Mattel Games: Card, Party and Family Games by Age

What Mattel makes

Mattel makes games, building sets and action figures. On the games side, our data covers card games, family games, preschool games and party games. The building and figure sides show up in our research too, but this page is mostly about Mattel games, because that's where most of the listings are.

Mattel's investor site describes the company as a play and family entertainment company. On Amazon US, the games appear under a few brand names: Mattel, Mattel Games, UNO and Pictionary. Our research merged them, so the grid above shows them together.

Below, I go group by group. Ages and player counts are quoted as the listings state them. If a listing doesn't say, I don't invent it.

Mattel games by type

The quick shape of the Mattel games shelf: lots of card decks, a few classic action games, one big strategy game, and a party shelf with long-running titles. Let's go group by group.

UNO and its editions

UNO is the largest group in our data. The listings include UNO (Amazon Exclusive), UNO Splash, UNO Super Mario, UNO Minecraft, UNO Harry Potter with Storage Tin, Giant UNO, UNO Junior, an UNO 2 Pack, and bundles with DOS, Skip-Bo and Phase 10. Licensed decks appear here only as the listing names them.

Most UNO listings that state numbers say 7+ and 2–10 players. UNO Junior is the exception: 3+ and 2–4 players. Two listings, UNO (Amazon Exclusive) and Giant UNO, say they're colorblind accessible. The Harry Potter edition comes in a storage tin.

Giant UNO makes the cards big enough to read across a table without hunting for glasses. It's the one deck in this list you could also use as a placemat.

Who it suits: a house that wants one deck for every age from 7 up and any group from 2 to 10. Who should skip: a family whose youngest is under 7, unless it's UNO Junior. Our UNO page compares editions in detail.

DOS

DOS is listed with 2–4 players and 108 cards. It's an UNO cousin, and Mattel bundles them together in one listing, Uno Bundled with Dos. Our DOS page covers both DOS editions in our data.

Phase 10 and Skip-Bo

Phase 10 and Skip-Bo are the other two big card games. Phase 10 listings in our data include Phase 10 2 Pack (7+, 2–6 players), Phase 10 in Storage Tin (Amazon Exclusive, 7+, 2–6 players, colorblind accessible), Phase 10 with UNO (7+, 2–7 players), Phase 10 with Skip-Bo (7+) and Phase 10 W4729. Skip-Bo listings include Skip-Bo 52370 (7+, 2–6 players) and two plain Skip-Bo listings. There's also a three-game Card Game Set with Skip-Bo, UNO and Phase 10.

Who it suits: a group that wants a longer card game than UNO. Phase 10 is listed as a rummy-style game. The Skip-Bo listings don't name a game type. Who should skip: a table that wants a game done in ten minutes. Our Phase 10 and Skip-Bo pages explain how each plays.

Blokus

Blokus is the strategy game on the Mattel shelf. Our data lists Blokus (7+, 2–4 players, 84 pieces in four colors), Blokus XL (Amazon Exclusive, a giant edition, 7+, 2–4 players) and a second Blokus listing. Our Blokus page covers how it plays.

Dexterity and action games

These are the games where your hands matter more than your cards. Our data has KerPlunk (5+, 2–4 players), Tumblin Monkeys (5+, 2–4 players), Toss Across (5+, 2–4 players), Puglicious (5+) and Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots (6+, exactly 2 players).

Rock 'Em Sock 'Em is the only boxing I'll allow in my garage. Two players, two robots, no gloves needed.

Who it suits: a house with younger kids, since these start at 5 or 6. Who should skip: a group that wants to sit still and think.

Party games: Pictionary, Apples to Apples, Balderdash

Mattel's party shelf in our data includes several Pictionary listings: Pictionary Board Game, Pictionary Second Edition Game Cards (2,400 words listed), Pictionary the Classic Game of Quickdraw (Updated for the 90s) and Pictionary 2 Teams with Catch-All Category (8+). Apples to Apples appears as the Party Game (12+, 4–8 players) and Party in a Box. Balderdash appears as Balderdash, Balderdash Board Game (2–6 players), Balderdash 2003 Version and Balderdash 1995 Edition.

Two more party listings stand out. Jewel Heist lists 13+ and social deduction. Escape Room in a Box The Werewolf Experiment lists 60 minutes.

Who should skip: a party of two or three. Apples to Apples Party Game lists 4 as the minimum. Our Pictionary, Apples to Apples and Balderdash pages go deeper.

