Philadelphia, PA--One of the world’s largest toy makers, California-based Mattel Inc., issued a public statement earlier this week addressing rumors that have been swirling around the Delaware Valley and the toy industry for almost a month.
“We have no current plans to turn the SS United States, a treasure to the City of Brotherly Love and to the ship-loving world, into millions of toy boats,” said Mark Gortez, Mattel's vice president, standing behind a podium at the Penns's Landing Marriott. “We also have no business ties to a scrap metal company based in Asia. The idea, quite frankly, is comical and so we would like groups calling for the preservation of the ship to remain at ease."
Makers of Matchbox cars and Hot Wheels, the company has a strong hold on the miniature metal toy market and, if the SS United States rumors prove to, one day, be true, would only further secure their dominance. Most of these toys are made overseas in China.
Early last week, a well-known Chinese scrap metal company was spotted in South Philadelphia examining the SS United States, which has been docked in the shadows of the Walt Whitman Bridge since 1996. Company representatives made no attempt to conceal their identity as they disembarked extended white vans wearing bright orange windbreakers with the company’s world-famous trademark—Scrappy-Doo (yes, Scooby-Doo's cousin) turning the pages of a scrapbook titled 'Things Forgotten.'
Through an interpreter, the apparent leader of the assemblage attempted to explain the visit: “We are here in Philadelphia on vacation. We heard the SS United States was a hip and happening tourist attraction and that is why we are here. There is no other reason. If you think there is another reason, then you are false. Dead false.”
Interestingly, the ship is not open for tours now, nor has it been during its 14 years in the city, and so spotting the scrap company here has caused serious alarm among local residents wanting to save the ship.
When asked why the group was wearing company jackets, the man hurriedly corralled the other group members into the two waiting vans, slammed the side double doors, catching a colleague’s foot in the process, and then quickly drove away, stirring dust and leaving large tire marks in the mostly empty parking lot.
The company, Shanghai Scrap Metal & Things Inc., has worked closely with Mattel in the past to provide cheap metal for the company’s large line of miniature toys. Records show that in 1980, Shanghai purchased a beloved, historic cruise liner docked in Vancouver, Canada, towed the vessel to China, completed the scrapping process and sold the material to Mattel for well under market value. Mattel, who denies the connection, went on to make millions of toy BJ and the Bear Matchbox 18-wheelers (pictured at right) that were replicas of the rig from the popular television show of the time.
“We were given no warning that a scrap metal company was coming to view the ship,” said Gina Yothers, president of the SS United States Preservation Society. “Our goal is to preserve the history and integrity of the ship. The arrival of Shanghai can only spell doom. We need more time.”
Yothers was referring to more time for raising enough funds and awareness to help give a second life to the "gem." Possible plans for the ship include a casino, museum, shopping area, restaurants, set for new Love Boat television series and, ironically enough, a new headquarters for a Kensington scrap metal company. But, no savior has stepped forward as of yet, and time appears to be running short for the largest ship ever constructed in the United States.
Norwegian Cruise Lines currently owns the ship and, at one time, was considering retrofitting the Atlantic Ocean-crossing record holder and recommissioning it to its fleet. This idea was quelled by company executives sometime in the last year or two, who cited the alarming costs associated with such a restoration.
On Friday afternoon, several Norwegian Cruise Line vehicles were spotted at Mattel’s office complex in El Segundo. Mattel later said that several of the toy company’s executives were interested in “taking a cruise to Hawaii … and, not Shanghai.”
Gortez ended the Marriott press conference by saying, “Plus, even if this was our intention, wouldn’t it be a great way to pay tribute to the ship? Wouldn’t seeing millions of children worldwide, playing with really small versions of the ship, be a great way to memorialize it? Hypothetically speaking of course.”
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