Employee Benefit Plans

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 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						For the Nine Months Ended
	September 30, 2014			September 30, 2013			September 30, 2014			September 30, 2013
	(In thousands)
Service cost	$	2,120		$	2,835		$	7,432		$	10,523
Interest cost		6,747			6,150			20,666			19,415
Expected return on plan assets		(7,826	)		(7,630	)		(23,849	)		(22,288	)
Amortization of prior service credit		(264	)		(541	)		(792	)		(793	)
Recognized actuarial loss		3,600			4,053			10,776			14,265
Settlement loss		—			1,835			—			1,835
	$	4,377		$	6,702		$	14,233		$	22,957

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 Nine Months Ended
	September 30, 2014			September 30, 2013		September 30, 2014		September 30, 2013
	(In thousands)
Service cost	$	11		$	17	$	51	$	61
Interest cost		129			512		1,033		1,188
Recognized actuarial (gain) loss		(138	)		353		12		433
	$	2		$	882	$	1,096	$	1,682

During the nine months ended September 30, 2014, Mattel made cash contributions totaling approximately $12 million and $2 million to its defined benefit pension and postretirement benefit plans, respectively.