Employee Benefit Plans

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2014

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 2013 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
	March 31, 2014			March 31, 2013
	(In thousands)
Service cost	$	2,597		$	3,899
Interest cost		6,941			6,630
Expected return on plan assets		(8,003	)		(7,329	)
Amortization of prior service credit		(264	)		(126	)
Recognized actuarial loss		3,587			5,106
	$	4,858		$	8,180

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

	For the Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2014		March 31, 2013
	(In thousands)
Service cost	$	20	$	22
Interest cost		452		338
Recognized actuarial loss		75		40
	$	547	$	400

During the three months ended March 31, 2014, Mattel made cash contributions totaling approximately $1 million and $1 million to its defined benefit pension and postretirement benefit plans, respectively.