statement.
What Information We Collect
We collect information from you and about you to provide you with Mattel Services. The information we collect depends on the specific Mattel Services involved and the nature of your interaction with us. The following are examples of the types of personal information that we collect and how we use that information:
Context
Examples of Personal Information Collected
Primary Purpose and Legal Basis for Collection and Use
Account Registration
When you shop with us you may register an account to conveniently complete an order and place future orders. When registered customers return to the Mattel Sites or Services to place subsequent orders, they can identify themselves with their login information. For children, this is usually a username and password. For adults, this is usually a password plus some personal contact information, like an email address or phone number.
We use this information to maintain your account, including offering functionalities such as easy checkout and the ability to save user preferences and transaction history. We have a legitimate interest in providing account related functionalities to our users.
Baby and/or Gift Registry
We collect your name, contact information, shipping address, and information about an event for which you are registering.
We use this information to deliver gift registry related services. We have a legitimate interest in providing gift registry related services to our users.
Browsing Activity and Website Usage
When you visit our Sites or use our Mobile Apps, we and certain third parties collect information about how you use and navigate our Sites and Mobile Apps, such as which links you click on, which pages or content you view, and other similar information or statistics. We also collect technical information about your device such as operating system, browser information, Internet Protocol (IP) address, Universal Device Identifiers (UDID), and similar information.
We use this information to improve the quality of service when you visit our Sites, Mobile Apps, and other web sites of interest to you. We also use this information to remind us of who you are, save you time when you visit our Sites and Mobile Apps, and tailor our products, services and advertising to suit the personal interests of you and others. We have a legitimate interest in understanding how you interact with our website to better improve it, and to understand your preferences and interests to elevate offerings that you might find most useful. We also have a legitimate interest in detecting and preventing fraud. Where required by law, we base the use of some types of cookies upon consent. Please see our Cookie Statement for more information.
Catalogue Distribution
For distribution of the American Girl paper catalogue we collect recipient names and mailing addresses.
We use this information to deliver the American Girl catalogue.
Casting
When you participate in talent casting, we and certain third parties such as talent agencies, collect your name, contact information, you and/or your child’s age, and government identification information.
We use this information to cast talent for advertising, and to compensate you for your participation in these activities. We use this information to perform our contract with you or your talent agency.
Communications With Us
When you communicate with us, including contacting us for support, to provide feedback or comments, or to make a request or other inquiry, we may collect your name and contact information (such as e-mail address or phone number), as well as any other information that you choose to provide to us. In some cases, we record customer service calls for quality assurance.
We use this information to respond to and/or follow-up on your issues or feedback, and to provide information in response to your requests and inquiries. We have a legitimate interest in receiving, and acting upon, your feedback or issues.
Demographics
When you interact with Mattel Services, we may collect your and/or your child’s age.
We use this information to verify your or your child’s age, serve an experience that is tailored for the age provided, and to comply with our legal obligations.
Enhanced Mattel Services
When you sign-up for an enhanced subscription or certain community features at Mattel Services, we collect payment information, billing address, and in some cases your phone number and e-mail address. We also collect log-in information. For children, this is usually a user name and password. For adults, this is usually a password plus some personal contact information, like an email address.
We use this information to perform our contract to provide you with Enhanced Mattel Services.
Mobile Apps
When you download or access one of our Mobile Apps, we may collect certain information about your device, app usage, and in some cases location information (if your device settings allow us to collect location information).
We use this information to understand how you use our Mobile Apps. We may also use this information to create a more personalized experience for you when you visit our Sites and use our Services. In some contexts our use is also based upon your consent to provide us with geo location information.
Posting in Public Forums
If you choose to submit or post information in a public space on our Sites, such as creating a public profile, using our Ratings & Reviews feature to share product reviews, submitting content as part of Mattel’s sites dedicated to specific brand communities , or leaving a testimonial about a product or service, we collect the information you share. If you choose to submit or post information on a social media site where the Mattel Family of Companies maintains a presence, we may review this information to the extent it is posted on our pages or directed toward Mattel.
We use this information to understand your opinions and to provide a forum for discussion, asking questions, posting photos and reviews, and sharing experiences. We have a legitimate interest in receiving, your feedback and offering a platform for you to share your user experiences.
Product Testing
When you participate in Mattel’s Imagination Center or other Mattel product testing activities, we collect your name and your child’s name, contact information including email address, as well as information regarding product preferences and reactions and participation in the related activities.
