Our Product Making a Difference

Play is the way we create meaningful impact to support children in every community we serve. We do this through our iconic brand experiences and product donations that are created for every child.

Toy Donations

Our brands truly come to life when a toy is put in the hands of a child. Whether they’re battling illness or recovering from a natural disaster, nothing puts smiles on a child’s face quite like a Mattel toy. As a pillar of Mattel’s giving, toy donations to children’s hospitals, schools, youth homes, shelters, orphanages and nonprofits serving children bring our mission to life.

Play Kits

Mattel-branded play kits were developed to supply our partners who provide disaster relief with play resources for emergency situations affecting children and their families. Each play kit contains small, gender and age-neutral items that can be shared and promotes a sense of comfort and community during what could be a very difficult time. Since 2018, thousands of play kits have been distributed worldwide to help bring play to life during every kind of crisis. Play kits are now the trademark of our employee engagement and volunteer programming and one of the most beloved programs serving communities who really need it most.

Brave Barbie

In 2023, Mattel and the Barbie brand celebrated Brave Barbie’s 10th anniversary. The donation-only doll is the first of its kind in the world, created exclusively for children who are experiencing difficult medical treatments. A Barbie specifically designed without hair, Brave Barbie helps to bring smiles to children who may experience hair loss due to cancer treatment or alopecia.

To date, more than 100,000 Brave Barbie dolls have been donated to assist children and families during some of their toughest days. She also has been used to help mothers and parents who are experiencing difficult treatments with resulting hair loss explain their medical situation to their children. Brave Barbie reminds everyone they are “Brave, Strong, Beautiful.”

GoBabyGo! Partnership
We are proud to collaborate with organizations such as Go Baby Go, a program that provides modified, ride-on cars to young children with disabilities so they can move around independently. In 2019, Mattel employees at our headquarters and Fisher-Price campus locations helped customize Power Wheels ride-on vehicles for children with limited mobility. The sheer delight on kids’ faces when they ride in their Power Wheels vehicles for the first time, and move around, was priceless. It speaks to our purpose of bringing joy to kids through play, and it’s something we want children of all abilities to experience.
Good360 Partnership
We partner with Good360 to carry out our donation requests around the world. Good360 is a global leader in product philanthropy and purposeful giving that partners with socially responsible companies to source highly needed goods and distributes them through its network of diverse nonprofits that support people in need.

Play it Forward

In 2021, we launched our annual Play it Forward Global Volunteer Week. Mattel employees came together virtually and in-person around the world to make a positive impact on local communities where they live work, and play. Over 37 global offices participated impacting thousands of children and benefitting more than 100 nonprofits worldwide

Global Gift of Play

The holiday season is the most highly anticipated time of the year for children of all ages and we’re glad to play a key role in delivering on that excitement and making memories that last a lifetime. Employees at Mattel locations all around the world donate their time, talents and Mattel toys through our Global Gift of Play program that helps local communities during this special time of year.