C’mon Barbie, get in your decked-out, pink Hot Wheels car and let’s go party at TOKYOPOP!
Mattel and TOKYOPOP are teaming up to bring these two childhood icons into a new storytelling world with a western-style manga graphic novel series. These graphic novels is categorized for children ages 8 to 12, but that doesn’t mean adults can’t go down nostalgia lane. The first titles will debut in print in 2026 and features original stories and artwork, graphic novel series inspired by Hot Wheels and new stories featuring characters from Barbie.
Both Ryan Ferguson, Mattel’s Global Head of Publishing, and Marc Visnick, TOKYOPOP’s COO and Publisher, have expressed excitement about the collaboration. “We look forward to sharing these legendary brands and bold new adventures to our global audience of readers,” Visnick said.
This isn’t the first time these Mattel brands have been re-imagined in graphic print format. Dell Comics published the Barbie and Ken comic book series in 1962, then just under 30 years later, Marvel published Barbie and Barbie Fashion in 1991 which highlighted Barbie’s various careers including a fashion designer, musician, and actor. Papercutz also released a series of Barbie graphic novels in 2016. TOKYOPOP has also released their own Barbie series, although these were “Cine-Manga” storybooks that incorporated screenshots from the various TV and film animations.
Hot Wheels, in comparison, doesn’t boast quite as big of a graphic novel adaptation. DC Comics released a six-issue series in 1970.
The first Barbie doll, released in March 1959, wore a black-and-white striped swimsuit, and despite initial criticisms, it sold 350,000 units in its first year. Since then, it has become a household name for families. Barbie has starred in numerous TV and film animations and recently released a live-action adaptation in July 2023 which became the highest-grossing film of that year.
Invented by Elliot Handler, Hot Wheels debuted in May 1967 with ‘The Original Sweet 16’ line and became an enormous threat to Matchbox beginning in 1968. A live-action Hot Wheels film has been in conversation as early as 2003 but after much back-and-forth with rights being passed from Columbia Pictures to Warner Bros., it has been relatively quiet on that front.
Source: TOKYOPOP and Mattel
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