The campaign will dominate Verizon’s holiday messaging as a 360-degree marketing effort that will run across digital, TV, social media and outdoor billboards. The centerpiece of the campaign is a stop motion video in which various versions of Barbie (and one Ken) all live in a DreamHouse that gets recently equipped with Verizon’s home internet service.

The enhanced connectivity serves all of the Barbies’ needs, from online gaming (where one quips the activity would be easier with opposable thumbs) to creating a podcast (where one doll theorizes there are giant hands that control their lives) to being “chronically online” (as one Barbie searches a malady in which she hasn’t blinked in 65 years). All of the StreamHouse residents are pleased with the enhanced connectivity, except Ken, whose smoothie blender was unplugged to make way for the Verizon service. (He adjusts to it.)

“The holiday season is an incredibly special time for Verizon and our customers, and we wanted to do something big, entertaining, and first-of-its-kind,” said Leslie Berland, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Verizon, in a release. “The Barbie StreamHouse brings to life the magic of Barbie and friends, powered by Verizon Home Internet and all the ways our customers live and play.  We can’t wait to host everyone and experience the world of Verizon and Barbie like never before.” 

To enhance the campaign, Verizon and Mattel have outfitted a real-life “StreamHouse”  in New York City that fans will be able to visit between December 12-15. The house, located at 214 Lafayette St., will feature a host of activities, including an interactive guided experience hosted by Barbie featuring games, photo opportunities and giveaways. 

As part of the companies’ community engagement efforts, Mattel Philanthropy and Verizon will host 100 students from Girls, Inc., for an exclusive StreamHouse experience that will include a behind-the-scenes look at the technology powering the house. In addition, students from a nearby “Verizon Innovative Learning school” will visit the interactive experience as well. 

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“This year’s theme, ‘Imagination in Action,’ was voted on by educators as their favorite because it brings to life creativity and the use of creativity to help kids learn across subject areas and inspire all the different ways in which kids and adults are creative,” said Victoria Lozano, executive vice president of marketing at Crayola, in an interview with Brand Innovators.

More than 6 million children across six continents and 100 countries participate in the annual Crayola Creativity Week, which is structured to provide free content to parents and educators including activity videos, downloadable handouts and a livestreamed school assembly that connects children throughout the world. 

The activities are aligned with several educational standards and are designed to be completed in a single class period with minimal prep time, Lozano said. After the Creativity Week concludes, the content will remain available for on-demand viewing and use. 

“We do quantitative research after each year, and nine out of the 10 teachers using the curriculum said the program was a great fit in terms of helping them with teaching goals and ease of use,” Lozano said. “One of the things they said they specifically liked was the lineup of talent and topics, so we wanted to make sure we continued to do that with this year’s program.”

Some of the participants in this year’s activities include actor and author Matthew McConaughey, actor and author Henry Winkler, children’s author and Illustrator Mo Willems, author Maris Pasquale Doran, U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limon, as well as NASA scientists. Themes throughout the week include “Life Lessons,” “Change & Collaboration,” “Abstract Thinking” and “Confidence Soars.”

“All of these [participants] have really interesting stories to tell about how their creativity was nurtured and how it helped them get them where they are today,” Lozano said. “They each showcase their own wide range of creative skills, and they all have a meaningful message and diverse point of view.”

The week also includes a variety of sweepstakes prizes that parents and educators can win for participating in the activities, including books, art supplies, technology, guitars, and an all-expenses paid trip to the Kennedy Space Center.

The week is part of Crayola’s overall “Campaign for Creativity” platform that is designed to foster creativity as a learning skill and mindset. Earlier this year, Crayola launched a campaign targeted at parents, encouraging them to recapture the creativity of their youth and encourage creativity for their children. 

“When the brand was founded, it was founded around the theme that creativity was a fundamental life skill,” Lozano said. “Both of these campaigns are part of our brand initiative showcasing the value of childhood creativity and the role that parents and educators play in developing creativity as a lifelong skill and mindset.”

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Parents are concerned with their children’s well being and while they often try to help when kids struggle, this is actually doing a disservice to their kids, according to research from Hot Wheels and Mindset Works. Their data revealed that 71% of parents report stepping in when their children face small challenges, which hurts kids’ opportunities to foster a growth mindset.

Mattel is making a play to show parents that they care about parenting concerns in this new brand platform. By working with Mindset Works, the organization is illustrating the connection between how physical play helps kids establish a positive self esteem. And in turn, keep playing with physical toys top of mind.

“It is a critical concept for the world today, because within every challenge lies an opportunity to learn and grow,” said Roberto Stanichi, executive vice president, Hot Wheels & head of vehicles and building sets at Mattel. “We strive to ignite that challenger spirit in everyone, but especially in our younger fans that are ages three to five,” he continued. “We encourage them to exercise a growth mindset by trying to take on challenges, overcoming obstacles and having the courage to grow. Or, as we say at Hot Wheels: Try, Fail, Repeat, Grow.”

“It’s important for parents and guardians to foster this mindset in young kids as they’re playing with toys,” continued Stanichi. “Around the age of five, children are typically more vulnerable to developing fixed mindset beliefs. We’ve seen this in many instances, including play – like when a child gives up when they aren’t feeling successful building a track set or completing a loop with their favorite toy car.”

The brand will have an opportunity to activate on this message through their fund. They will join Sir Lewis Hamilton and Mission 44 at the F1 Grand Prix in Austin, Texas this month, where they will bring young kids to experience the race and meet with Hot Wheels designers to learn first-hand about the physics behind the toys.

