Food for thought:

On Thursday, Mattel might have finally caught the break it needed to offset the drop in Barbie sales, as a federal jury ruled that Mattel, not MGA Entertainment Inc., is the rightful owner of the $1 billion doll line Bratz. Mattel had alleged in a lawsuit that the doll's designer, Carter Bryant, had created Bratz while employed by Mattel, and a jury awarded the company intellectual-property rights. A separate trial will begin next week for damages, but the ruling is a huge boost for Mattel, which views Bratz as Barbie's biggest competitor.

A Friday note from Wachovia analysts said the jury could award damages for Bratz sales from 2001 until 2007 that could potentially add 75 cents a share in cash to Mattel. Wachovia "strongly" reiterated its outperform investment rating of the company's stock and said any cash proceeds would likely go toward a stock buyback.