Mattel / ‘Creatable World’

The Creatable World toy range comes with a medley of different clothing options, accessories and hairstyles so that kids can style their dolls in genderless and gender non-conforming styles and attire.

Mattel worked together with a dedicated team of experts, parents, physicians and children to create the doll line. The line consists of a total of six different dolls, with gender-neutral physiques and is available in a variety of skin tones. Mattel’s first promotional spot for the $29.99 product features a series of kids who go by various pronouns – he, she, they. It ends with the slogan: ‘A doll line designed to keep labels out and invite everyone in.’

RESULTS / The range was met with 90% positive/neutral sentiment according to a brand perception survey. It generated 46M social impressions following the launch.

INSIGHTS / This isn’t the company’s first venture into more progressive pastures. The 75-year-old toy manufacturer has made big strides in this direction in recent years, adapting multiple products to reflect changes in consumer behaviour, with Barbie dolls embracing female empowerment and diversity. Creatable World represents the continuation and development of an ethos Mattel has been following throughout its lifespan.

Generation Alpha – the first generation born entirely within the 21st century – will ‘set aside’ our current worldviews. A survey by the Williams Institute of Law, UCLA found that 27% of Californian teens identify as gender-nonconforming[1], a trend expected to continue as this younger demographic emerges into the limelight.