Netflix May Be Driving Barbie Sales as Pandemic Viewing Booms

Source: Mattel Television

Toy industry insiders may still be looking for the first massive hit toy line to spawn from a Netflix original series, but content from the streaming giant appears to be driving sales for one of the most famous existing brands in toys: Barbie.

According to The NPD Group, the second season of Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures and the feature-length Barbie Princess Adventure managed to cause a spike in overall Barbie viewership for Netflix and influenced a spike in the doll aisle.

Juli Lennett, toy industry advisor at The NPD Group, says that the Barbie Dreamhouse ranked among the top 10 fastest-selling toys in the U.S. from March to September.

“The latest season of Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures debuted on Netflix in March, right when stay-at-home orders began and families with kids started watching a lot more streaming video,” she says. “While we can’t attribute the subsequent success in toys directly to increased Netflix viewing, given that the pandemic shelter-at-home orders likely played a role, there is a correlation.”

The recent streaming success for Mattel mirrors statements made by Hasbro Chairman and CEO Brian Goldner back in February in relation to the steady availability of evergreen content on Disney+ invigorating sales for Disney Princess and Frozen toys.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.