Mattel has announced the expansion of #ThankYouHeroes, a collection of toys designed to honour the individuals leading the fight against Covid-19 as well as the everyday heroes who are working to keep communities up and running.
The expanded collection, which is part of the company’s broader Play it Forward platform focused on leveraging Mattel brands to give back to communities in times of need, includes new items from Matchbox, Mega Construx and UNO.
All net proceeds from the line will go to #FirstRespondersFirst, an initiative created to support first responder healthcare workers as they serve on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Richard Dickson, president and COO, Mattel, says: “For 75 years, purposeful play has been at Mattel’s core, and we know toys can have a significant impact, particularly in unprecedented times like these. That’s the intent of our Play it Forward platform, which is about leveraging our brands to drive awareness for, and give back to, important causes. Our #ThankYouHeroes line, focused on honouring and immortalising frontline healthcare workers and everyday heroes, has already received tremendous consumer response. These new items from Matchbox, Mega and UNO will enable us to further recognise and thank today’s heroes while also driving additional donations to support first responders.”
Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO of Thrive Global, said: “Mattel’s #ThankYouHeroes collection has tapped into something powerful: the tremendous gratitude we are all feeling for the frontline healthcare workers who are risking so much to protect us. Expanding the collection will continue to put a spotlight on their contributions and sacrifices, so we can honour and support them as they go about their life-saving work.”
Mattel’s new #ThankYouHeroes products include:
- Matchbox #ThankYouHeroes Frontline Heroes Vehicles Gift Set – The set features seven die-cast vehicles including an ambulance, garbage truck, grocery delivery van, news helicopter, mobile hospital, package delivery van and police car.
- Two Mega Construx #ThankYouHeroes Building Sets – The first set features a police cruiser, delivery cart and medical lab, along with five action figures comprised of a police officer, scientist, two EMTs and an ambulance driver. The second set features a food delivery truck and kitchen, along with three action figures comprised of a firefighter, cook and food delivery worker.
- UNO #ThankYouHeroes Tin – The new UNO cards include Mattel’s iconic brands and characters as frontline and everyday heroes, including He-Man as a grocery delivery worker and Barbie as a scientist.
These new items join the Fisher-Price #ThankYouHeroes assortment of 16 different action figures featuring a selection of doctors, nurses, EMTs and delivery drivers, as well as a special five-character Little People set comprised of a doctor, nurse, EMT, delivery driver and grocery store worker. In addition, last week Barbie announced the brand will donate a doll (up to 30,000 dolls) for each eligible career doll that was sold from 14-17 May 2020 to the First Responders Children’s Foundation, benefiting the children of first responders.
The new #ThankYouHeroes items are available for pre-order between 19-31 May 2020 at http://MattelPlayroom.com/ThankYouHeroes. Items are expected to ship to consumers by 31 December 2020.
