Mattel Unveils New First Responder Action Figures to Raise Money for Coronavirus Relief

Today, Mattel unveiled the #ThankYouHeroes collection, a new line of Fisher-Price action figures that includes nurses, doctors, delivery drivers, and EMTs. Not only will the toys help teach kids about the everyday heroes keeping us safe during the coronavirus pandemic, but the net proceeds will go toward helping those first responders themselves.

The action figures retail at $20 each, and $15 of every sale will be donated to #FirstRespondersFirst, an initiative launched by Thrive Global to offer support to healthcare workers in virtually every way possible: providing personal protective equipment like masks and gloves, food, childcare, mental health services, and more.

“Mattel’s iconic brands and products speak to something deep within us,” Thrive Global founder and CEO Arianna Huffington said in a press release. “So it will be wonderful to see this new Fisher-Price collection not only bring joy to children, but give parents and caregivers a new way to honor healthcare first responders and everyday heroes and their families."

The toys won’t be shipped for several more months—the press release says they should be on their way by December 31, 2020—but you can pre-order them now through May 31, 2020, so your donation makes it to #FirstRespondersFirst sooner rather than later. And, since healthcare workers are always saving lives, pandemic or not, there’s really no expiration date on encouraging kids to play with toys that represent that kind of everyday heroism.

“Whether these toys are given as a gift to recognize someone working on the front lines, or used as a tool to help children have conversations about how they are feeling, it is our hope that Fisher-Price toys, and play in general, can ultimately make these difficult times easier for both kids and adults,” Chuck Scothon, a Fisher-Price senior vice president and Mattel’s global head of infant and preschool, said in a press release.

You can shop the collection here, and find out more ways to join in the coronavirus relief efforts here.