We use this information to administer toy testing and research. We have a legitimate interest in receiving your feedback to develop and improve our products. In some cases, we may use this information to perform a contract we have with you to provide testing feedback.
Promotional Communications
When you sign up to receive information and offers, we collect your name and email address or phone number (as well as certain additional information you can provide such as the day and month of you or your child’s birthday to tailor such promotional communications).
We use this information to share information about our products and services as a matter of first impression or with individuals that consent to receive such information. We have a legitimate interest in sharing information about our products or services.
Purchasing (In-store and Online)
When you make a purchase in one of our stores, or place an order for a product or service on our Sites, or Mobile Apps, we collect your name, ship-to address, payment information, and billing address, and in some cases your phone number and e-mail address. This may include personal information about your child.
We use this information to perform our contract and to provide you with products or services.
Rewards Programs like the American Girl Rewards Program and My Mattel Rewards.
When you join one of our rewards programs, we collect your name, the month and day of your birthday, phone number, e-mail address, and mailing address. When you use your rewards account, we collect information about your purchase history and rewards activity.
We use this information to administer our rewards programs and to perform our contract to provide you with the benefits associated with the programs. We also use this information to detect security incidents and to protect against malicious, deceptive, or fraudulent activity in connection with reward program terms and conditions.
Smartphone Connected Products
When you use one of our connected products and associated Mobile Apps or Sites, we may collect your login information: a password, and some personal contact information, like an email address. We may also collect certain information about your device and app usage, in some cases location information (if your device settings allow us to collect geo location information), and any additional information you choose to provide like a photo, video, or audio file containing your or your child's image or voice.
We use this information to perform our contract with you to deliver connected product services, understand how you use our Mobile Apps to better serve your needs, and improve our Mobile Apps. In some contexts our use is also based upon your consent to provide us with geo location information.
Using Social Sign-on to log in to Mattel Sites and Services
When you use a social media account to access a Mattel Service or Mattel Site, we collect the user name and password you use to log-in to the applicable social media service and other information (such as friend lists) that you choose to share with Mattel.
For additional information and more details on how you can manage the information provided to us by these social media services, please review the privacy settings applicable to your account with the applicable social media service. We do not control, and are not responsible for, the privacy practices of such services. Please consult the privacy policy of such services for additional information.
We use this information to authenticate your account, and to customize the marketing and advertising that we show you. We have a legitimate interest in providing our users with streamlined account access.
Surveys
When you participate in a survey we collect information that you provide through the survey. If the survey is provided by a third party service provider, the third party’s privacy policy applies to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information.
We use this information to understand your opinions, and collect information relevant to our organization. We have a legitimate interest in collecting feedback.
Sweepstakes, Contests, and Promotions
When you participate in a sweepstakes, contest, or other similar campaign or promotion, we collect your name, contact information, and in some cases limited demographic information and content generated by participants. Some campaigns and promotions have a social networking component where you can choose to submit additional information such as social media profiles and handles, photographs, and other content.
We have a legitimate interest in administering our sweepstakes, contests, and other similar promotions. In some contexts, we are also required by law to collect information about those that enter into our sweepstakes.
Your Wishlists
When you curate a wish list of products in your online account, we collect information concerning products you may be interested in purchasing at a later date.
We use this information to save the products you may be interested in purchasing at a later date. We have a legitimate interest in providing account related functionalities to our users.
In addition to the personal information we collect from you directly, we may also obtain information about you from other sources, including third parties, business partners, social networks, vendors that provide services on our behalf, or publicly available sources. For example, if you have given Mattel permission to store your credit card information and your credit card issuer provides an account updater service, we may receive updated credit card information (including credit card number and expiration date) from the credit card issuer.
In some cases, you are not required to provide all personal information identified in this Privacy Statement to use Mattel Services, but certain functionality will not be available if you do not provide certain personal information. For example, if you do not provide certain personal information, we may not be able to perform a transaction with you, respond to your requests, or provide you with marketing that we believe you would find valuable, among other things.
How We Use Your Personal Information
In addition to the purposes and uses described above, we use personal information in the following ways:
Although the sections above describe our primary purpose in collecting your personal information, in many situations we have more than one purpose. For example, if you complete an online purchase, we collect your information to perform our contract with you, but we also collect your information so that we can quickly and easily respond to any questions about your order after your transaction is complete.
