Influencer Hit With Cease-and-Desist by Mattel For Using 'Barbie' In Her Username Bunny Hedaya, also known as Bunny Barbie to followers, is claiming that the toy company has hit her with a court order over her username.
By Emily Rella •
Apparently, we can't all be Barbie girls living in a Barbie world.
An influencer, who formerly called herself "Bunny Barbie," was slammed with a cease-and-desist by Barbie's parent company Mattel to stop using the word "Barbie" in her name, forcing her to reveal her government name and potentially putting her privacy (and her family's) at risk.
Bunny Barbie, whose real name is Bunny Heyada, told TikTok viewers that she believes she was being "targeted" by the toy company and claims that prior to the court order, she was receiving PR packages and even event invitations from Mattel.
@bunnyhedaya Replying to @amandachristine_1 ♬ original sound - BUNNY ?
"I use the name Barbie for everything," she told viewers. "It's on my medical records, it's on my documents, it's literally on everything I've ever done for the last 15 years."
Related: How Influencer Marketing Took Power, and What the Future Holds
She says that when she started using TikTok, she wanted to maintain her children's privacy, so she began using an alter ego.
Bunny went on to explain how being a verified creator on the TikTok app adds a level of difficulty when needing to make a username change — the only way to keep her verification status (and most likely a slew of followers and potential brand deals) is by changing her name to her legal name, per the terms of the app.
"I never planned on saying my real name on the internet because I just wanted to keep some privacy for my family," she said in a second video before revealing her name to fans.
@bunnyhedayaNew year new me. Hi! Its bunny Hedaya
♬ original sound - BUNNY ?
Bunny currently has 2.1 million TikTok followers.
Mattel has not publicly confirmed or commented on the lawsuit.
