Mattel Internship 2027–2028: Programs, Deadlines & How to Apply

Last updated: September 2026

Mattel is the company that turned a plastic doll into a $1.4 billion movie. The 2023 Barbie film became the highest-grossing film directed by a woman in history, signaling the company's transformation from toy manufacturer to global entertainment IP platform. Founded in 1945, Mattel (Nasdaq: MAT) has grown into a $5.35 billion toy and entertainment giant whose portfolio includes Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, American Girl, UNO, MEGA, Thomas & Friends, Monster High, and Masters of the Universe. Under CEO Ynon Kreiz, the company has pivoted into film, television, digital gaming, and live experiences, with 15+ film and TV projects in development. Named a Top 75 Internship Program by Untapped (2022), Mattel's nine-week summer internship places students into cross-functional teams that deliver executive presentations on real business challenges. The company holds a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index and has been named one of America's Most Trustworthy Companies by Newsweek.

Quick Facts

Mattel routes all internship applications through RippleMatch, not its main career site. The nine-week summer program runs June through August with postings expected October through January. Apply within the first two weeks of postings appearing; design and marketing tracks are extremely competitive.

Externships are short, remote professional experience programs where you finish a real project with a real company. The TikTok Social Media Content & Brand Strategy Externship and the Breaking Games E-Commerce Data Analysis Externship build exactly the brand marketing and consumer analytics skills a Mattel application needs. Explore all Externships.

What Is a Mattel Internship?

A Mattel internship is a nine-week paid summer placement where students work within a cross-functional team on a special project assigned by a Mattel committee, culminating in a final presentation to executives. Each intern is paired with a mentor (sounding board and connector) and a buddy (culture guide with insider tips). The program includes lunchtime learning sessions with Mattel leaders, site visits to the San Bernardino Distribution Center and the American Girl Store at The Grove, and full access to campus amenities including a fitness center, cafeteria, dry cleaning, car wash, and toy store. Named a Top 75 Internship Program by Untapped, Mattel describes its program as "driven by a single focus: to find our future leaders." With Indeed rating the company 3.9/5 across 1,069 reviews, intern reviewers describe a fun environment with great brand exposure: one Global Brand Team Intern noted "excellent place to learn brand management" with "a very strong history of making great products."

When Do Mattel Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

Mattel's internship follows a fall-to-winter application cycle with postings routed through RippleMatch rather than the traditional career site. Prior cycles showed design and marketing intern roles posted around November to January for the following summer. The nine-week program runs June through August at the El Segundo headquarters. Mattel is highly competitive for creative and brand roles: Reddit users report that design internships require a strong portfolio and may require prior professional experience. Marketing and business roles are more accessible but still selective given the brand recognition. For Summer 2027, expect to apply October to January 2027 and hear back on a rolling basis.

How to read this page: our dates come from tracking previous recruiting cycles and daily posting data. Treat them as informed estimates based on historical patterns, not confirmed dates. The company's official careers page is always the most current source. If a role is posted there, go by that, even if this page suggests the window hasn't opened yet.

Why You Must Apply the Week Applications Open

Mattel's brand recognition makes its internship program intensely competitive, especially for creative and marketing tracks. The company routes all applications through RippleMatch, which is easy to miss if you only check Indeed or LinkedIn. Design roles require a strong portfolio and Reddit users report that prior professional experience is often expected. Marketing and brand management seats are limited because the program places interns into cross-functional teams with executive presentation deliverables, meaning each team needs the right mix of skills. Students who create their RippleMatch profile and set alerts before postings go live in October have a structural advantage over those who discover the channel in January. The nine-week program at the El Segundo campus near Manhattan Beach, with access to the Play Lab and toy store, is a genuinely unique experience that draws applicants from every major university in Southern California.

Which Mattel Internship Programs Should You Target?

Mattel's summer internship spans eight focus areas, all based at the El Segundo headquarters unless otherwise noted:

Additional tracks include Sales and HR. Mattel also runs the FLIP Leadership Program (Future Leaders Innovating Play), a multi-day immersive experience for historically underrepresented students. Contact internships@mattel.com for details.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

Mattel's internship eligibility requirements based on prior postings and the corporate internship page:

• Enrollment: currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate student at an accredited institution.

• Class year: juniors and rising seniors preferred. Prior postings specify graduation year requirements.

• Major: varies by track. Marketing prefers marketing/business/communications. Design requires a design-related BFA or equivalent. Engineering requires STEM. Finance requires finance/accounting/economics.

• Portfolio: required for design roles. Reddit users report Mattel design internships are extremely competitive and a strong, relevant portfolio is essential.

Does Mattel Require a Minimum GPA?

No published GPA cutoff was found on the internship page or in prior postings. Competitive applicants typically hold a 3.0 or above based on industry norms for consumer products companies. However, Mattel's emphasis on creativity, brand passion, and cross-functional project work suggests that portfolio quality, relevant experience, and demonstrated consumer insight carry significant weight alongside academics, especially for creative tracks.

What Skills Does Mattel Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

Mattel sits at the intersection of consumer products, entertainment IP, and creative design, and its intern hiring reflects that identity. Across the eight focus areas, the pattern is clear: brand storytelling and cross-functional collaboration appear in every track, while technical skills diverge by department. The Barbie movie's $1.4 billion success accelerated the company's shift toward entertainment, creating new categories of intern project work in film marketing, digital gaming, and content creation. What does this tell you? Mattel hires people who understand brands as stories, not just products.

How Is Demand for Consumer Products & Entertainment Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

And every skill in the chart maps to a remote Externship where you finish a real company project before the window opens.