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The Play-Doh Imagination Curriculum was born out of an insight that imagination is not often perceived as a critical skill for development, despite research showing it can help with fundamental skills such as problem-solving, independent thinking and confidence. The campaign includes a short commercial that begins in black and white with kids looking angry when they are being told they “can’t” do things. The mode switches to color and Play-Doh asserts it is going to show kids the “power of can.”

“Kids today are up against several imagination barriers like stress, judgment, and distraction which can lead to ‘growing out’ of their imaginations too quickly,” said Tamara Grindrod, Senior Vice President, Creativity & PLAY-DOH Brand at Hasbro, in a release. “This program provides an easy-to-use guide for kids and adults to exercise their imaginations and individuality through a variety of quick, fun activities that encourage open-ended play, whether at home, at school, or anywhere you can bring a can of Play-Doh.”

Activities, with names like Funny Hats, Canned Creatures and Music Monsters, within the curriculum range from five to fifteen minutes, and the guides include step-by-step instructions to present the projects to kids, along with options for extending each lesson plan. The curriculum will be distributed throughout Canada beginning this month through Syllabus Partners to 750 educators and 18,750 students. Starting in November, the Imagination Curriculum, along with two million cans of Play-Doh, will be distributed to Title I schools across the U.S. via the nonprofit First Book.

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Barbie’s 65th birthday fell on International Women’s Day in March and Mattel has been celebrating the landmark anniversary throughout the year.

This latest effort drops strategically during a WNBA game, at a time when women’s sports viewership is increasing and more women athletes are being celebrated, which aligns with Barbie’s mission to promote limitless possibilities. 

“Building on Barbie’s 65th anniversary year and continued commitment to championing women in sports, the first WNBA Barbie Theme night couldn’t be a more opportune moment to reveal Give Limitless Possibilities,” said Krista Berger, Senior Vice President of Barbie and Global Head of Dolls at Mattel. 

“Women’s sports have been in the media like never before, and Barbie has always advocated for showing girls they can be anything across male-dominated industries by highlighting inspiring role models,” Berger continued. “Teaming up with WNBA legend Sue Bird, this initiative underscores our dedication to showcasing limitless possibilities for girls…We remain dedicated to honoring women in sports and highlighting the powerful role of play to show girls that anything is possible.”

The goal of the campaign is to connect this message with parents and caregivers to inspire the next generation. 

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Women’s sports is having a moment – with record-breaking viewership and athletes in the WNBA elevating the industry to new heights. 

Female sports are hot right now with WNBA breaking viewership records and this ties into Barbie’s brand platform to help girls shoot for their dreams. The brand cited research that being involved in sports makes girls 14% more likely to develop the skills and self confidence to achieve success in their careers.  

“Throughout my career, I’ve always been driven by the idea of shattering glass ceilings and staying true to myself, and Barbie’s mission couldn’t resonate more deeply with that ethos,” said Williams, in a statement. “I’m honored to be recognized as a sports role model and join forces with Team Barbie to continue empowering the next generation of young girls to never stop believing in their dreams.”

Last month, Mattel celebrated Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Heritage Month and the upcoming Olympics with a new Kristi Yamaguchi Inspiring Women doll.  This is not only good for society, these dolls seem to be good for business. On the heels of Greta Gerwig’s box office sensation with Barbie in 2023, Mattel has an opportunity to embrace the current zeitgeist around the iconic doll with this anniversary. Last year’s film release, which broke box office records earning more than $1.4 billion worldwide in 2023, boosted sales and earnings for Mattel as well. The company saw large jumps in sales with net sales up 16% in Q4.

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“We’re thrilled to be celebrating an iconic brand like Mercedes-Benz, which has continued to break boundaries in the electric vehicle space culminating in this momentous release of the first Mercedes-Benz all-new electric G-Class,” said Roberto Stanichi, global head of vehicles at Mattel, in a release. “We can’t think of a better way to mark the occasion than with the exclusive Matchbox die-cast release. We can drive toward a better future together as we stay committed to using more sustainable materials while simultaneously bringing fans realistic replicas of their favorite cars.”

A  premium model in a South Seas blue mango color with a black interior is currently being offered through the company’s Mattel Creations website for a suggested price of $28.99. The company will feature a classic gray non-metallic version with movable doors as part of its Moving Parts Series later this year for a suggested price of $2.99. 

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The Olympic gold medalist figure skater is being honored for her work both on and off the ice both as an athlete and a mentor to other Asian American female athletes.

“For 65 years, Barbie has been breaking down barriers and inspiring generations through storytelling,” said Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie and Global Head of Dolls, Mattel. “We are honored to continue this legacy by recognizing an extraordinary athlete and advocate in Kristi Yamaguchi through the Inspiring Women series.”

Yamaguchi joins Ida B. Wells, Eleanor Roosevelt and Billie Jean King among others in the collection.

“As the first Asian American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating, a best-selling author, and children’s literacy advocate, Yamaguchi stands as a beacon of inspiration for young girls across the globe, empowering them to dream big,” Berger continued.

The Inspiring Women series is focused on honoring historical and present-day female role models to inspire future generations of girls through doll play.

“This doll invites young girls to immerse themselves in the renowned figure skater’s inspirational story,” said Berger. “In doing so, Barbie aims to foster an inclusive world that provides young girls the opportunity to see themselves in the dolls they play with, as well as have Barbie mirror the world around them.”

The doll draws inspiration from the figure skater’s costume from the 1992 Olympic Games when she won the gold medal. 

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