Toy maker Mattel said it is working with Samsung to launch its first free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels later this year.

Three channels are in the works: Barbie and Friends, Hot Wheels Action and Mattel Jr.

The will be available on the Samsung TV Plus streaming platform, as well as Samsung Galaxy devices and on the web.

The channels will feature programming based on Mattel brands such as American Girl, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, Masters of the Universe, Matchbox, classic Monster High and Thomas & Friends.

“With the global appeal of Mattel’s brand portfolio and our expanding content offering, we are thrilled to partner with Samsung TV Plus to establish our first-ever FAST channels,” said Jason Horowitz, senior VP, global head of marketing & Media at Mattel. “In launching these channels, we gain the opportunity to deepen our relationship with existing Mattel fans and connect with all-new audiences.”

The Hot Wheels Action channel will feature characters like He-Manl, Thomas & Friends, while Mattel Jr. will provide stories featuring Kipper the dog, PIngu the penguin and the characters from Fisher-Price.

Mattel programming will be showcased on as part of the “Kids’ destination on Samsung TV Plus’ home screen.

“Mattel choosing to launch its first FAST channels with Samsung TV Plus is a testament to the service and audiences we have built,” added Sarah Nelson Uberto, head of business development, partnerships at Samsung TV Plus. “Barbie and Friends, Hot Wheels Action and Mattel Jr. add even more choice to Samsung TV Plus’ stable of family-friendly, brand-safe content we know both viewers and advertisers will love.” 

Nickelodeon and Mattel television said they renewed the animated series Monster High for Season 2 with a 20-episode order.

Season 1 of Monster High premiered in the U.S. on Oct. 28, improving its time slot with a 0.58 rating among kids 2 to 11. Across all of the Nickelodeon networks, Monster High was seen by 1 million kids and 4 million total viewers.

A digital Monster High series with 8 episodes is set to make it debut on the official Monster High YouTube Channel on Nov. 18. 

“Monster High is an iconic franchise that continues to connect with fans around the globe because of its creativity, relatable characters, and authenticity,” said Claudia Spinelli, Senior VP, Big Kids Animation. “We can’t wait to continue to work alongside our partners at Mattel to bring even more animated stories to life surrounding the most-famous teen monsters around.”

The series follows teenage monsters–Clawdeen Wolf, Draculaura, Frankie Stein and Deuce Gorgon–as the navigate growing up and the high school experience in a special institution, Monster High.

“Monster High is a franchise that, at its core, encourages fans to live as their true selves and celebrate the things that make them unique,” said Fred Soulie, Senior VP and General Manager at Mattel Television. “We are proud to partner with Nickelodeon and our talented cast members from both the animated and live-action worlds of Monster High to continue delivering this important message through fun, entertaining content.” 

Following Monster High The Movie, Nickelodeon and Mattel Television recently announced they have greenlit a sequel to the live-action movie musical, which debuted on Nickelodeon and Paramount Plus Oct 6. Based on the iconic Mattel franchise about the children of famous monsters and creatures, the feature-length TV movie will begin production in January in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and will air on Nickelodeon and stream on Paramount Plus  in 2023.

Shea Fontana serves as showrunner and co-executive producer of Monster High, with Nick Filippi as supervising producer. Production is overseen for Nickelodeon by Claudia Spinelli, Senior VP, Big Kids Animation, and Nikki Price, Director of Franchise Animation. Fred Soulie, Senior VP and General Manager of Mattel Television, and Christopher Keenan, Senior VP of Creative, serve as executive producers for Mattel. ■

Pictionary, hosted by Jerry O'Connell, is the first new series to be picked up into syndication for fall 2022, with the Fox Television Stations planning to air it across all of its stations, Frank Cicha, executive VP, programming, Fox Television Stations, said.

Pictionary will be produced by Fox First Run and Bill’s Market and Television Production with CBS Media Ventures (CMV) is distributing and selling the advertising time. 

“Our partnership with CBS Media Ventures produced an entertaining program worthy of a national launch, but more importantly, we needed to bring Jerry O’Connell back to teach me the game because I still stink at it,” Cicha said in a statement.  

“After a successful summer run on Fox stations, we’re excited to continue our relationship with Fox and roll out Pictionary to the rest of the country,” Jonathan Bingaman, executive VP, sales, CMV, said also in a statement. “Game shows have been delivering impressive ratings and growth regardless of daypart, so this is a great opportunity for stations to add another well-known franchise to their lineups.”  

Pictionary is based on Mattel’s popular at-home game in which players quickly sketch pictures to try to get their team to correctly guess a word or phrase. The TV show will pit two teams of three players each against each other, with each team led by a celebrity captain. The grand prize is a trip to an exotic destination. 

“I grew up playing Pictionary and now my kids are growing up playing Pictionary. All these tension-filled years of yelling, 'What is that supposed to be' and 'Draw faster, Grandma,' have culminated in this moment,” O’Connell said. “Sharpen those pencils. Daytime just got a little more exciting.”  

O’Connell, who joined the panel of CBS’ The Talk this fall, began his acting career at age 11 when he starred in Stand by Me, and then went to appear in such films as Jerry Maguire, Scream 2 and Kangaroo Jack. He’s also appeared in many TV shows, including Carter, The Death of Superman, Scream Queens, Mistresses and Billions. He recently starred in A Soldier’s Play on Broadway, which is nominated for seven Tony awards.

In summer 2019, O’Connell hosted his own test talk show on the Fox stations, Jerry O, but it was not picked up to series. 

