Barbie may still have Ken and her Dream House, but she's struggling to hang on to the thing she needs most: her fan base.

Toymaker Mattel reported Thursday that the Barbie brand suffered a staggering 21 per cent slump in sales during the third quarter, compared with the period last year. The slide came on the heels of a two rough quarters in which Barbie sales decreased by at least 14 percent in each.

Barbie has seen its sales slump as children obsess about Frozen and the Lego Movie.

Barbie is still one of the top doll brands in the world, but girls are increasingly enticed by other characters and games that work on a tablet or smartphone.

In a conference call Thursday morning, Mattel executives told investors that the company was working to get Barbie back on track.