Toymaker Mattel promotes 'chief Uno player' job

Toymaker Mattel is hunting for someone to help promote its new Uno game - and wild-card applicants are most definitely welcome.

The company is asking enthusiasts of the card game to apply on TikTok for a chance at the part-time post of "Chief Uno Player".

The gig will be based in New York for four weeks starting in September.

Responsibilities include playing the new game, Uno Quatro, for four hours a day, four days a week.

Applicants must be US residents and aged 18 or over to be selected for the job, which pays $4,444.44 (£3,500) a week.

The company did not respond when asked how many people had responded since the job offer was posted on Tuesday.

A TikTok video announcing the role had received about 9,000 likes - and hundreds of replies - many of them from accounts expressing interest. The deadline to apply is 10 August.

"We're constantly looking to create new ways for fans to engage with Uno - and with the nationwide search for the first-ever Chief Uno Player, we're bringing in-person gameplay to fans in a way they've never experienced before," Mattel's global head of games, Ray Adler, said announcing the post.

The person selected for the job is expected to help create and star in social media posts, give interviews and challenge strangers to play the new version of the classic game, which relies on tiles instead of cards.

The company also warns that candidates must be able to "sit for long periods, lift and carry 50 lbs, and set up playing tables & tents on location".

The stunt comes after Mattel won plaudits for its success in stirring up excitement about the Barbie movie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

But the toymaker is also in need of hits. It recently reported sales in the April-June period of about $1bn (£786m), down 12% compared with the prior year.

Profits in the quarter also slumped to $27m, compared with $68m in the previous year.