Google Inc (GOOG), Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO), Unilever plc (ADR) (UL): The First Big Tech IPO of the Post-Dot-Com Era

The perfect patent for summer
Millions of children (and adults) seek out frozen treats during the hot summer months, and Popsicles are often in high demand. These sweet treats were invented in 1905 by 11-year-old Frank Epperson, who eventually received a patent for his “frozen confectionery” on Aug. 19, 1924. However, Epperson lacked the resources to push his product nationwide, so he sold the rights a year later to the Joe Lowe Company, which cranked out more than 60 million Popsicles by 1928.

The company eventually changed its name to Popsicle Industries, and that company bounced between owners over the decades before ending up as part of Unilever plc (ADR) (NYSE:UL) subsidiary Good Humor in 1989. Somewhere between Joe Lowe and Unilever plc (ADR) (NYSE:UL), Popsicle created a mascot named Popsicle Pete, a now-infamous comic strip character who was parodized in terrifying fashion by Man Comics. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) him, if you dare.

The toymaker’s empire
Two of the world’s largest toymakers joined forces on Aug. 19, 1993, when Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) and Fisher-Price agreed to a stock-swap merger worth about $1 billion. This move created the greatest challenge to reigning toy-industry leader Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS), which at the time was coming off a year in which it reported $2.54 billion in sales shortly after completing its acquisition of Tonka. The Fisher-Price-enhanced Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) also boasted a combined $2.54 billion in annual sales for 1992.

The two companies competed fiercely following the merger, just as they had before the toymakers’ consolidation took place. After two decades, Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) appears to be the winner, as its shares have posted a cumulative gain of 405% compared to Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS)’s 285%. That could very well change in the near future: Neither company has held the lead in share-price appreciation for long over the past decade.

The article The First Big Tech IPO of the Post-Dot-Com Era originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Alex Planes.

Fool contributor Alex Planes holds no financial position in any company mentioned here. Add him on Google+ or follow him on Twitter @TMFBiggles for more insight into markets, history, and technology.The Motley Fool recommends Google, Hasbro, Mattel, Unilever, and Yahoo!. The Motley Fool owns shares of Google and Hasbro.

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