Secret Lair x Play Doh: Squishful Thinking united Wizards of the Coast, Play-Doh, and Extra Life around a shared belief that play has the power to make big change for all kids.
The objective was to transform a premium collectible product into a meaningful fundraising vehicle that would engage Magic: The Gathering fans while introducing new audiences to Extra Life's mission of supporting Children's Miracle Network. Rather than creating a traditional cause marketing campaign, the partnership sought to build something that felt authentic to both brands and genuinely valuable to the gaming community. Because Play-Doh and Magic: The Gathering are both Hasbro brands, the collaboration also created an opportunity to strengthen Extra Life's connections within Hasbro's broader family of brands, deepening an internal partnership alongside the external one with fans.
By combining the creativity and nostalgia of Play-Doh with the imagination of Magic and the purpose driven community of Extra Life, the campaign encouraged fans to support children's healthcare through a product they were excited to own. Every purchase became more than a collectible. It became an opportunity to help ensure children receive the care they need while demonstrating that gaming communities can create real world impact when united around a shared purpose.
The campaign set out to deepen community engagement, strengthen awareness of Extra Life among tabletop gamers, and prove that purpose driven collaborations can create lasting value for brands, fans, and children's hospitals alike.
The success of Secret Lair x Play Doh: Squishful Thinking came from creating a partnership that felt natural rather than promotional.
Wizards of the Coast has been a longtime supporter of Extra Life, and this campaign expanded that relationship through one of Magic's most recognizable premium products: Secret Lair. Partnering with Play-Doh introduced a playful visual identity that immediately stood out within the collectible trading card space while reinforcing the campaign's central message that play can create positive change. Play-Doh is also widely used by hospitals, child life specialists, and pediatric therapists as a familiar, hands-on tool to help children process emotions, practice coping skills, build fine motor strength, and feel more comfortable in clinical or therapeutic settings. As a fellow Hasbro brand, Play-Doh also gave Extra Life a natural entry point for building connections within Hasbro's family of brands, strengthening the broader partnership beyond Wizards of the Coast alone.
The limited edition drop featured exclusive sculpted 3D Play-Doh models for the card illustrations, transforming beloved Magic cards into imaginative, colorful collectibles unlike anything previously released through Secret Lair. The campaign was promoted across Wizards of the Coast's digital channels, Secret Lair platforms, and Extra Life's gaming community, allowing each partner to reach highly engaged audiences while reinforcing a unified story.
" Extra Life proved something we've always believed at Wizards: gamers show up. Players around the world have turned their love of games into more than $10 million for Seattle Children's — and this year's Secret Lair x Play-Doh drop helped get us there. For a company built on play, this isn't a side project. It's our purpose in practice." Sarah Knott, Director, Global Philanthropy & Social Impact, Wizards of the Coast.
Rather than asking fans to simply donate, the partnership gave them something meaningful in return: a unique, fully playable, collector's item tied directly to a cause they could support. This approach removed barriers to participation by allowing fans to express their passion for Magic: The Gathering while helping donations go to Extra Life to support Children’s Miracle Network.
The collaboration also demonstrated how nonprofit partnerships can extend beyond logo placement or charitable messaging. Every aspect of the campaign reflected the shared values of creativity, community, and play. Fans weren't just purchasing cards. They became part of a larger movement proving that hobbies and fandoms can create measurable social impact.
By bringing together one of the world's most passionate tabletop gaming communities with two beloved brands, the campaign showed how authentic partnerships can inspire generosity, strengthen community engagement, and create lasting impact for children and families.
Secret Lair x Play-Doh: Squishful Thinking proved that authentic nonprofit partnerships can inspire real community action. The collaboration generated excitement across the Magic community, reached new audiences, and reinforced Wizards of the Coast's ongoing commitment to children's healthcare, validating our belief that play has purpose.
Fundraising: Fans helped drive overall fundraising with a total of $927,145 donated directly to Extra Life and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, benefiting Seattle Children's Hospital from sales.
Earned Media: The drop earned coverage across gaming, pop culture, and trade press, including GameSpot (~40M monthly visits), Popverse (~2.4M, charity-focused), Draftsim (~2.4M, which called it a "staple stacked" release), MTG Rocks (~1.4M, plus a dedicated bonus-card follow-up), Star City Games (~1.1M), and trade coverage from ICv2.
Social Impact: Versus 2024, owned content grew dramatically: 509,800 impressions (+10,000% YoY), 1,534 engagements (+2,000% YoY), and 209 shares (+1,990% YoY), powered by Instagram collaboration with Play-Doh and Seattle Children's. Earned content added 3M potential reach across 38 unique authors and 9,800 engagements.
