Background information
K-Pop Demon Hunters: how Sony gave away a billion-dollar hit
by Luca Fontana
Mattel turns "KPop Demon Hunters" into toys
28.1.2026
Translation: machine translated
Mattel brings "KPop Demon Hunters" to the toy shelves. The company's first products are dolls, action figures and games. Mattel is thus specifically expanding the Netflix success into a merchandise line.
With the new line, Mattel is not focusing on a single product, but on an entire ecosystem. According to the press release, the company is planning a rollout throughout 2026, including several categories such as dolls, action figures, games and collectibles.
The broad approach is striking. Instead of only realising film figures as classic dolls, Mattel distributes the licence across several brands. These include Polly Pocket, UNO and Little People Collector. This makes the line look like a modular franchise kit for different target groups.
Mattel presents the line as a quick response to fan demand. According to Nick Karamanos, Senior Vice President for Action Figures and Entertainment Partnerships, the close partnership with Netflix enabled quick action and a very short development period. While this signals speed, it also indicates how short the merch window is for streaming hits - with a sequel to «KPop Demon Hunters» already announced
«For the fans» is also a business model
What strikes me about the announcement: Mattel emphasises «all age groups and all price ranges» and explicitly refers to the collection as «for fans». This is in line with the usual vocabulary of pop culture products. At the same time, this language signals that the brand is designed for scaling from the outset. The broader the product range, the higher the probability that individual items will end up in fans' everyday lives.
In terms of content, Mattel is sticking to the aesthetics and feel of the original: fashion, music, pop culture and characters centred around Rumi, Mira and Zoey. Specific product lists and prices are not mentioned in the press release.
My assessment: strong licence, late merch, lots of distribution
Strategically, this approach is understandable - but also unsurprising. «KPop Demon Hunters» combines music, visual aesthetics and clearly recognisable characters. This makes the template well suited to toys and collectibles. The distribution across several brands feels like a deliberate hedge. If the classic dolls don't work, UNO remains. If UNO doesn't carry enough weight, collectible sets remain. That is smart. But it also shows that Mattel is not hoping for a single perfect product, but wants to create as many entry points into a hype as possible - any cow can certainly be milked, it doesn't matter which one.
How do you see it: is this Mattel line a useful extension for fans, or is a streaming hype simply being exploited as efficiently as possible? Write your opinion in the comments below.
Header image: Mattel
