Mattel opens TikTok Shop storefront with 20 toys, adult buyers in mind

Mattel launched a branded storefront on TikTok Shop this week with roughly 20 products spanning Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price and Monster High, and plans to expand the assortment to more than 40 items. The debut makes Mattel one of several major retailers, alongside Best Buy, Ulta Beauty and Sephora, selling on TikTok Shop for the first time this Black Friday season.

Mina Zandbar, Mattel's vice president of global e-commerce, framed the move as a discovery and education channel rather than a replacement for traditional retail. Mattel has never sold directly on TikTok before, despite running a main channel with 124,000 followers. "By being on TikTok Shop, Mattel can 'be with our community where they're looking for our brands,'" she told Modern Retail.

Who is the storefront actually for?

Because TikTok requires account holders to be at least 13 years old, the strategy targets adults, not children. "Little kids are not going to purchase products for themselves," Zandbar said. "It's [more so about] education for their parents." The initial selection favors products already discussed in organic TikTok content, such as the Fisher-Price Soothe 'n Snuggle Otter.

Mattel also wants the adult collector base. Barbie holds 2.5 million TikTok followers and Hot Wheels 1.2 million, and the "kidulting craze" has built demand among adults buying Hot Wheels and Monster High dolls for themselves. The structure mirrors the Disney Store, which launched on TikTok Shop this year and groups properties such as Star Wars and Frozen under one storefront.

What does this change for Mattel's commerce mix?

TikTok Shop becomes an entry point. Mattel hopes first-time buyers there will graduate to its website or to Amazon, Walmart and Target, where the full merchandise range and its new Mattel Rewards loyalty program live. That program launched with four tiers based on annual spend, and more than 25% of Mattel's consumers have already joined. Rewards gives Mattel first-party data on order values and location, while TikTok Shop keeps transactions and data inside its own ecosystem. Both channels, Zandbar said, let Mattel "stay as close as you can to your community."

On the content side, Mattel plans recommendation videos answering questions such as "Which toys are best for a newborn?", plus livestreaming and partnerships with creators embedded in the toy community. Zandbar acknowledged the holiday timing is hectic, but called it an advantage: "The busiest time is going to give you massive data to understand what is truly working or not working."

The launch arrives amid broader momentum for TikTok commerce. Nearly a third of U.S. TikTok users expect to buy a gift this Black Friday, per TikTok Shop data.

The financial backdrop

For its third quarter ended September, Mattel reported net sales of $1.807 billion, up 4% year over year, and operating income of $476 million, up $96 million. Action figures, building sets, games and Hot Wheels gained, while Barbie and Fisher-Price declined.

New CEO Roger Lynch, who took the position in early November, set priorities in an earnings release: "Strengthen our brands and win in toys, drive innovation and creativity, and invest with discipline to drive profitable growth." The TikTok Shop storefront, paired with Rewards, will serve as an early test of that growth agenda heading into fiscal 2026.