Mattel takes NickToonsters ad breaks

Toy company Mattel has signed a deal to take over the first ad break of every hour during the launch day of NickToonsters, the Nickelodeon spin-off, on August 18.

Mattel toys will feature during the entire first ad break, showcasing key brands including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Batman, My Meebas and Radica Password Journal, in a deal negotiated by Nickelodeon sales house Viacom Brand Solutions.

The toy company has also committed to a heavyweight campaign across the channel in the run-up to Christmas.

The deal follows two sponsorship tie-ups for Mattel’s flagship Barbie brand with Turner Media Innovations across its Cartoon Network channels, and VBS on Nick Jr (MW last week).

Mattel has committed toa year-long programme of activity and initiatives to support Barbie, which turns50 next year.

Mattel marketing director Jackie Jordan says that it is already the toy industry’s “leading” TV advertiser. However, she adds that Mattel wanted to showcase its portfolio of brands during NickToonsters’s launch day and further extend its relationship with Nickelodeon.

NickToonsters will launch on the Sky digital platform and aims to bridge the gap between Nick Jr to Nicktoons, for five to seven-year-olds.

It launches with popular animations, including The Rugrats, Hey Arnold and The Wild Thornberrys, with a slightly more female skew than NickToons, which is also targeted at an older audience.

VBS managing director Nick Bampton says the launch aims to cement Nickelodeon’s position as the number one children’s commercial network.