April 17- Chubby-faced American Girl dolls and the "descendants" of Dracula and Frankenstein's monster are helping Mattel Inc boost sales to pre-teen girls as its iconic Barbie franchise shows signs of aging. Mattel said on Wednesday that sales were also driven by demand for " Monster High," dolls depicting the "descendants" of famous horror story characters.
April 17- No. 1 toymaker Mattel Inc reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter results, helped by cost controls and higher demand for American Girl and Monster High dolls, sending the company's shares to their highest level in nearly 15 years. Mattel shares rose as much as 6 percent in early trading on Wednesday.
Joe: Retaliation "won the weekend box office battle in the United States and Canada, fighting off competition from cartoon cavemen, a Tyler Perry drama, and an alien-possessed heroine trying to save the human race.
COPENHAGEN, Feb 21- Danish toymaker Lego said its sales leapt by a quarter in 2012, helped by the popularity of its Star Wars-themed toy sets. The maker of colourful plastic building pieces said on Thursday sales rose to 23.4 billion Danish crowns last year from 18.7 billion crowns in 2011 despite an economic slowdown that has hurt rivals Mattel and Hasbro.