Mattel sued to stop the broadcast of this ad citing 'irreparable injury to Mattel's name, business reputation, and goodwill' due to the character's resemblance to products from their GI Joe and Barbie toy lines. Around the same time, they sued the band Aqua for their song "Barbie Girl" citing the same reasons.
The then-recent Disney/Pixar animated hit, Toy Story (1995) was the inspiration for this commercial.