With numerous renowned IPs under its belt like Barbie and Hot Wheels, Mattel is a dominant force in the toy industry. Its products bridge entire generations, from kids who play with their toys to adults building rare collections.

Having firmly established itself as a leader in the physical collectibles space, Mattel wanted to expand into the digital realm. There, it aimed to re-engage older audiences through nostalgia and experiences beyond traditional toys.

Best of both worlds

RaribleX emerged as the perfect partner to guide Mattel on its digital journey, which started with two of its iconic franchises—Barbie and Hot Wheels—being put on Flow, a mainstream-focused blockchain with low fees and simplified UX. 

Barbie traveled to the web3 world via a collaboration with a web3-native, women-led brand Boss Beauties—and was part of Mattel’s captivating marketing blitz campaign for the Barbie movie. 

The Barbie x Boss Beauties PFP collection merged web2 and web3, introducing physical Redeemables that depend on the NFT’s traits. Those Reedeemable tokens could then be exchanged for physical perks like stickers, doll sets and World of Barbie tickets.

Like Barbie x Boss Beauties, Hot Wheels NFT Garage—Mattel’s other project based on a renowned toy franchise—does its primary sales via NFT packs, where the holder gets three random cars of different rarity. The unpacking experience, combined with the element of surprise, has led Hot Wheels collectors to embrace the new medium for their collectibles—blockchain. That explains why Hot Wheel drops, divided into seasons, have been selling out in mere minutes.

Custom-tailored marketplace

Our collaborative efforts have resulted in a custom-branded digital collectibles marketplace tailored for Mattel’s Hot Wheels and Barbie NFTs, focused on secondary sales.

Here are the key elements that made it work: 

• Easy onboarding: On/off ramp and Mattel Login integration (email wallet feature) make it easy for new users to buy Mattel’s digital collectibles.

• Simplified User Experience (UX): An intuitive interface and the mainstream-focused, fast Flow blockchain abstract away the complexities of blockchain.

• Navigation: Easy access to all released collections, and an activity tab showing what other collectors have been after.

• Phygital experiences: Each digital purchase carries a chance of unlocking a redeemable physical collectible, bridging the gap between the digital and physical.

• Diverse IP utilization: The marketplace features classics like Hot Wheels and Barbie as well as unique partnerships with other well-known franchises like Fast & Furious, attracting communities built around those brands and onboarding them to Web3.

Supercharging with Web3

Together with RaribleX, Mattel has successfully launched their journey in the digital collectible space.

The focus on the secondary market proved to be highly efficient: In the physical world, collectors hunt rarities at toy fairs and hope to find elusive “grails” on eBay. The secondary marketplace, which guarantees both safety and authenticity, has helped to translate that experience online with tangible results:

• Demand: In several months, the platform has recorded a GMV of nearly $750,000.

• Engagement: The marketplace has nearly 500,000 website visits and seen over 215,000 unique wallets connected so far, showcasing the immense interest from different audiences.

• Digital integration: Mattel’s web3 initiative complements its vision to become an IP powerhouse across the physical and digital realms.

Mattel's collaboration with RaribleX shows the transformative potential of combining traditional brand strengths with web3 innovation. 

By integrating blockchain technology with its renowned IPs, Mattel has positioned itself at the forefront of the digital collectibles space where it offers a combination of novel and nostalgic experiences to its audience—this time not restricted by geographical and logistical boundaries.