How We Disclose Your Personal Information
We disclose information that we obtain within the Mattel family of companies, and with our third-party partners for them to fulfill their tasks on our behalf. In addition to the specific situations discussed elsewhere in this Privacy Statement, we disclose personal information in the following circumstances:
We strive to protect the information you provide to us when you use our Mattel Services through commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards. Please be aware that while we work hard to protect your information, no method is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee that information security measures are failure proof.
We recommend that you learn about and use tools, habits, and practices to protect the security of your personal information.
Transmission of Information to Other Countries
The servers that make Mattel Services available, and databases where we house information may be located in the United States and in other countries that may have privacy laws that differ from where you live. We may use cloud services whose servers may be anywhere in the world.
Your Choices and Controls
You can make the following choices regarding your personal information:
You may request a copy of the personal information that we hold about you, and exercise other rights as described above through our online portal, located here or by calling us at 800-524-8697.
Note that, as required by law and to protect the information we hold from unauthorized disclosure, we may require you to prove your identity for certain processes. We may verify your identity by asking you to submit your request via your Mattel account or by phone call or email. Depending on your request, we may ask for information such as your name, the last item you purchased from us, or the date of your last purchase from us. Following a verified request, we will use reasonable efforts to supply, correct or delete personal information about you in our files.
In some circumstances, you may designate an authorized agent to submit requests to exercise certain privacy rights on your behalf. We will require verification that you provided the authorized agent permission to make a request on your behalf. We must be provided with a copy of the signed permission you have given to the authorized agent to submit the request on your behalf and verify your identity.
Protecting Children's Privacy
This section summarizes our Children's Privacy Statement, which you can review for complete details.
If your child has created an online account through one of our Mattel Sites, you may also have the opportunity to manage your child’s account online.
For more information on children’s privacy, please review our complete Children's Privacy Statement.
Other Important Information
The following additional information relates to our privacy practices:
Consumer Health Data
Residents of Washington and Nevada may refer to our policy regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of Consumer Health, as defined by applicable laws in those states.
Information for California Residents
Under California law, organizations are required to provide additional information to you about how they use and disclose information. Specifically, organizations should disclose whether certain categories of information are collected, “sold” or transferred for an organization’s “business purpose” (as those terms are defined under California law). We have included this California-specific information below. If you would like more information concerning the categories of personal information we disclose to third parties or affiliates for those parties to use for direct marketing please visit our online portal, located here or call 800-524-8697. We do not discriminate against California residents who exercise any of their rights described in this Privacy Statement.
In addition, the following disclosure activities may be considered a “sale” of personal information under California law:
Information for Nevada Residents
Subject to certain exceptions, Nevada residents may opt-out of the “sale” of personal information. This may apply when we share certain names and mailing addresses of American Girl catalogue recipients with third parties whose catalogues may be of interest to you. You may opt-out by visiting DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION, or by contacting us at 1-800-524-8697.
Refer to our policy regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of Consumer Health for additional related rights available to Nevada Residents.
ESRB Certification
Mattel is a valid licensee, and participating member in good standing of the ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE RATING BOARD’S PRIVACY CERTIFIED PROGRAM (“ESRB Privacy Certified”). ESRB Privacy Certified seals appear on the Mattel Services that participate in the program. The ESRB’s Privacy Certified Program is designed to ensure that our information disclosure practices are responsible and appropriate.
To help protect your privacy, we have voluntarily undertaken this privacy initiative and have had Mattel Services, where the ESRB Privacy Certified seal is posted, reviewed and certified by ESRB Privacy Certified to meet established online information collection, use, and disclosure practices. As a licensee of this privacy program, we are subject to audits of services and other enforcement and accountability mechanisms administered independently by the ESRB.
If you believe that we have not responded to your privacy-related inquiry about a Mattel Service or Mattel Site that bears an ESRB Privacy Certified seal or your inquiry about a Mattel Service or Mattel Site has not been satisfactorily addressed, please contact ESRB at http://www.esrb.org/privacy/contact/ or:
ESRB is not affiliated with Mattel and cannot help you with non-privacy-related issues.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Mattel Consumer Services
636 Girard Avenue
East Aurora, NY 14052
In the U.S. or Canada: 800-524-TOYS (800-524-8697)
email: Mattel Global Consumer Support
American Girl
P.O. Box 620497
Middleton, WI 53562-0497
Phone: 800-845-0005 Fax: 608-836-0761
email: service@americangirl.com
Effective Date: January 1, 2023