Barbie and Mario have a date at the movie theater — but it’s not quite a whirlwind romance. Both are set to star in their own films, heading to a cinema near you later this year. However, these iconic toy and video game stars aren’t the only ones getting face time in the entertainment industry. Toy and game properties from companies like IMC Toys, Hasbro, and MGA Entertainment are getting in on the film and TV action. Learn all about which toys and games are gracing our screens in new movies, animated series, and shorts.
Cry Babies Magic Tears
HAMPA STUDIO
In 2019, IMC Toys introduced Cry Babies Magic Tears, plastic dolls that shed tears when kids press their bellies. The company has already released four seasons of an animated series on YouTube featuring characters based on the toys, and season five will follow the Cry Babies as they try to make sense of a polar cold coming out of the Big Tree!
WHERE TO WATCH: YOUTUBE │ Now
Mermaze Mermaidz
MGA PRODUCTIONS
MGA Entertainment’s newest fashion doll collection, Mermaze Mermaidz, launches this spring. These dolls will also have their own show, set in a fantastical underwater world of mermaids.
WHERE TO WATCH: YOUTUBE │ Late Spring 2022
Barbie
MATTEL TELEVISION
Trendsetting since 1959, Mattel’s Barbie is returning to TV with Barbie: It Takes Two. The series will follow the events of the last-released Barbie movie, Barbie: Big City Big Dreams.
Barbie is also getting a live-action film, with Greta Gerwig directing and Margot Robbie starring as the iconic doll. While we await confirmation on who will play Ken, we can daydream about all the amazing clothes Robbie will get to wear as the world’s most famous doll.
WHERE TO WATCH: NETFLIX (BARBIE: IT TAKES TWO) AND ONLY IN THEATERS (LIVE-ACTION) │ 2022
Rainbow High
MGA PRODUCTIONS
MGA Entertainment’s Rainbow High Dolls were initially released in 2020 and feature characters that attend an elite high school for the visual arts. MGA’s Rainbow High animated series will continue in 2022 with new episodes, in which fans will get to meet students from two new high schools.
WHERE TO WATCH: YOUTUBE │ 2022
Monster High
MATTEL TELEVISION
Mattel’s Monster High doll line launched in 2010 and follows the teenage descendants of the world’s most famous monsters. The series is returning to the screen with a live-action adaption from Nickelodeon, in collaboration with Netflix. The Monster High gang will also return for an animated TV series in 2022.
WHERE TO WATCH: NICKELODEON │ 2022
Lightyear
PIXAR ANIMATED STUDIOS AND WALT DISNEY PICTURES
Lightyear, a spin-off of the Toy Story film series, serves as an origin story for Buzz Lightyear. The film follows Buzz as a young test pilot who eventually becomes a Space Ranger.
WHERE TO WATCH: ONLY IN THEATERS │ JUNE 2022
Dungeons and Dragons
ENTERTAINMENT ONE AND SWEETPEA ENTERTAINMENT
Wizards of the Coast’s beloved fantasy role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons was first published in 1974. This year, it comes to the big screen with a new movie starring Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez.
WHERE TO WATCH: ONLY IN THEATERS │ MARCH 2023
Super Mario Bros.
ILLUMINATION AND NINTENDO
Nintendo’s Mario was introduced in the 1981 video game Donkey Kong, returning in 1985 in Super Mario Bros. Now, the Italian plumber is starring in his own film, with Chris Pratt taking on the role of the titular character.
WHERE TO WATCH: ONLY IN THEATERS │ DECEMBER 2022
Transformers
SKYDANCE MEDIA, ENTERTAINMENT ONE, DI BONAVENTURA PICTURES, NEW REPUBLIC PICTURES, AND BAY FILMS
Hasbro’s Transformers franchise began in 1984 with the introduction of the toy line, quickly expanding to include TV series, films, comic books, and more. The seventh Transformers film, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, centers around Optimus Prime in 1994.
WHERE TO WATCH: ONLY IN THEATERS │ JUNE 2023
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie
SPIN MASTER ENTERTAINMENT, NICKELODEON MOVIES
Everyone’s favorite search-and-rescue dogs will be back for a second movie! The crew is bringing fans back to Adventure Bay for an all-new adventure on the big screen. In addition to the new film, Spin Master and Nickelodeon are teaming up once again for a new PAW Patrol spin-off TV series for one of the main pups, set to debut in 2023.
WHERE TO WATCH: ONLY IN THEATERS │ OCTOBER 2023
Masters of the Universe
MATTEL TELEVISION
The iconic franchise from the ’80s is getting a modern day revamp with a new live-action movie set to debut on Netflix! The film will follow Adam, played by Kyle Allen, as he discovers he is a prince destined to be the savior of a faraway land.
WHERE TO WATCH: NETFLIX │ TBD
COMING SOON: There are several upcoming films from Mattel with no set release date yet! Fans can look forward to entertainment from the following brands: Magic 8 Ball, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, American Girl, UNO, Barney, Polly Pocket, View-Master, Major Matt Manson, Christmas Balloon, and Hot Wheels.
This article was originally published in the February 2022 edition of the Toy Book. Click here to read the full issue!
