Employee Benefit Plans - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	6 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Employee Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Accumulated benefit obligation of defined benefit pension plans	$ 589,200,000		$ 588,400,000	$ 589,200,000
The impact to postretirement benefit plan obligation from a one percentage point increase in the assumed health care cost trend rate for each future year			2,100,000
The impact to postretirement benefit plan obligation from a one percentage point decrease in the assumed health care cost trend rate for each future year			(1,900,000)
The impact to postretirement benefit plan service and interest cost from a one percentage point increase in the assumed health care cost trend rate for each future year			100,000
The impact to postretirement benefit plan service and interest cost from a one percentage point decrease in the assumed health care cost trend rate for each future year			(100,000)
Total estimated cash contributions to be made during the next fiscal year for defined benefit pension and postretirement benefit plans			10,000,000
Total estimated cash contributions to be made during the next fiscal year for unfunded defined benefit pension and postretirement benefit plans			$ 9,000,000
Percentage of domestic defined benefit pension plan assets to total defined benefit pension plan assets			79.00%
Percentage limitation of an employee's total account balance that may be allocated to the Mattel Stock Fund in the Mattel, Inc. Personal Investment Plan			25.00%
Liability for deferred compensation and excess benefit plans	71,700,000		$ 70,000,000	71,700,000
Cash surrender value of life insurance policies	$ 67,300,000		70,900,000	67,300,000
Expense for incentive compensation plans			$ 16,500,000	$ 50,200,000	$ 25,200,000
January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016 LTIP
Employee Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of shares earned for performance related component of performance restricted stock units			0
Number of shares earned for market related component of performance restricted stock units			0
Number of shares earned for dividend equivalent rights component of performance restricted stock units			0
January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016 LTIP | Performance- Related Component
Employee Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Performance cycle			3 years
Weighted average grant date fair value of restricted stock units granted (in USD per share)			$ 32.60	$ 23.14	$ 39.03
Expense recognized for restricted stock units			$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016 LTIP | Market- Related Component
Employee Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Weighted average grant date fair value of restricted stock units granted (in USD per share)			$ (3.57)	$ (3.57)	$ (3.57)
Expense recognized for restricted stock units			$ 0	$ 0	$ 0
January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018 LTIP
Employee Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of shares that can be earned for each of the three years for the performance-related component of performance restricted stock units - range of possible outcomes - (low-end) (in shares)			0
Number of shares that can be earned for each of the three years for the performance-related component of performance restricted stock units - range of possible outcomes - (high-end) (in shares)			500,000
Adjustment (for the market-related component) to the results of the performance-related component of performance restricted stock units over the three-year performance cycle - range of possible outcomes - upward adjustment - (high-end) (in shares)			200,000
Adjustment (for the market-related component) to the results of the performance-related component of performance restricted stock units over the three-year performance cycle - range of possible outcomes - downward adjustment - (low-end) (in shares)			200,000
January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018 LTIP | Performance- Related Component
Employee Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Performance cycle			3 years
Weighted average grant date fair value of restricted stock units granted (in USD per share)			$ 32.60
Expense recognized for restricted stock units			$ 2,800,000
Cumulative EPS Target, Term			3 years
January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018 LTIP | Market- Related Component
Employee Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Weighted average grant date fair value of restricted stock units granted (in USD per share)			$ 5.10
Expense recognized for restricted stock units			$ 400,000
US corporate debt instruments
Employee Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Target allocation for domestic defined benefit pension plan assets			42.00%
Non US Equity Securities
Employee Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Target allocation for domestic defined benefit pension plan assets			28.00%
Long-Term Bond Securities
Employee Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Target allocation for domestic defined benefit pension plan assets			20.00%
US Treasury Securities
Employee Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Target allocation for domestic defined benefit pension plan assets			10.00%
Defined benefit pension plans
Employee Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Estimated net actuarial loss and prior service credit that will be amortized from accumulated other comprehensive loss into net periodic benefit cost in 2015			$ 6,500,000
Long-term rate of return on plan assets used to determine net periodic benefit cost for domestic defined benefit pension plans	6.80%	7.50%	6.50%		8.00%
Postretirement benefit plans
Employee Benefits Disclosure [Line Items]
Estimated net actuarial loss and prior service credit that will be amortized from accumulated other comprehensive loss into net periodic benefit cost in 2015			$ 200,000