‘EcoWarrior Barbie’ hoax hits Mattel, mocks use of plastic merchandise

An elaborate hoax that includes actress Daryl Hannah hit Mattel on Tuesday, apparently perpetrated by local weather change activists utilizing buzz in regards to the Barbie film to mock the toy firm’s use of plastic.

The “EcoWarrior Barbie” promotional marketing campaign imitating Mattel Corp. and Los Angeles-based public relations agency JPR Communications included faux press releases, spoofed Mattel web sites and e-mail addresses, false telephone numbers, dozens of social media profiles and a video of Ms. Hannah saying the phony product line.

The spoofed supplies introduced that the phony “MyCelia Barbie” dolls produced from mushrooms, algae and different pure supplies could be modeled after Ms. Hannah and different local weather activists resembling Greta Thunberg as a part of the California-based firm’s transition from recyclable plastic to all-natural supplies by 2030.

Several information retailers, together with The Times, have been duped by the marketing campaign and briefly posted articles about it earlier than taking them down.

“While we cannot confirm the source of the information you received, this is a hoax and has nothing to do with Mattel or any of its products,” a Mattel spokesperson instructed The Times.

“We have nothing to do with this. Whoever these guys are, they’re good,” added Mark Smith, govt vp and associate at JPR.

Mr. Smith mentioned the “unsubscribe” hyperlink on the backside of pretend press releases included an older model of JPR’s company emblem that was phased out six months in the past. The agency handles press bulletins for expertise corporations associated to synthetic intelligence, Microsoft Edge and knowledge warehousing.

“I wonder if they just looked for ‘California PR agency’ and found our old image on Google,” he added in an e-mail. “It’s very bizarre.”

The phony marketing campaign claimed Mattel would abandon recycled plastic supplies, foyer for a federal ban on nonessential plastics and convert its amenities to all-natural manufacturing.

In actuality, the California-based toymaker has introduced plans to maneuver towards 100% recycled, recyclable and biodegradable plastic in all of its merchandise and packaging by 2030. But Mattel has introduced no plans to surrender utilizing plastic altogether.

The firm additionally manufactures the American Girl, Fisher-Price and Hot Wheels toy manufacturers.

In addition to her obvious video look on the faux product’s YouTube Channel, Ms. Hannah seems in a publicity picture holding a doll. The spoofed media marketing campaign claimed she would seem in a digital press convention at 5 p.m. ET to announce the brand new Barbie line.

Another video on the YouTube channel performs a catchy jingle whereas youngsters play with dolls in a number of make-believe situations, together with one wherein Barbie is arrested by the police and one wherein she tosses Molotov cocktails at Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The hoax marketing campaign mentioned different “environmental heroes” within the new restricted version dolls would come with Julia Butterfly Hill, Phoebe Plummer, Neimonte Nenquimo and “more than 2,500 dead activists from around the world who have been tragically lost while protecting nature in the last decade.”

Mattel mentioned it couldn’t verify whether or not the actual Ms. Hannah appeared within the marketing campaign.

The Times has reached out for remark to the expertise company representing the 62-year-old actress, a well known local weather change activist who starred in “Splash” and the “Kill Bill” movies.

Lawrence Kopeiken, Ms. Hannah’s lawyer in California, mentioned he couldn’t supply an announcement on her behalf.

A lady calling herself Beverly Hamm, who claimed to signify Mattel within the faux promoting marketing campaign, insisted that the hoax was actual in a number of e-mail exchanges with The Times on Tuesday.

A person calling himself J.D. Turk, who answered the Los Angeles-area telephone quantity listed within the press supplies and claimed to be her govt assistant, mentioned the identical.

“Obviously, we’re a big corporation and it sounds like you’re being duped,” he added in a telephone name.

There isn’t any “Beverly Hamm” or “JD Turk” listed as workers at Mattel or JPR Communications. A Google seek for the latter title redirected to “J.D.” and “Turk,” two characters from the ABC sitcom “Scrubs.”

Mattel is having fun with a surge of success with the discharge of “Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as the long-lasting dolls Barbie and Ken. Produced partly by Mattel Films, the film has earned practically $800 million globally within the first two weekends of its theatrical launch that ended Sunday.