An Executive Voices Blog by Ruth Henriquez, Head of Consumer Products EMEA at Mattel

It’s been nearly 65 years since Barbie entered the world. Now, with a global recognition rate of 99%, people wonder how we kept the brand relevant when the average life cycle of a toy is three to five years. The formula is simple: purpose x relevance = impact. And ultimately, that formula has made Barbie one of the world’s leading licensing brands.

We’ve worked hard over the years to win fans’ hearts, transforming the brand to make Barbie the most inclusive and diverse doll on the planet. Today, Barbie has 22 skin colors, five body types, 76 hairstyles, 94 hair colors, and 13 eye colors. Our relevance right now, however, is its own beast entirely. What could be more culturally relevant than headlining one of the most anticipated movies of the year?

Later this month will see one of the biggest launches in the Barbie brand’s history with the feature film Barbie, starring Margot Robbie. The film promises to further the storytelling of the brand and shine a light on things people didn’t know about the iconic doll. The film, and the current pop culture obsession with Barbie it is fuelling, is the perfect demonstration of the transformation from doll to IP.

I’m proud of the way Mattel has pivoted to become a truly IP-led company, with a full franchise approach that means kids and kidults alike can live the Barbie movie beyond the big screen, with multiple touchpoints from morning to night.

But in order to fully take advantage of this brand expansion, we must continually lean into our purpose and ask ourselves who we invite to tell our story to the world—helping our licensees align their own intrinsic values with the work we do together as we enter “The Summer of Barbie.”

We marry ourselves to partners who share our vision for brand purpose, design-led innovation, cultural relevance, and executional excellence. We have partners who we’ve been building our brands with for over 30 years, such as Egmont and Panini. But we also like to tap into the trends of the moment, such as athleisure, with the likes of Superga and their platform trainers.

For partnerships tied to the upcoming film, specifically, we wanted to make sure that our collections were accessible to a variety of audiences and work with partners across multiple categories and price points. In the lead-up to the highly anticipated July 21st release of the movie, we’re activating more than 100 licensing deals across womenswear, accessories, menswear, home, and beauty.

With a high volume of partners, it’s crucial to use different levers to activate each launch and give them points of difference, from bespoke content to exclusive products. It’s important each of our partners feels supported and part of this exciting celebration.

You’ll notice in the collections that we are launching throughout July that many have exclusive patterns and iconography, just as Superga did when they launched earlier in June. With our guidance, our partners use different patterns, but each unique product still seamlessly blends into the overall voice of the consumer products program. There are further collections coming that again set themselves apart, while still allowing us to speak with one brand voice.

With the help of our incredible licensing partners, this summer we’ll be able to wake up in pyjamas inspired by the movie, paint our nails Barbie pink, and write a letter to our friends using Barbie stationery as we invite them to join us for a day of fun in our yellow roller skates—replicas of those worn by Margot Robbie in the movie’s title role.

It’s important to us to imagine the potential of Barbie beyond the doll, and this movie perfectly encapsulates that. It’s the best pitch we could have for our partners—bringing to life the Barbie story in a way that’s accessible to all generations.

Moving forward, we want to expand our licensing business—the number one doll brand in the world should also be the number one franchise brand in fashion, accessories, home, health and beauty, and beyond. And the fact that Barbie is enjoying such a cultural moment, one that goes way beyond her now-iconic product box, is a fitting tribute to the versatility of a doll that has maintained relevance for decades.

As we head into the 65th year of Barbie, it’s more important than ever before that each and every partnership supports our purpose, ultimately contributing to our impact.

Barbie has inspired generations of children—there is nothing better than knowing that grandparents, parents, and children have all played with the same doll and that doll has continued to evolve with each generation. The anniversary will be a testament to that, looking back at how far we’ve come and how there’s no slowing down.

Mattel is a leading global toy company and owner of one of the strongest catalogues of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world. Mattel creates innovative products and experiences that inspire, entertain, and develop children through play. Mattel engages consumers through its portfolio of iconic brands, including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price®, American Girl®, Thomas & Friends®, UNO®, Masters of the Universe®, Monster High® and MEGA®, as well as other popular intellectual properties that it owns or licenses in partnership with global entertainment companies. Visit Mattel online at mattel.com.