When I was 8 years-old, my brother (10 at the time) and I really wanted Pro Wrestling for the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). Pro Wrestling had a monster character called The Amazon who bit his opponents heads thats pretty much all it took back then for a game to be a hit. But for Christmas 1989, we got WWF WrestleMania, a terrible game with real WWF (now WWE) wrestlers. The worst part? No one bit anyones head in the officially licensed game. This Christmas, 8 year-olds may be disappointed for another reason.

Netflixs (by way of Sony) most-watched-ever movie KPop Demon Hunters is (still) all the rage. If you dont know KPop Demon Hunters yet, you will in a week when roughly 10,000 Rumis come trick-or-treating. Quality on the HUNTR/X costumes will vary, as the only options are homemade, sort of rush-delivered officially licensed Spirit Halloween costumes or a generic knockoff. Parents will have only have that final option come Christmas toy-shopping.

Earlier this week, Netflix signed deals with toymakers Mattel and Hasbro to manufacture KPop Demon Hunters consumer products. Mattel will make the dolls, action figures, accessories, collectibles and play sets; Hasbro will make the stuffys, electronics and board games. The problem is, none of this stuff will be available for this holiday season, when they would be in peak demand.

Dont blame the builders. Well, not too much.

A Netflix spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter that when the streamer approached its licensing partners and retailers in 2024, it received only soft interest. Thats not shocking: KPop Demon Hunters was wholly new, unproven IP. One year and 325 million views later, everyone is sprinting at full speed to catch up to demand.

They wont make it for the holidays not these holidays at least. Its just not possible.

Making toys and games usually takes about 18 months from concept to store shelves, Nick Karamanos, Mattels senior vice president of entertainment partnerships tells The Hollywood Reporter.

Where were you at those pitch meetings 12-18 months ago, Nick? (Just kidding until I see my daughters Christmas lists, perhaps.)

Karamanos and his counterparts at Netflix (and probably Hasbro, though they didnt respond to our emails) are on it. Their stuff will begin to come out in phases from spring 2026 through Christmas 2026.

This is warp-speed for us, Karamanos said. It is absolutely the fastest weve ever done.

To put it another way: Santas elves couldnt even keep up with Karamanos assembly line, so dont bank on that loophole either, kids.

And Netflix is wildly expediting the product-selection process on its end, he said. Some products have already been dreamt up by Mattel and approved by the streamer those products (Karamanos could not elaborate on what they are) will be the first ones out. It helps to play catch-up with a company youve worked with before: Mattel makes toys for Netflix series Stranger Things, Squid Game and Bridgerton.

Pushing the pedal to the metal here will not push aside quality control, a huge point of emphasis for us, Karamanos promised. Another is providing what he called newness in its product line. In other words, Mattel isnt just making Barbie dolls with long, purple braids (though there will probably be those too) here. The excellent music of KPop Demon Hunters is on the table, absolutely for his line, Karamanos said.

Karamanos says hes cool sharing the (eventual) spoils with competitor Hasbro. They have a core competency and theyre going to create products in their areas that we wouldnt, and so I wish them well.

A person with knowledge of the deal told THR that Mattel is making about 80 percent of the consumer products in the Mattel/Hasbro split.

KPop Demon Hunters Courtesy of Netflix HUNTR/X fans wont be totally SOL this Xmas. Netflixs own shop carries KPop Demon Hunters clothing, Funko Pop! figures, light sticks created by Copan Global, etc., and themed apparel continues to roll out at Amazon,Zara Kids,Target,Gap,Old Navy andHot Topic.

One thing Netflix (and Mattel and Hasbro and every other company named in this story) definitely doesnt want you doing is buying unlicensed KPop Demon Hunters toys (on, say, Etsy) or generic knockoffs, like Korean Movie Figures.

Netflix says it will work closely with our IP security team to take action where appropriate. Theyll have help.

We certainly would help Netflix go and pursue those counterfeits, Karamanos said.