Sonar Sub Hunt
Communications with Mattel

Updated November 17, 2008

For over two years I have endeavored to obtain more information about the Sonar Sub Hun game from Mattel with no success.

The following is a history of my efforts and transcripts of email exchanges.

Introduction

I have made several attempts to contact Mattel in order to obtain more information about the game. I was even hopeful that I might be able to procure original drawings and paperwork. The first question I wanted to ask was "Why the orange box?"

I am sorry to report that all my efforts have proved completely fruitless. Mattel is completely unable or unwilling to provide any assistance. They even suggested I search the Internet for more information, and had no response when I told them that I WAS the only source on the web.

Contact with Mattel has been via email. Some of the responses were from customer relations at Fisher-Price.

Mattel merged with Fisher-Price in 1993, and Fisher-Price became a wholely owned subsidary to handle the infant and preschool lines of merchandise.
("Merged" is a fancy business word that really means "Bought-out")

Why Fisher-Price is answering email concerning Sonar Sub Hunt is a mystery to me.

Since I sent the first message shown here, Mattel has removed the direct email link from their corporate web page.

Communications

	My Request	Mattel's Response
	From: jeffpopp0@yahoo.com To: service@mattel.com Subject: 1961 Game - Sonar Sub Hunt Dear Mattel, I would like to inquire about the possibility of obtaining information about your 1961 game, "Sonar Sub Hunt". I have created a web page dedicated to the game, and would like to be able to add as much information about it as possible. I would greatly appreciate any assistance you may be able to provide. Thank you, Jeff Popp www.sonarsubhunt.com	From: "FP Consumer Affairs (CATS)" To: "'jeffpopp0@yahoo.com'" Subject: In Reference to Case Number: 9785297 Date: Wed, 23 Oct 2002 10:42:32 -0700 Thank you for contacting Mattel. We appreciate the opportunity to respond. Unfortunately there is no one available here to answer your inquiry regarding the Sonar Sub Hunt and apologize for any disappointment this may cause. We suggest that you search the internet for further information regarding this older game. We appreciate the time you took to check with us. If you have any questions or concerns in the future, please feel free to call us at 800-524-8697, Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, ET. Sincerely, Consumer Relations
	From: jeffpopp0@yahoo.com To: FPCONAFF@fisher-price.com Subject: In Reference to Case Number: 9785297 Dear Mattel, My web page, www.sonarsubhunt.com, is the only source of information about Sonar Sub Hunt currently on the internet. I was hopeful that I may be able to engage your assistance in adding to the information I have already gathered. Is there possibly someone still employed by Mattel that may have worked on the game, or a contact in your records department that you may be able to refer me to? I would greatly appreciate any assistance you can give. Thank you, Jeff Popp	From: "FP Consumer Affairs (CATS)" To: "'jeffpopp0@yahoo.com'" Subject: In Reference to Case Number: 9785297 Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2002 06:15:09 -0700 We regret to inform you that we do not have access to the information you have requested, nor are we able to recommend a contact source for the information. We are unable to assist you at this time. Sincerely, Mattel Consumer Relations
	From: jeffpopp0@yahoo.com To: FPCONAFF@fisher-price.com Subject: In Reference to Case Number: 9785297 Dear Mattel, When do you estimate that you MIGHT be able to help me?	From: "Consumer Service Center" To: "'jeffpopp0@yahoo.com'" Subject: In Reference to Case Number: 9785297 Date: Wed, 30 Oct 2002 10:53:28 -0800 Thank you for contacting us regarding a Mattel product. We're pleased to learn of your interest in our products. Unfortunately, we are not equipped to archive historical toy information, provide photographs and parts lists, nor tell consumers the value of older, discontinued toys. You may wish to check with a local toy collector/dealer for the information you requested. We regret that we are unable to assist you at this time. Once again, thank you for contacting Mattel. We hope we can assist you some time in the future. Sincerely, Consumer Relations
	From: jeffpopp0@yahoo.com To: SERVICE@Mattel.com Subject: Sonar Sub Hunt Date: Fri, 7 May 2004 16:22:33 Dear Mattel, I would like to inquire about the possibility of obtaining information about your 1961 game, "Sonar Sub Hunt". I have created a web page dedicated to the game, and would like to be able to add as much information about it as possible. I was hopeful that I may be able to engage your assistance in adding to the information I have already gathered. Is there possibly someone still employed by Mattel that may have worked on the game, or a contact in your records department that you may be able to refer me to? I would greatly appreciate any assistance you can give. Thank you, Jeff Popp www.sonarsubhunt.com	From: "Consumer Service Center" To: "'jeffpopp0@yahoo.com'" Subject: In Reference to Case Number: 9785297 Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 09:28:14 -0700 Thank you for contacting us regarding your Mattel Sonar Sub Hunt. We're pleased to learn of your interest in our products. Unfortunately, we are not equipped to archive historical toy information, provide photographs and parts lists, nor tell consumers the value of older, discontinued toys. You may wish to check with a local toy collector/dealer for the information you requested. We regret that we are unable to assist you at this time. Once again, thank you for contacting Mattel. We hope we can assist you some time in the future. Sincerely, Mattel Consumer Relations
