An elaborate hoax featuring actress Daryl Hannah hit Mattel on Tuesday, apparently perpetrated by climate change activists using buzz about the Barbie movie to mock the toy company’s use of plastic.

The “EcoWarrior Barbie” promotional campaign imitating Mattel Corp. and Los Angeles-based public relations firm JPR Communications included fake press releases, spoofed Mattel websites and email addresses, false phone numbers, dozens of social media profiles and a video of Ms. Hannah announcing the phony product line.

The spoofed materials announced that the phony “MyCelia Barbie” dolls made from mushrooms, algae and other natural materials would be modeled after Ms. Hannah and other climate activists such as Greta Thunberg as part of the California-based company’s transition from recyclable plastic to all-natural materials by 2030.

Several news outlets, including The Times, were duped by the campaign and briefly posted articles about it before taking them down.

“While we cannot confirm the source of the information you received, this is a hoax and has nothing to do with Mattel or any of its products,” a Mattel spokesperson told The Times.

“We have nothing to do with this. Whoever these guys are, they’re good,” added Mark Smith, executive vice president and partner at JPR.

Mr. Smith said the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of fake press releases included an older version of JPR’s corporate logo that was phased out six months ago. The firm handles press announcements for technology companies related to artificial intelligence, Microsoft Edge and data warehousing.

“I wonder if they just looked for ‘California PR agency’ and found our old image on Google,” he added in an email. “It’s very bizarre.”

The phony campaign claimed Mattel would abandon recycled plastic materials, lobby for a federal ban on nonessential plastics and convert its facilities to all-natural manufacturing.

In reality, the California-based toymaker has announced plans to move toward 100% recycled, recyclable and biodegradable plastic in all of its products and packaging by 2030. But Mattel has announced no plans to give up using plastic altogether.

The company also manufactures the American Girl, Fisher-Price and Hot Wheels toy brands.

In addition to her apparent video appearance on the fake product’s YouTube Channel, Ms. Hannah appears in a publicity image holding a doll. The spoofed media campaign claimed she would appear in a virtual press conference at 5 p.m. ET to announce the new Barbie line.

Another video on the YouTube channel plays a catchy jingle while children play with dolls in several make-believe scenarios, including one in which Barbie is arrested by the police and one in which she tosses Molotov cocktails at Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The hoax campaign said other “environmental heroes” in the new limited edition dolls would include Julia Butterfly Hill, Phoebe Plummer, Neimonte Nenquimo and “more than 2,500 dead activists from around the world who have been tragically lost while protecting nature in the last decade.”

Mattel said it could not confirm whether the real Ms. Hannah appeared in the campaign.

The Times has reached out for comment to the talent agency representing the 62-year-old actress, a well-known climate change activist who starred in “Splash” and the “Kill Bill” films.

Lawrence Kopeiken, Ms. Hannah’s attorney in California, said he could not offer a statement on her behalf.

A woman calling herself Beverly Hamm, who claimed to represent Mattel in the fake advertising campaign, insisted that the hoax was real in several email exchanges with The Times on Tuesday.

A man calling himself J.D. Turk, who answered the Los Angeles-area phone number listed in the press materials and claimed to be her executive assistant, said the same.

“Obviously, we’re a big corporation and it sounds like you’re being duped,” he added in a phone call.

There is no “Beverly Hamm” or “JD Turk” listed as employees at Mattel or JPR Communications. A Google search for the latter name redirected to “J.D.” and “Turk,” two characters from the ABC sitcom “Scrubs.”

Mattel is enjoying a surge of success with the release of “Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as the iconic dolls Barbie and Ken. Produced in part by Mattel Films, the movie has earned nearly $800 million globally in the first two weekends of its theatrical release that ended Sunday.

The company already has plans for 17 movies based on its toy brands in the wake of the film’s success.

• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.