Mattel Introduces All-New Barney Toy Line to Celebrate Self-Love, Imagination and Emotional Growth

Business Wire 26-Feb-2025 9:00 AM

Beloved Purple Dinosaur Returns with Self-Love Initiative, Including Original Programming and Parent Companion Guide for Fostering Healthy Self-Image in Young Children

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Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT), a leading global toy and family entertainment company and owner of one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world, announces an all-new Fisher-Price® Barney toy line inspired by the return of the iconic purple dinosaur and the new animated TV series, Barney's World™. The Barney Brand, which is committed to promoting self-love and enhancing self-esteem in early childhood, is releasing a Parent Companion Guide to accompany its latest YouTube special, Barney's World: I Love Me Too, which follows Baby Bop on a journey to find her "glow." This Parent Companion Guide encourages a conversation between parents and their children about the importance of self-love.

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Beloved purple dinosaur returns with self-love initiative, including all-new toys, original programming and a parent companion guide for fostering healthy self-image in young children. (Photo: Business Wire)

The new toy line includes plush, role play, and playsets & figures with characters and themes from Barney's World. Exciting musical and sensory elements are featured to inspire imaginative storytelling play. Highlights of the collection feature the Fisher-Price Barney's World Sensory Barney, which boasts textured fabrics and a fidget heart, the Heart Hands Barney, playing phrases and songs from the show, including the reimagined "I Love You (I Love Me Too)" song, and the Fisher-Price Barney's World Clean Up Vacuum featuring everyone's favorite Clean Up song. Additional products include plush versions of Baby Bop, Billy the Dino, and figure multipacks with new Barney's World characters.

"Barney is the rare property that connects with fans of all ages, and we're thrilled to bring his lessons of love and kindness with a fresh perspective for today's families," said PJ Lewis, SVP, Global Head of Action Figures & Fisher-Price Entertainment. "This new product line celebrates Barney creating meaningful play experiences for kids and their grown-ups to explore self-expression."

To better understand how today's parents are feeling about self-love, Mattel partnered with OnePoll to conduct a survey of 2,000 parents of 2-10-year-olds. The study found that on average, parents believe that their child starts to doubt themselves at 5.6 years old.* In fact, 57% of parents worry that their own feelings of self-doubt will impact their child's confidence as they grow. Through existing research, we know that positive affirmations, celebrating achievements, and being a positive role model can help cultivate self-love in young children. Parents are encouraged to model self-love through words and actions, showing their children how to speak kindly about themselves, prioritize self-care openly, embrace their mistakes, and celebrate their achievements to teach children the importance of valuing and respecting themselves. Early positive reinforcement of these practices can impact a child's long-term mental health and confidence.

"Nurturing self-love in young children is so important for their mental well-being and development," said Corinne Eggleston, Manager, Early Childhood Development Research at Fisher-Price Play Lab "Children who develop a positive self-image are often more confident and resilient, more likely to ask for help when needed, learn from their mistakes, and navigate challenges with greater ease. Barney's message of self-love encourages them to build meaningful relationships with family and friends, fostering a deeper sense of connection, which can help set the foundation for a happier and healthier life."

In addition, Mattel is donating Barney: I Love You books to Good+Foundation, a nonprofit that fights multi-generational poverty by pairing goods with services for under-resourced parents and caregivers. Barney's World is now streaming on MAX and Cartoonito, with select episodes available on YouTube. The all-new Barney toy line is available exclusively at Walmart. For additional information on Barney, visit https://shop.mattel.com/pages/about-barney.

* This online survey of 2,000 parents of children aged 2 -10-years, was commissioned by Mattel and conducted by market research company OnePoll, in accordance with the Market Research Society's code of conduct.

About Mattel

Mattel is a leading global toy and family entertainment company and owner of one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world. We engage consumers and fans through our franchise brands, including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price®, American Girl®, Thomas & Friends™, UNO®, Masters of the Universe®, Matchbox®, Monster High®, MEGA® and Polly Pocket®, as well as other popular properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include toys, content, consumer products, digital and live experiences. Our products are sold in collaboration with the world's leading retail and ecommerce companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in empowering generations to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential. Visit us at mattel.com.

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Media Contact Sarah Larkin sarah.larkin@mattel.com

Kelly Powers Kelly.powers@mattel.com