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Mattel and Elon Musk’s SpaceX company have struck an unlikely partnership deal, and this was confirmed by the companies on Wednesday, July 20. They have signed a multi-year agreement to form a new line of toys and create space-themed items for selling.
According to CNBC, while the deal is confirmed, the financial terms were not disclosed to the public. Mattel said it is expecting to start releasing its new SpaceX toy line sometime next year.
It was noted that Mattel and SpaceX’s partnership was announced before the anniversary of man’s first landing on the surface of the moon in 1969. While SpaceX has already been selling merchandise through its website, the items being offered only consist of t-shirts, bags, hats, jackets, and accessories so this is the first time that the spacecraft engineering company is selling toys.
Through Mattel, a leading toy manufacturer, SpaceX can now expand its merchandise offerings and introduce items such as plushies, building sets, and dolls. The companies are expecting to attract not only the kids but collectors as well. They especially see the collectors’ market as more lucrative because it was one of the biggest customer bases of Mattel and Hasbro.
“We take pride in our ability to create products and experiences that honor cultural moments and inspire humankind,” Mattel’s senior vice president of entertainment partnerships, Nick Karamanos, said in a press release. “As space exploration advances more quickly than ever before, we are thrilled to work with SpaceX and help spark limitless play patterns for the space explorer in every kid.”
SpaceX’s vice president, Brian Bjelde, further said, “At SpaceX, we believe that a future in which humanity is out among the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one in which we are not. We look forward to working with Mattel to help inspire the next generation of space explorers and enthusiasts."
Meanwhile, this may be SpaceX’s first venture into toys, but it is not for its CEO, as Elon Musk also teamed up with Mattel in 2020 to create the remote-controlled toy version of Tesla’s Cybertruck. The toymaker’s latest deal with Musk comes several months after it sent two Barbie dolls into space as part of a collaboration with the International Space Station National Lab to encourage ladies to take up engineering and other careers in the aerospace field.
