Hasbro’s Jennifer Schroth on bringing Play-Doh and Barbie together for a line of new playsets

Jennifer, it’s great to connect. You are the Design Manager for Play-Doh and Creative Play at Hasbro, and we’re here today to delve into Hasbro’s new Play-Doh Barbie range. For anyone yet to see the line, talk us through how you’ve brought Play-Doh and Barbie together.
The power of imagination is the heart of the Play-Doh brand and our mission is to encourage kids to use their creativity to harness imagination as a superpower. With this new licensing collaboration between Play-Doh and Barbie, we set out to bring together the best of both brands: Play-Doh’s hands-on imaginative play and the Barbie brand’s limitless storytelling possibilities.

These values come to life in the Play-Doh Barbie Designer Dolls, which give kids the chance to step into the role of a fashion designer in a completely unique way by using Play-Doh compound and creative tools to shape and style their own Barbie doll looks. Barbie has always been a canvas for storytelling – whether she’s an astronaut, a doctor or a rock star. With Play-Doh, that storytelling becomes even more interactive, as kids can mold, mix and create outfits that transform their Barbie doll again and again.

It’s the perfect fusion of two iconic brands, giving kids endless ways to dream up new adventures and express their creativity through play.

Did it take some time to crack how these two brands ‘made sense’ together, or was it pretty intuitive?
This project has been so fun to work on. It is definitely an example of the power of a great idea being championed by Hasbro and seeing its way to consumers at the right time and with the perfect licensing collaborator.

We are always exploring new ways to harness the power of Play-Doh compound in new play patterns and experiences. The fashion platform was the vision of a very talented designer who saw the possibilities. The Play-Doh team instantly saw the potential. We have spent a lot of time testing and refining the play with consumers. Seeing kids interact with this play pattern has been so informative and inspiring.

Collaborating with Mattel and the Barbie team has been a dream. We were excited to make this the amazing co-branded experience that we knew it could be. We have worked seamlessly to make sure that every aspect of this play experience celebrates the uniqueness of both brands. Throughout this process, we have learned a great deal about the Barbie brand. I can’t say enough good things. It has been a joy!

Lovely! And as you say, bringing Play-Doh to doll play feels very natural. What is it about the brand, and the compound itself, that enables it to suit other categories of play so neatly?
We really are serious when we say Play-Doh has limitless possibilities. The ability to mold, shape and squish the Play-Doh compound is unique and compelling to all ages. Transformation is huge for us. That moment of wonder when the Play-Doh compound changes from a squishy ball into something magical really ignites the imagination.

This line has a lot of fun innovation that captures the possibilities of Play-Doh compound. For instance, the fashion-making tools in the Play-Doh Barbie collection include a ruffle maker that transforms the Play-Doh compound into elegant, undulating ruffles and precise pleat accents.

We also love our new Play-Doh Pattern Sheets, which are flat sheets of patterned Play-Doh compound. This new format really lends itself to fashion play and inspires kids’ creativity. There are so many fashion tools in the collection that allow you to create fashion details and design your way.

We also find that Play-Doh compound is forgiving. People are not afraid to make mistakes because they know they can redo it and start again. The sensory aspect is very inviting and encourages imagination without barriers.

Terrific. Now, LinkedIn tells me you’ve been with Hasbro for 16 years. What is it about the company that has kept you happily there for such an impressive stretch of time?
We are all fortunate to work in an industry with so many possibilities. The creative culture and talented people I work with every day, both at Hasbro and our many partners, keep me inspired and energised. I have been provided the opportunity to work on many different brands and types of projects, which keeps things new and challenges me to learn and stretch my skills and ways of thinking.

We are always learning new things from kids, families and fans, which keeps our team looking forward to what could be next. Part of what drives me is working collaboratively with teams to overcome challenges and create new possibilities. That never gets old for me.

And what fuels your creativity? What helps you have ideas?
Oh wow, so many things. People, for one. I am endlessly impressed with how people think, envision ideas and generally create goodness in the world. I get inspiration from travel, music, art and science. Personally, nature is very important to me. Getting outside for a hike or out on the water energises me. I need to move my body and engage my senses. I enjoy being surrounded by the natural environment and all its sensory things. It gives me time away from a screen and to really make sense of things. It gives me time to create synergies and put pieces together. Most of all… Staying curious!

What set you a path into toy design? Was it always on the cards?
Oh, interesting… Perhaps! I definitely gravitated to the field of design when I was very young. I grew up in a very playful household and that likely informed my design sensibilities. My parents gave us a lot of freedom to be creative, explore and be curious.

I had an affinity for art and loved to draw. I was quite interested in learning how to do things, build things and understand how things worked. I learned how to sew from my grandmothers and mom. I remember getting my own kid sewing machine when I was five or six, which I thought was so cool. I followed my dad around watching him do carpentry work, fix cars and do electrical work. I basically handed him tools – and was likely in his way a lot! – but was watching and learning. I was fortunate to have so many makers to learn from and support my interest and curiosity.

And I think my first mini design firm was my brothers and me. We championed each other’s creations and helped make them. There were many ziplines for action figures, gadgets and multi-level LEGO cities that covered the floor. We sewed, customised our shoes and might have painted a wall or two… Exploring outside was huge too. We built tracks, bike ramps and had a very cool tire swing.

Sounds perfect! And did anything in particular push you to think of design as a career?
My kindergarten teacher and her husband lived across the street from me. He was a graphic designer and shared a lot of his work with me. He gave me his old art books and Communication Arts magazines. He showed me his layout art – all hand lettered text and illustration on thin vellum mounted on board. It was so cool. He was a true talent and class act. He told me about going to art school and it was my first exposure to design as a career.

Amazing. Thanks again Jennifer, and congrats on the Play-Doh Barbie line.

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