Credit: MattelDespite widespread news that Mattel would be discontinuing the iconic plastic Barbie doll, the toy company has now hit back, calling it a hoax that was “Nothing to do with Mattel.”
We recently reported that Mattel had issued a statement that it had decided to stop producing Barbie dolls made of single-use plastic, with CEO Ynon Kreiz allegedly saying, “We have made more than a billion plastic Barbies, and enough is enough…With our plastic-free commitment, we denounce the empty promises of plastic recycling and take a bold step towards real ecological sustainability. Only sustainably produced toys can provide sustainable joy.”
The initial statement, which was posted on https://mattel-corporate.com/ and mimicked the company’s actual site precisely, also stated that a previous pledge to use only recycled plastics by 2030 was not enough and that it would not use “only compostable natural materials like mushroom mycelium, algae, seaweed, clays, wood cellulose, and bamboo. It will revolutionize the industry and set new standards for conscientious play.”
Obviously, this was shocking news to the millions who grew up playing with a plastic Barbie doll and with Margot Robbie and Mattel’s Barbie movie closing in on a billion dollars at the box office, its visibility has not been higher in years.
Related: ‘Barbie’ Sequel Part of Hollywood Plans, Per Mattel
EcoWarrior Barbie Is a Hoax
It turns out the Mattel press statement regarding the plastic Barbie doll was a hoax perpetuated by the Barbie Liberation Front, a decades-old activism group.
Per CBS, it turns out that even the referenced pledge to only use recycled plastics by 2030 was part of the hoax and not something that Mattel had ever promised regarding Barbie.
As hoaxes go, the claim that Mattel was shifting to producing only “EcoWarrior Barbie” made of mushrooms was fairly elaborate.
The Barbie Liberation Front even went so far as to produce a video featuring film star Daryl Hannah promoting the so-called EcoWarrior Barbie and claiming that new dolls would be produced in the image of environmental activists like Greta Thunberg, Julia Butterfly Hill, Phoebe Plummer, and Nemonte Nenquimo.
Barbie Liberation Front Now Decries Its Own Hoax
Interestingly, the Barbie Liberation Front has issued another statement via the same fake Mattel site, calling the EcoWarrior Barbie doll hoax “tasteless.”
The statement claims, in part, to quote Mattel Senior Director & Assistant General Counsel Michael Pellegrino, saying, “Mattel is the victim of a hoax perpetrated by trolls toying with the emotions of Barbie fans everywhere,” said Michael Pellegrino…We will expose them and bring the full force of the law against these bullies. Mattel is all about fun, and this is not fun.”
While Michael Pellegrino does indeed appear to be an attorney at Mattel, it seems that the disavowal of the hoax and criticism of it is also part of the Barbie Liberation Front’s scheme.
The statement from the phony site continues, saying, “Barbie is enjoying a cultural moment that she has earned thanks to her iconic status and devoted following… It’s a shame that a few sour opportunists want to steal her spotlight for their own agenda. There is a time and a place for appropriate conversations regarding toy manufacturing and the environmental crisis, but this is not it. Fortunately Barbie’s spirit is strong, fun, and resilient, and she will overcome this.”
Mattel Continuing Developing of Cinematic Universe
The Barbie Liberation Front has pranked Mattel and Barbie in the past, garnering national attention for switching the voiceboxes of talking G.I. Joe and Barbie dolls in 1993. It seems the BLF’s playbook has modernized but not changed much.
Related: New ‘Barbie’ Movie Promo Reveals Even More of BarbieLand
Unquestionably, the huge cultural popularity of the Barbie movie, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, was the impetus for the BLF’s revival and most recent hoax.
Did you fall for the EcoWarrior Barbie doll hoax? Let us know in the comments below!