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Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Mar. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2011
Income Taxes [Line Items]          
Deferred tax assets for net operating losses that arose directly from tax deductions attributable to windfall income tax benefits, not realized   $ 4,600,000mat_DeferredTaxAssetsRelatedToWindfallTaxBenefitsFromEquityCompensationNotRealized      
Deferred tax assets for net operating losses that arose directly from tax deductions attributable to windfall income tax benefits, realized 4,600,000mat_DeferredTaxAssetsRelatedToWindfallTaxBenefitsFromEquityCompensationRealized        
Loss carryforwards 869,940,000us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwards        
Tax credit carryforwards 72,469,000mat_DeferredTaxAssetsTaxCreditCarryforward        
Deferred income tax asset valuation allowances 133,297,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance 64,641,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance      
Percentage greater than threshold of Income tax examination of uncertain tax positions that should be recognized 50.00%mat_PercentageGreaterThanThresholdOfIncomeTaxExaminationMinimumLikelihoodOfTaxBenefitsBeingRealizedUponSettlement        
Net deferred income tax assets 455,712,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsLiabilitiesNet 454,210,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsLiabilitiesNet      
Unrecognized tax benefits, end of period 100,357,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 111,370,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits 285,560,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits   262,560,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefits
Amount of unrecognized tax benefits that would impact the effective tax rate if recognized 96,800,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate        
Recognized interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits 2,400,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestExpense        
Accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits 18,100,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued        
Amount of unrecognized tax benefits related to interest and penalties that would impact the effective tax rate if recognized 17,500,000mat_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRateIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued        
Unrecognized tax benefits       44,000,000mat_ReclassificationOfUnrecognizedTaxBenefits  
Reasonably possible changes to unrecognized tax benefits related to settlement of tax audits and/or expiration of statutes of limitations within the next twelve months 8,700,000us-gaap_SignificantChangeInUnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIsReasonablyPossibleAmountOfUnrecordedBenefit        
Net tax benefit 42,600,000mat_NetTaxBenefitExpense 32,200,000mat_NetTaxBenefitExpense 16,000,000mat_NetTaxBenefitExpense    
Cumulative amount of undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries that is intended to be indefinitely reinvested and for which no deferred US income taxes have been provided 6,400,000,000us-gaap_UndistributedEarningsOfForeignSubsidiaries        
Increase to additional paid-in-capital for related windfall income tax benefits resulting from the exercise of nonqualified stock options and vesting of other stock compensation awards 21,187,000us-gaap_AdjustmentsToAdditionalPaidInCapitalTaxEffectFromShareBasedCompensation 50,374,000us-gaap_AdjustmentsToAdditionalPaidInCapitalTaxEffectFromShareBasedCompensation 35,798,000us-gaap_AdjustmentsToAdditionalPaidInCapitalTaxEffectFromShareBasedCompensation    
California          
Income Taxes [Line Items]          
Remaining periods subject to examination 2008 through 2014 tax years        
New York          
Income Taxes [Line Items]          
Remaining periods subject to examination 2007 through 2014 tax years        
Wisconsin          
Income Taxes [Line Items]          
Remaining periods subject to examination 2008 through 2014 tax years        
Hong Kong          
Income Taxes [Line Items]          
Remaining periods subject to examination 2008 through 2014 tax years        
Brazil          
Income Taxes [Line Items]          
Remaining periods subject to examination 2009 through 2014 tax years        
Mexico          
Income Taxes [Line Items]          
Remaining periods subject to examination 2009 through 2014 tax years        
Netherlands          
Income Taxes [Line Items]          
Remaining periods subject to examination 2009 through 2014 tax years        
Russia          
Income Taxes [Line Items]          
Remaining periods subject to examination 2011 through 2014 tax years        
Valuation Allowances Net Operating Losses and Tax Credit Carryforwards          
Income Taxes [Line Items]          
Deferred income tax asset valuation allowances 92,600,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance
/ us-gaap_ValuationAllowanceByDeferredTaxAssetAxis
= mat_ValuationAllowancesNetOperatingLossesAndTaxCreditCarryforwardsMember
       
Valuation Allowance for Other Deferred Tax Assets          
Income Taxes [Line Items]          
Deferred income tax asset valuation allowances $ 40,700,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance
/ us-gaap_ValuationAllowanceByDeferredTaxAssetAxis
= mat_ValuationAllowanceForOtherDeferredTaxAssetsMember