Mattel said Wednesday that it will not move forward with plans to sell a kid-focused smart hub, after new executives decided it did not “fully align with Mattel’s new technology strategy,” according to a company statement.
Children’s health and privacy advocates last week petitioned the toy giant not to release the device, which they argued gave the firm an unprecedented look into the personal lives of children.
In a statement, Mattel said that it had decided internally not to take the product to market after a new chief technology officer, Sven Gerjets joined the company in July. Gerjets, Mattel said, reviewed the product and decided “not to bring Aristotle to the marketplace as part of an ongoing effort to deliver the best possible connected product experience to the consumer.”
Aristotle was designed for a child’s room. It could switch on a night light to soothe a crying baby. It was also designed to keep changing its activities, even to the point where it could help a preteen with homework. And the device would learn about the child along the way.