Bundles, two-packs and tins

Mattel sells a lot of its card games in combinations, and the titles are easy to skim past. Our data has:

• Two of the same: UNO 2 Pack, Phase 10 2 Pack
• Two different games: Uno Bundled with Dos, Skip Bo Bundled with Uno, Phase 10 with UNO, Phase 10 with Skip-Bo
• Three games: Card Game Set with Skip-Bo, UNO and Phase 10
• Tins: UNO Harry Potter with Storage Tin, Phase 10 in Storage Tin

A two-pack makes sense for a house that plays a lot, because a deck that loses one card is a deck with an argument built in. A bundle of two different games is a good gift for a family that already owns one and has never tried the other. A tin is for a deck that lives in a backpack, a truck or a camping bin. At the shop, anything that rides in a truck either goes in a tin or comes back bent.

Years and old editions

Some Mattel party games in our data carry a year or an era in the title: Balderdash 1995 Edition, Balderdash 2003 Version and Pictionary Updated for the 90s. These are older editions. They're the same game family as the current boxes, but cards, boards and contents can differ, and older copies may come from third-party sellers. If you want the version you played growing up, the year in the title is the clue. If you just want to play tonight, pick the listing without a year.

A Mattel games list by player count

People search for a Mattel games list. The grid is the full one. Here's the host's version, sorted by the player counts the listings state:

• Exactly 2: Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots
• 2–4: UNO Junior, DOS, KerPlunk, Tumblin Monkeys, Toss Across, Blokus, Blokus XL
• 2–6: Phase 10 2 Pack, Phase 10 in Storage Tin, Skip-Bo 52370, Balderdash Board Game
• 2–7: Phase 10 with UNO
• 2–10: UNO (Amazon Exclusive), UNO Splash, Giant UNO, UNO Super Mario, UNO Minecraft, UNO Harry Potter
• 4–8: Apples to Apples Party Game

The UNO row is the one that jumps out. Ten players on one deck is the widest range on this page. Theo looked at the list and said, "Two to ten on one deck. The deck doesn't care how many show up. The dealer does." He deals at his house. He knows.

Mattel vs Hasbro

Shoppers compare Mattel and Hasbro because they both make the family games people grew up with. In our data, Mattel's biggest groups are card games (UNO, Phase 10, Skip-Bo) and dexterity games. Hasbro's biggest groups are board games and party games (Monopoly, Scrabble, Candy Land, Jenga, Trivial Pursuit). Pictionary and Balderdash titles appear under both names, depending on the edition. The full side-by-side table is on our Hasbro page.

How to pick a Mattel game

My one opinion for this page: for a house with a wide age spread, start with a card deck before a board. The UNO listings in our data cover 2 to 10 players from age 7, in one small box. No board game on this page covers that range.

The rest of the checklist:

1. Youngest player's age. UNO Junior 3+, the action games 5+ or 6+, most card games 7+, Apples to Apples 12+, Jewel Heist 13+.
2. Usual group size. See the list above.
3. Edition name. Junior, Giant, Splash, a licensed deck, a year, or "with" another game changes the box.
4. Colorblind accessible. UNO (Amazon Exclusive), Giant UNO and Phase 10 in Storage Tin say so.
5. Storage. A tin survives a backpack better than a cardboard box. Two listings come in tins.

Entry-level picks

Nearly every UNO, Phase 10 and Skip-Bo listing in our data sits in the lowest price tier, along with KerPlunk, Toss Across, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots and Blokus. Tumblin Monkeys, Balderdash and the Escape Room sit higher.

Mattel building sets and figures

Our research also counted Mattel building sets and action figures. Some building sets that Amazon files under Mattel carry MEGA titles, so if you're shopping bricks, our MEGA page is the better starting point. Mattel figure listings on Amazon US often carry a line name in the brand field. They're in the grid above with the games.

Small parts

Check the age label on the listing. Toys with small parts are a choking hazard for children under 3. KerPlunk marbles, Blokus pieces and the small parts in action games count, so keep them in the box and off the floor when little ones are around.

Mattel facts we could confirm

Mattel's investor relations site describes Mattel as a play and family entertainment company with a large brand portfolio, and lists its investor relations office in El Segundo, California. That's what we could confirm from a first-party page. We leave out anything we couldn't.

Count the players, check the youngest age, then deal.