Mattel Opens TikTok Shop Storefront Ahead of Black Friday Rush

Mattel is launching a branded storefront on TikTok Shop this week with roughly 20 products across Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price and Monster High, and plans to expand the assortment to more than 40 products soon. The move puts one of the world's largest toy companies into live commerce for the first time, weeks before Black Friday.

Mina Zandbar, Mattel's vice president of global e-commerce, told Modern Retail that Mattel wants to use TikTok Shop for product discovery, engagement and education alongside its traditional retail channels. Mattel has never sold goods directly on the platform before, despite running a TikTok channel with 124,000 followers and seeing users discuss its products in videos and comments. By being on TikTok Shop, Mattel can "be with our community where they're looking for our brands," Zandbar said.

Who is Mattel actually selling to?

The strategy targets adults, not children. TikTok account holders must be at least 13 years old. "Little kids are not going to purchase products for themselves," Zandbar said. "It's [more so about] education for their parents." Mattel has therefore curated its TikTok Shop selection to include products already mentioned in existing TikTok content, such as the Fisher-Price Soothe 'n Snuggle Otter.

Mattel's biggest properties bring their own audiences to the storefront. Barbie has 2.5 million TikTok followers; Hot Wheels has 1.2 million. The TikTok Shop lets Mattel appeal to those fan bases while grouping its brands under one umbrella — a model the Disney Store, which launched on TikTok Shop this year, already uses for properties like "Star Wars" and "Frozen."

Mattel also sees TikTok Shop as a first-purchase entry point. Shoppers who buy their first Mattel product there could later buy through Mattel's website or retail partners like Amazon, Walmart or Target, where they can access the full merchandise range and join the company's new loyalty program. "Over time, you build that relationship with your consumers, in a much deeper way," Zandbar said.

To drive those first purchases, Mattel is focusing much of its TikTok strategy on product recommendations. The company will create videos answering common questions such as, "Which toys are best for a newborn?" It will also invest in livestreaming and work with content creators embedded in the toy community.

What about adult collectors?

Not every visitor to Mattel's TikTok Shop page will have children. Mattel has "a massive community of adults" collecting items like Hot Wheels and Monster High dolls, Zandbar said. Amid what's been dubbed the "kidulting craze," Mattel will increasingly use its TikTok Shop presence to appeal to adult collectors.

Mattel is one of several major retailers joining TikTok Shop ahead of the Black Friday sales rush. This holiday season will be the first winter that Best Buy, Ulta Beauty and Sephora sell products on the platform. Nearly a third of U.S. TikTok users expect to buy a gift this Black Friday, per TikTok Shop data.

The launch follows the rollout of Mattel Rewards, a loyalty program with four tiers and benefits that increase based on annual spend. Members earn points on qualifying purchases and activities and redeem them for discounts at checkout. More than 25% of Mattel's consumers already belong to the program.

The two channels serve different but compatible functions, in Mattel's view. The loyalty program lets Mattel communicate closely with its most avid fans and collect first-party data on everything from average order value to location. TikTok Shop helps with discovery but keeps transactions and data within its own ecosystem. Both, Zandbar said, allow Mattel to "stay as close as you can to your community."

Launching a new marketing channel during the holidays may seem hectic, but Zandbar argued the timing works in Mattel's favor. "I just believe the busiest time is going to give you massive data to understand what is truly working or not working," she said. "I want to make sure we are maximizing our learnings during the busiest time of the year."

What do the numbers say?

Mattel forecasts it will end its fiscal 2026 year in a strong position. For the third quarter ended in September, Mattel reported net sales of $1.807 billion, up 4% year over year on a reported basis. Operating income totaled $476 million, up $96 million. Action figures, building sets, games and Hot Wheels saw gains, while Barbie and Fisher-Price declined.

New CEO Roger Lynch, who took the position in early November, is focused on driving growth at the 81-year-old company. "My first few weeks leading Mattel have reinforced my belief in the company's potential," he said in an earnings release. "I also see clearly where we must improve. … Our priorities are clear: strengthen our brands and win in toys, drive innovation and creativity, and invest with discipline to drive profitable growth."

How Mattel converts TikTok engagement into holiday sales — and what the Black Friday data shows — will shape how aggressively it scales the storefront beyond 40 products.