It’s a big year for both of these toymaking juggernauts, as summer 2023 looks to be dominated by the Margot Robbie-led live-action Barbie and Hasbro’s robots returning to the big screen with Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. And this season is reason enough for these eternal toy shelf rivals to team up!
Hollywood Reporter, er, reports that Hasbro and Mattel are producing co-branded toys based on each other’s films. We’re not quite at the level of a He-Man-based Collaborative release, though, or Barbie releases of Shaoshao Li and Marissa Faireborn. Not yet!
Currently, Mattel is set to release UNO card sets themed after Transformers: Rise of the Beasts later in the year, and Hasbro is slated to release Barbie-themed Monopoly sets in Fall 2023. There IS one slightly more intriguing aspect to this crossover, especially for fans of the old Robot Powered Machines line: Mattel is looking to release Transformers-branded Hot Wheels toys in early 2024!
Of the partnership, Hasbro president of global licensed consumer products and business development Chris Collins says, “With the major theatrical releases of the Transformers and Barbie movies in summer 2023, we’re excited to bring brand-new play experiences to fans, families, and movie and toy lovers all around the world.”
This is echoed by Mattel’s senior VP of entertainment partnerships, Nick Karamanos, who says, “We are excited to pair some of the most popular brands together for the first time. This collaboration features world-class IP, celebrates the timeless appeal of these brands, and creates unique play opportunities for fans.”
Are you catching one or both of these big brand summer blockbusters?
Share your reactions with us on the Allspark Facebook page , on our partnered Discord at discord.gg/allspark , and on the Allspark Forums !