The Dublin-based company uses a ‘kid-safe’ app to bring toys to life with AR technology.
Irish toy-tech start-up HoloToyz has announced a new partnership with US toy company Mattel to launch augmented reality (AR) products for Mattel’s Barbie and Hot Wheels brands.
According to today’s announcement (10 February), HoloToyz will launch an AR Fashion Dress-up Barbie toyset, where kids will be able to dress the doll in a selection of magnetic outfits and then use the start-up’s dedicated app to see the doll “come to life” in a 3D animation while wearing the chosen outfit.
Also included in the Barbie range is a four-in-one AR jigsaw puzzle along with a selection of interactive temporary tattoos and stickers.
As for the Hot Wheels range, HoloToyz products will include magnetic cubes along with jigsaw puzzles, tattoos and stickers.
HoloToyz CEO and co-founder Kate Scott said that the company is proud to collaborate with Mattel on an “iconic project”.
“Bringing Barbie and Hot Wheels to life through AR is a dream come true for us, and we can’t wait for kids to experience the magic of our technology,” she said.
According to the company, eco-friendly materials will be used across the product range.
HoloToyz, which previously featured in our Start-up of the Week series, was founded in 2020 by Scott, Declan Fahy and Paul Cosgrave. The company utilises an AR “kid-safe” app to bring its physical products to life in 3D-animated form.
In 2022, Scott told SiliconRepublic.com that the company was targeting millennial parents and the kids of Generation Alpha.
“Millennial parents have grown up in an age of digital revolution and are the first to experience social media and emerging technologies,” she said at the time. “As parents, they are not afraid to share and enjoy digital experiences with their children and they recognise this is the world their children will grow up in.”
The start-up has previously partnered with other major brands such as Nickelodeon, developing a line of products for the Paw Patrol TV series.
In 2023, HoloToyz was recognised in Germany for its “outstandingly innovative” augmented reality-based tattoos and stickers at Spielwarenmesse, winning the prestigious Start-up ToyAward.
Later that year, the Irish company launched in the US after striking a partnership with Diverse Marketing.
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