Employee Benefit Plans

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2013

Employee Benefit Plans

15. Employee Benefit Plans

Mattel and certain of its subsidiaries have qualified and nonqualified retirement plans covering substantially all employees of these companies, which are more fully described in “Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements—Employee Benefit Plans” in its 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

A summary of the components of net periodic benefit cost for Mattel’s defined benefit pension plans is as follows:

	For the Three Months Ended						For the Six Months Ended
	June 30, 2013			June 30, 2012			June 30, 2013			June 30, 2012
	(In thousands)
Service cost	$	3,789		$	3,182		$	7,688		$	6,501
Interest cost		6,635			7,479			13,265			14,971
Expected return on plan assets		(7,329	)		(7,764	)		(14,658	)		(15,524	)
Amortization of prior service (credit) cost		(126	)		11			(252	)		21
Recognized actuarial loss		5,106			5,742			10,212			11,480
	$	8,075		$	8,650		$	16,255		$	17,449

A summary of the components of net periodic benefit cost for Mattel’s postretirement benefit plans is as follows:

	For the Three Months Ended				For the Six Months Ended
	June 30, 2013		June 30, 2012		June 30, 2013		June 30, 2012
	(In thousands)
Service cost	$	22	$	19	$	44	$	38
Interest cost		338		345		676		690
Recognized actuarial loss		40		30		80		60
	$	400	$	394	$	800	$	788

During the six months ended June 30, 2013, Mattel made cash contributions totaling approximately $10 million and $1 million to its defined benefit pension and postretirement benefit plans, respectively.