	From: jeffpopp0@yahoo.com To: SERVICE@Mattel.com Subject: Sonar Sub Hunt Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2004 12:32:53 Dear Mattel, I would like to inquire about the possibility of obtaining information about your 1961 game, "Sonar Sub Hunt". I have created a web page dedicated to the game, and would like to be able to add as much information about it as possible. I was hopeful that I may be able to engage your assistance in adding to the information I have already gathered. Is there possibly someone still employed by Mattel that may have worked on the game, or a contact in your records department that you may be able to refer me to? I would greatly appreciate any assistance you can give. Thank you, Jeff Popp www.sonarsubhunt.com	From: "Consumer Service Center" To: "'jeffpopp0@yahoo.com'" Subject: In Reference to Case Number: 9785297 Date: Thu, 7 Oct 2004 07:46:34 -0700 Thank you for contacting us regarding your Mattel Sonar Sub Hunt. We're pleased to learn of your interest in our products. Unfortunately, we are not equipped to archive historical toy information, nor provide photographs and parts lists for older discontinued toys. You may wish to check with a local toy collector/dealer for the information you requested. We regret that we are unable to assist you at this time. Once again, thank you for contacting Mattel. We hope we can assist you some time in the future. Sincerely, Mattel Consumer Relations
	From: jeffpopp0@yahoo.com To: SERVICE@Mattel.com Subject: Sonar Sub Hunt Date: Thu, 5 May 2005 15:58:14 -0700 (PDT) Dear Mattel, I would like to inquire about the possibility of obtaining information about your 1961 game, "Sonar Sub Hunt". I have created a web page dedicated to the game, and would like to be able to add as much information about it as possible. I was hopeful that I may be able to engage your assistance in adding to the information I have already gathered. Is there possibly someone still employed by Mattel that may have worked on the game, or a contact in your records department that you may be able to refer me to? I would greatly appreciate any assistance you can give. Thank you, Jeff Popp www.sonarsubhunt.com	From: "Consumer Service Center" To: "'jeffpopp0@yahoo.com'" Subject: In Reference to Case Number: 9785297 Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 13:45:37 -0400 Thank you for contacting us regarding your Mattel Sonar Sub Hunt. We're pleased to learn of your interest in our products. Unfortunately, we are not equipped to archive historical toy information, nor provide photographs and parts lists for older discontinued toys. You may wish to check with a local toy collector/dealer for the information you requested. We regret that we are unable to assist you at this time. Once again, thank you for contacting Mattel. We hope we can assist you some time in the future. Sincerely, Mattel Consumer Relations
	From: jeffpopp@yahoo.com To: SERVICE@Mattel.com Subject: Sonar Sub Hunt Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2008 15:30:49 -0800 (PST) Dear Mattel, I would like to inquire about the possibility of obtaining information about your 1961 game, "Sonar Sub Hunt". I have created a web page dedicated to the game, and would like to be able to add as much information about it as possible. I was hopeful that I may be able to engage your assistance in adding to the information I have already gathered. Is there possibly someone still employed by Mattel that may have worked on the game, or a contact in your records department that you may be able to refer me to? I would greatly appreciate any assistance you can give. Thank you, Jeff Popp www.sonarsubhunt.com	From: ""Consumer Service Center" To: "'jeffpopp@yahoo.com'" Subject: In Reference to Case Number: 14751068 Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 14:33:47 -0500 Thank you for taking the time to contact us to express your interest in our Sonar Sub Hunt game. We're pleased to have this opportunity to respond to your message. We regret to inform you that we are unable to assist you at this time because this item has been discontinued from our product line. Because of the age of this product we no longer have information on it. We apologize for any disappointment this may cause. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our products in the future, please feel free to call us at 800-524-8697, Monday - Friday, 9:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M., ET, and Saturday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, ET. Sincerely, Mattel Consumer Relations
	From: jeffpopp@yahoo.com To: SERVICE@Mattel.com Subject: Sonar Sub Hunt Date: Saturday, November 15, 2008 10:22 PM Dear Mattel, I would like to inquire about the possibility of obtaining information about your 1961 game, "Sonar Sub Hunt". I have created a web page dedicated to the game, and would like to be able to add as much information about it as possible. I was hopeful that I may be able to engage your assistance in adding to the information I have already gathered. Is there possibly someone still employed by Mattel that may have worked on the game, or a contact in your records department that you may be able to refer me to? I would greatly appreciate any assistance you can give. Thank you, Jeff Popp www.sonarsubhunt.com	From: ""Consumer Service Center" To: "'jeffpopp@yahoo.com'" Subject: In Reference to Case Number: 14751068 Date: Monday, November 17, 2008 8:43 AM Thank you for taking the time to contact us to express your interest in our Sonar Sub Hunt game. We're pleased to have this opportunity to respond to your message. We regret to inform you that we are unable to assist you at this time because this item has been discontinued from our product line. Because of the age of this product we no longer have information on it. We apologize for any disappointment this may cause. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our products in the future, please feel free to call us at 800-524-8697, Monday - Friday, 9:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M., ET, and Saturday, 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, ET. Sincerely, Mattel Consumer Relations

Other Attempts

In all fairness to Mattel, I have to say that my recent experiences have shown that getting help from the company really depends on who you can talk to.

In trying to obtain permission to make copies of the game instruction book, I decided to pursue other means than the normal channel of the on-size-fits-all corporate email account. Instead, I called Mattel's sales promotion phone number and spoke to a helpful gentleman who listened to my request. He then gave me the direct line to the company's Legal Adminstrator.

She asked me some questions about the game and, after a brief information exchange, sent me an email granting permission.