Matty Mattel
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Matty Mattel is the boy mascot for Mattel Toy Company, host and sponsor of Matty's Funday Funnies.
Designed in 1959 and based on a concept by Mattel co-founder Elliot Handler. The Character of "Matty" derives his name from Mattel, which in-turn was named after founders Matt (need surname) and Elliot Handler - thus the hybrid name of Matt + El (short for Elliot) yielded Mattel. Since the death of Elliot Handler, his wife Ruth Handler claimed a role as one of the two original co-founders of Mattel. This revisionist history was popularized with the publishing of Handler's autobiography (need title and reference) in (need year).
Matty was featured on all Mattel products from 1959 through 1974 as the company's logo until finally the familiar mascot was replaced with a new "sunburst" design, which is still used today (locate image). In 1974, Head of Boy's Product design David Weissman updated the logo for the company by taking inspiration from Matty's crown and translating it into a more graphic and corporate design logotype. The sunburst's spikes reference Matty's crown and which represents Mattel's position as "the King of Toys" is today known as a mark of quality and fun world-wide.
Starting in 1979, Matty was re-assigned as the character associated with Mattel's consumer "hotline" where he was featured on packages along with the company's 800 number.