Pictionary will be executive produced by David Hurwitz and Noah Bonnett. Fred Soulie, senior VP and GM of Mattel Television and Phil Breman, VP, live action, serve as co-executive producers for Mattel.    

Nickelodeon and Mattel said they plan to produce a new Monster High animated series and a live-action television movie musical based on the franchise.

The series will be available across Nick platforms in 2022.

The movie is expected to be available next year as well.

Also Read: Nickelodeon Invites Kids to Virtual Upfront on March 18

“Monster High’s strong message of inclusivity is more relevant than ever,” said Fred Soulie, GM, Mattel Television. “Nickelodeon shares our passion for the brand and its purpose having worked on the franchise when it first launched more than a decade ago. They are the ideal partners to bring these beloved characters and their stories to life through episodic television and the live-action television movie.” 

Monster High, first introduced in 2010, features the school-days adventures of the offspring of famous monsters, including Clawdeen Wolf, Draculaura, and Frankie Stein 

“These classic monsters have always captured kids’ imaginations and we are so excited and proud to welcome Monster High to our brand for a new generation of kids,” said Ramsey Naito, president of Nickelodeon Animation. “We have terrific partners on board at Mattel to create original content in different formats, and, with the expertise of the Nick creative team helmed by Claudia Spinelli on the animation development side, and Zack Olin and Shauna Phelan on the live-action side, we can’t wait to showcase the comedy and adventure of these characters as they defy expectations and take on the world.”

The Monster High programming underscores a key element of Nickelodeon’s content strategy, to build and expand the world's of enormously popular franchises such as Star Trek, SpongeBob SquarePants and Henry Danger.

The Monster High series and movie musical event join other Mattel Television content in production, including series and specials based on Barbie, Masters of the Universe, Thomas & Friends, Polly Pocket and Fireman Sam.

Production on the Monster High animated TV series is overseen for Nickelodeon by Claudia Spinelli, senior VP, animation development. Shea Fontana is serving as the showrunner. Jenny Jaffe and the writing team of Greg Erb and Jason Oremland have been tapped to write the Monster High live-action television movie. 

Production on the Monster High movie for Nickelodeon is overseen by Zack Olin, senior VP, live-action and Shauna Phelan, senior VP, live-action scripted content. Adam Bonnett, executive producer and Christopher Keenan, senior VP of content development are overseeing the animated series for Mattel, and Bonnett is also overseeing the live-action movie for Mattel.

Discovery Communications public relations professional Catherine Frymark has accepted a top role at toy maker Mattel Inc., and will leave her position with the programmer after 20 years.

Frymark will join Mattel next month (December) as executive VP of corporate communications, overseeing global external and internal corporate communications and the company’s philanthropic efforts, including the Mattel Children’s Foundation. She will report to chairman and CEO Ynon Kreiz.

Mattel has expanded its offerings from its core toys and games business to licensing its properties for TV, film and streaming in the past few years. 

“Catherine is an outstanding executive, with a demonstrated track record of driving strategic communications during times of growth and transformation,” Kreiz said in a press release. “I look forward to partnering with her to tell our story in compelling ways, communicate our leadership in corporate social responsibility and amplify the Mattel purpose to empower the next generation to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential.”

Frymark spent about 20 years at Discovery, most recently as group senior VP, communications. One of the most respected communications professionals in the media business, she held several roles inside the programmer over the years, and led communications for Discovery’s purchase and integration of Scripps Networks, parent of HGTV and Food Network. In addition to external communications, she has led Discovery’s internal and employee communications teams, global events, viewer relations and Discovery’s corporate social media practice.

“For 75 years, Mattel and its portfolio of iconic, beloved brands have inspired play and made cherished memories for families around the world, including my own,” Frymark said in a press release. “I have long admired Mattel, am proud to join its leadership team, and am eager to guide the next phase of the company’s communications and philanthropic endeavors.”

Before joining Discovery, Frymark held communications roles at PG&E National Energy Group and the Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce. She began her career in public relations at Capener, Matthews & Walcher Advertising & Public Relations in San Diego. 

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has taken aim at a new Mattel AI toy, Aristotle, calling it a data-collecting and marketing intruder.

The device, which is described as alternately, a smart baby monitor (it has "cry detection" technology), high-tech electronic assistant and an Amazon Echo for kids, has a camera and microphone and generated buzz when it was introduced by Mattel's nabi division at the year's CES show in Las Vegas.

Mattel says that "child development/parenting advice, learning, music entertainment, books and games content [from third parties including iHeart Radio] can be instantly accessed through the Aristotle hub and corresponding Aristotle app."

"In order to work, Aristotle collects and stores data about a child’s activity and interactions within range of the device," says CCFC. "Because Aristotle connects to other apps and online retailers, that data can be shared with those partner corporations, who in turn can use it to target the marketing of other products to a child or her family."

CCFC is hosting a petition to try to get Mattel to pull the plug on the device. Among their concerns is that the toy could interfere with the responding and bonding that are crucial to the parent/child relationship.

"Many of the country’s leading experts on child development and health concur that Mattel’s Aristotle product is a digital “Trojan Horse” that threatens their well-being," said Center for Digital Democracy Executive Director Jeff Chester. "Mattel should not be trying to creep into the room where a child sleeps in order to spy on them and generate revenues. This product should not enter the marketplace."

Mattel said on the Aristotle Web site that all the data is encrypted and that it is in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

At press time, a Mattel spokesperson had not returned a request for comment on the petition.