From Viral Doorbell Video to Warner Music: Maple’s Pet Dinosaur Releases Debut EP ‘Child’s Play’
The 16-year-old Newcastle rocker follows her 60-million-view viral breakthrough with a five-track EP, a hometown cinema launch and a national tour supporting Waterparks.
Twelve months ago, Newcastle teenager Maple’s Pet Dinosaur was filming a music video on a doorbell camera. Today, the 16-year-old is releasing her debut EP through Warner Music Australia, preparing for a national tour and attracting international attention from some of rock’s biggest names.
Released on October 30 through Warner Music Australia and In Bloom, Child’s Play is a five-track collection that combines heavy alternative-rock riffs, metal influences and pop melodies with a visual aesthetic inspired by 1990s horror films.
The EP features previously released singles “Lego,” “Chorus,” “Big Mouth” and the title track, alongside new single “Ice Cream Truck,” a song about rejecting the expectation that teenage girls should define themselves through romantic relationships.
For Maple, the record is also a response to her experiences as a teenage girl performing in adult, predominantly male-dominated music venues and festivals.
“Child’s Play is a playful rewind to the past but with a blood-soaked machete pointing to the future,” she says. “I made this EP to tell everyone that I’m here to play – but I’m deadly serious. You either get people who are really supportive and excited to see a 16-year-old girl up there, or it’s ‘what the fuck do you think you’re doing here?’”
The EP’s cinematic influences extend beyond the music.
For the title track, Maple drew inspiration from horror franchises including Child’s Play and It, while “Ice Cream Truck” takes visual cues from Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The musician has even built a functioning ice cream truck that will become part of the project’s visual identity.
“It makes perfect sense, the whole EP has a cinematic energy, with the lead single Child’s Play we pushed a ‘90s horror angle inspired by Chucky and IT and with Ice Cream Truck I took inspiration from classics like Ghostbusters and TMNT,” Maple says.
“I’m teasing bits and pieces on my socials, we literally built a working Ice Cream Truck, and I can’t wait to share how it will become an integral piece of the Maple’s Pet Dinosaur world.”
Musically, the new single takes its inspiration from the heavier end of alternative rock, incorporating elements of the grinding, riff-driven sound associated with American band Melvins.
Its central lyric, “I’ll never chase a boy like an ice cream truck,” emerged from a daydream during a maths class.
“Musically, Ice Cream Truck is a response to seeing a lot of girls my age making their entire personality about boys and chasing boys,” Maple explains. “I wanted to write something for girls who are more interested in chasing their dreams. For me that dream, is pushing to become the best live performer I can possibly be.”
A Doorbell Camera and 60 Million Views
Maple’s rapid rise began in August 2025 when she uploaded a homemade video for her debut single, “Lego.”
Filmed on a Ring doorbell camera with virtually no budget, the clip became an unexpected social media phenomenon.
According to her record label, the video has attracted more than 60 million Instagram views, making it the platform’s most-viewed music video Reel by an Australian-born artist. It also generated more than one million likes on TikTok.
The success brought international attention, but Maple was determined not to become another social media personality whose fame eclipsed their music.
“I was offered so many opportunities to rinse the doorbell video – fly to the US for talk shows and stuff like that – but that video was only ever meant to be a gateway for gigs,” she says.
“I’m not trying to be a celebrity or influencer. I want to be a rock singer, and the best way to do that is by playing shows.”
That approach has already produced an impressive list of live appearances.
Maple performed her third-ever show at SXSW Sydney and subsequently became the youngest artist to appear at Australia’s Good Things festival.
She has also performed at Groovin the Moo and Darwin’s Bass in the Grass, while securing a place on the Hellbound heavy music cruise.
Her growing profile has attracted attention from international rock figures including Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, Sepultura and Yungblud, who have acknowledged her performances online.
American rock band Ice Nine Kills has also taken notice, with frontman Spencer Charnas inviting Maple to the group’s recent sold-out Sydney show.
International music publications have begun following her progress, with Britain’s Metal Hammer selecting “Child’s Play” as one of its Tracks of the Week and describing the song as “unique and striking.”
Spotify has featured Maple on the cover of its New Noise playlist, while BBC Radio presenter Dan P. Carter has emerged as an early supporter.
Cinema Launch and National Tour
To celebrate the EP’s release, Maple will perform a special all-ages hometown show at Newcastle’s Tower Cinemas on October 30.
The one-night-only event will take place inside the city’s revamped 1990s cinema complex, bringing the EP’s horror-inspired visual world into a setting that reflects its cinematic influences.
The bill also features Newcastle acts Trophy Wyfe, Filthy E and the Clean Teens, and Bardvarkk.
The launch precedes a busy start to 2027.
Maple will perform at Petersham Town Hall in Sydney on January 16 before joining the Hellbound 2 cruise aboard Carnival Splendour from January 17–21.
In February, she will embark on a national run supporting American rock band Waterparks, with performances scheduled for Melbourne’s Forum on February 14, Adelaide’s Governor Hindmarsh on February 16, Perth’s Astor Theatre on February 18, Sydney’s Enmore Theatre on February 20 and Brisbane’s Tivoli on February 21.
For an artist who has gone from recording videos at home to sharing stages with internationally established acts in little more than a year, the release of Child’s Play represents another significant step.
But Maple’s ambitions remain focused on the stage rather than social media fame.
At 16, she has already experienced the extraordinary reach of a viral hit. Now she is determined to build something more enduring from it.
Child’s Play is out now through Warner Music Australia and In Bloom.
‘Child’s Play’ Tracklist
- Child’s Play
- Big Mouth
- Chorus
- Lego
- Ice Cream Truck