How close is the overlap? The TikTok externship builds brand storytelling and social content skills in Mattel's own marketing vocabulary, the Breaking Games project trains the consumer analytics every marketing and technology track demands, and the Yinan Zhao deliverable covers financial analysis for the finance track.

What Is the Mattel Application and Interview Process Like?

Mattel's application process is RippleMatch-first, which is easy to miss. Here is the step-by-step:

1. Create a RippleMatch profile. Mattel routes all internship applications through RippleMatch. This is the primary channel. Set up alerts for Mattel postings.

2. Monitor for postings starting October 2026. Mattel typically posts internship openings October through January via RippleMatch. Cross-posted listings may appear on LinkedIn and Indeed, but apply through RippleMatch for the official process.

3. Submit your application with resume and any required materials. Design roles require a portfolio with pieces relevant to toy/product design, packaging, or brand identity. For questions, contact internships@mattel.com.

4. Phone/video screening interview. Initial screen by the talent acquisition team covering motivation, brand knowledge, and fit. Expect questions about your favorite Mattel brands and how you would approach a brand challenge.

5. Hiring manager interview. Behavioral and role-specific questions about teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving. Design roles include portfolio review and design thinking exercises. Marketing roles discuss brand strategy and consumer insights.

6. Receive your offer. Rolling offers extended as positions fill. Accepted interns are assigned to a cross-functional team, paired with a mentor and buddy, and sent pre-start materials.

The interview emphasizes creativity and brand knowledge over technical gotchas. Come prepared with genuine knowledge of Mattel's brand portfolio, the entertainment transformation strategy, and specific ideas about how your skills connect to the company's future. Our HireVue question guide with a free AI mock tool covers behavioral interview preparation.

What the Community Says

Mattel internship discussions on Reddit highlight the competitiveness of design roles and the brand's appeal to creative students.

How Do You Stand Out at the Company That Made the Barbie Movie?

Three moves, all executable before fall 2026. First, know the full IP portfolio beyond Barbie. Mattel operates Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, American Girl, UNO, MEGA, Thomas & Friends, Monster High, and Masters of the Universe, with 15+ film and TV projects in development. Discussing the entertainment transformation under CEO Ynon Kreiz, not just the Barbie movie, signals strategic depth. Second, apply through RippleMatch specifically. Mattel's careers page directs all internship applications through RippleMatch, which many candidates miss entirely by relying on Indeed or LinkedIn. Creating your RippleMatch profile and setting alerts before postings go live gives you a structural advantage. Third, for design roles, build a portfolio with pieces relevant to toy, packaging, or children's product design. Reddit users are clear that Mattel design internships are extremely competitive. For marketing roles, prepare consumer insight examples that show you understand how children, parents, and adult collectors interact with Mattel brands differently.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

Mattel competes for creative and brand management intern talent with other consumer products and entertainment companies:

Our marketing internships summer 2027 guide maps the full landscape of consumer products and brand management opportunities.

FAQ

When should I apply for a Mattel Summer 2027 internship?

Monitor Mattel's RippleMatch page starting October 2026. The company typically posts internship openings October through January for the following summer. The nine-week program runs June through August. Apply within the first two weeks of postings appearing, as Mattel internships are highly competitive, especially for creative and marketing tracks.

How much do Mattel interns earn?

Indeed estimates an average annualized pay of approximately $90,000, but this is based on only three salary reports and may reflect specialized or graduate-level roles. Industry norms for consumer products interns in the Los Angeles area suggest hourly rates of $20 to $30 for undergraduate positions. Mattel has not published official intern pay rates.

Where are Mattel internships located?

The vast majority of internships are at Mattel's headquarters in El Segundo, California, near LAX and Manhattan Beach. The campus features a fitness center, cafeteria, dry cleaning, car wash, and toy store. Some positions may be available at East Aurora, New York for Fisher-Price and Middleton, Wisconsin for American Girl.

How do I apply for a Mattel internship?

Mattel routes all internship applications through RippleMatch. Visit the Mattel company page on RippleMatch to view open roles and apply. You can also join the MattelConnect talent network and sign up for job alerts at jobs.mattel.com. For questions about the program, email internships@mattel.com.

Does Mattel offer return offers to interns?

Mattel does not publicly disclose intern-to-full-time conversion rates. However, the company explicitly states its internship program is driven by a single focus: to find its future leaders. The program structure, with executive presentations, mentorship, and cross-functional project work, is designed to evaluate and develop candidates for full-time roles.

What is the FLIP Leadership Program?

The Future Leaders Innovating Play program is a multi-day immersive experience for historically underrepresented students, part of Mattel's Play Fair initiative. It introduces participants to life at Mattel, the toy industry, and career development. Contact internships@mattel.com for details on eligibility and upcoming sessions.

Do I need a portfolio to apply to Mattel?

For design-related internships in graphic design, product design, or industrial design, yes. Reddit users report that Mattel design internships are extremely competitive and a strong relevant portfolio is essential. For marketing, finance, supply chain, and other business roles, a portfolio is not required but relevant project work strengthens your application.

What is the Mattel intern interview like?

Expect behavioral questions about teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving. For marketing roles, prepare to discuss brand strategy and consumer insights. For design roles, expect a portfolio review and design thinking exercises. Mattel values candidates who understand their brands and can demonstrate creative problem-solving with genuine brand passion.

Mattel's nine-week program puts you inside the company that turned Barbie into a billion-dollar movie franchise. Spend the runway building proof: a remote Externship turns interest in brand management or consumer products into a finished project an October 2026 application can point at.