Dive Brief:

• Little Spoon, a subscription-based direct-to-consumer brand specializing in food for babies, toddlers and children, announced a collaboration with Mattel-owned children’s character Barney on May 6, according to information shared with Marketing Dive.
• The partnership kicks off the brand’s “Summer of Love” campaign, which is meant to deepen the connection between children and their parents. The collaboration includes a line of smoothies inspired by the “Barney” franchise and limited-edition merchandise offerings for both parents and kids.
• Beyond the Barney integration, Little Spoon worked with The Skin Deep, maker of discussion-prompt card games, to create a custom deck meant to encourage conversations between kids and parents. The deck, which drops May 11, will be added to 5,000 Little Spoon boxes.

Dive Insight:

While Little Spoon makes food for children, its primary marketing target is their parents. With millennials making up 80% of new parents in the U.S., per data shared by the brand, Little Spoon is tapping into ‘90s nostalgia to connect with this key demographic. Bridging generational gaps is a core theme of the “Summer of Love” campaign and the Mattel partnership is intended to encourage parents to introduce a character from their childhood to their own children.

According to data provided by Little Spoon, 70% of parents feel disconnected from their children during the week. Making Barney the face of meal or snack time allows parents to introduce aspects of their own childhood to their kids, potentially sparking conversation. The merchandise line, which has products for both kids and parents, provides another layer of connectivity.

The campaign was teased by Little Spoon via an Instagram post featuring old “Barney” merchandise, such as slippers, a purse and bedsheets. The post generated 10 times the engagement compared to a typical static post from the brand, per details shared with Marketing Dive, suggesting the character still resonates with consumers. A video for the campaign depicts Little Spoon Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Angela Vranich struggling to think up ideas. With the help of Barney, Vranich is able to think up a smoothie inspired by the dinosaur as well as his friends Billy and Baby Bop. All three smoothies come in themed pouches.

“Barney & Friends” was a staple of ‘90’s kids TV, ultimately running for 14 seasons. Despite the dinosaur’s popularity having waned in recent years, the character was part of the childhood experience for many millennials. While contemporary characters such as Bluey are more recognizable to children, Little Spoon’s integration with Barney could help the brand appeal to parents.

For Mattel, the partnership is a way to introduce Barney to a new generation. The toy company saw a Q4 of fiscal year 2024 revenue of $1.65 billion, a 1.59% year-over-year increase, according to a recent earnings call. The relaunch of the “Barney” franchise is part of a larger effort to strengthen franchise brands across the board.

The food and drink subscription box market was valued at $5.2 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to $9.4 billion by 2030. The organic baby food market is predicted to grow from $7.23 billion in 2023 to $17.48 billion in 2032.