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Mattel is running a huge Barbie DreamHouse campaign for the kidults.

Mattel is running a huge Barbie DreamHouse campaign for the kidults. The new 2026 DreamHouse might be a toy, but the “Barbie is Moving” platform shows Barbie knows adults are their most stable fandom. Kids might grow out of toys, but the adults have lifelong commitment and spending power, which they more than proved with the Barbie movie’s success. Pinterest data also shows Barbie home inspo has been a popular search, which makes the DreamHouse a tangible way to connect with adults outside toys. That’s why they’ve partnered with so many brands that hit across adult platforms for the new launch. There’s a room restyle tool on Pinterest, a moving checklist on Canva, a Rightmove DreamHouse listing in the U.K., a rent / mortgage contribution promotion with Fotocasa in Spain, and a three-city moving truck experience. There’s also new content on YouTube and Roblox activations in “Barbie DreamHouse Tycoon” for the kids, but we know the kidults love Roblox, too. (The Drum)

👀 Read more from YPulse: Here Are Kidults’ Top 10 Favorite Toy Brands

In other news…

  • Content creators are selling copper wire as a side hustle, and if this isn’t a recession indicator, what is?
  • The rumors were true! Pokémon Happy Meals are coming back with box-shaped toys, a card collection, and a digital game
  • Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato recreated their Princess Protection Programlooks for a new Rare Beauty collab (talk about Disney cool girls!)
  • A Nike x Cactus Jack x Rockstar Games collection is reportedly launching alongside GTA VI
  • 7-Eleven made a K-drama microseries to promo their new Korean menu

TikTok is building restaurant discovery into the app.

TikTok is building restaurant discovery into the app. The new “Must Eat” hub is only available in NYC, LA, and the Bay Area right now, but it uses tons of content (40M posts, to be exact) to create a sortable restaurant guide. Like on Yelp, users can find the cuisine they want, leave reviews, bookmark spots, and even make reservations. As it has with everything else, user-generated content democratizes food criticism, making any foodie with a phone the next authority on where to eat and influencing what’s added to menus. This is far from the first time TikTok has made a feature to centralize what users search for most; they’ve previously made Reviews for businesses and TikTok Go for booking travel. And because food is such a huge content category, it should really be no surprise this is next. After all, TikTok says 27M diners ate somewhere new in the last year because of TikTok in the U.S. alone. (The Verge)

👀 Read more from YPulse: Most Gen Z Use Social Media as a Search Engine

Tubi is putting TikTokers on the TV screen.

Tubi is putting TikTokers on the TV screen. The streamer is launching the Creatorverse Incubator, giving 12 creators the opportunity to make long-form content. The initial class of TikTokers chosen includes Kai Cameron (@kaicameronisacelebrity) hosting a twist on a dating show, and Marc Sebastian (@marcsebastianf) in a travel show about Australia. As Tubi explains, “The creators we’re working with have built a following, a point of view and a body of work that people come back for,” so they’re banking on those audiences showing up for more “ambitious” and funded content as well. The YouTube-to-streaming pipeline has become a norm, so it makes sense that TikTokers would be the next era of the trend. (Variety)

👀 Read more from YPulse: Gen Z is Turning YouTubers into Box Office Giants

Mozilla called on some of the internet’s most infamous creators for their latest anti-AI ad.

Mozilla called on some of the internet’s most infamous creators for their latest anti-AI ad. To draw users away from “AI-filled Google Chrome” and back to Firefox (remember that browser?), the brand recruited meme-era icons from Firefox’s late 2000s and early 2010s heyday. Overly Attached Girlfriend, Annoying Orange, and Numa Numa Guy are just a few of the creators that came back for two new commercials. And rather than treating the creators as random cameos, the campaign used them to show how much the web has changed since they were popular. The production team recreated each creator’s original look, setting, and performance, so viewers can recognize them years later and feel how impersonal the internet has become as “tracking, platform control and AI features became more prominent.” Mozilla isn’t the first brand this year to lean on anti-AI messaging, and with Gen Z’s feelings about AI souring, it likely won’t be the last. (Mashable, ContentGrip)

👀 Read more from YPulse: 3 Brands Going Anti-AI as a Marketing Strategy

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