Mattel Inc.'s Barbie, whose profit margins remain tenuous, has overtaken Bratz dolls and reclaimed her spot as the most popular doll. Dolls account for 12 percent of all toy sales according to the NPD Group, a market research outfit. (Andy Wong/Associated Press/File 2007)
Then again, so many die and suffer each day.... all the more need for a toy (and as I type that I am near tears, readers; what is it with me?)
"Dolls buoy toy industry sales" by The Hartford Courant | July 9, 2008
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - He's called Paul Drink-and-Wet Bath Baby, and he's sold with a blanket, bottle, toilet, and pacifier. There isn't anything particularly high-tech or fancy about Paul, but 5-year-old Margo seems pretty sure she can't live without him.
"I want this one, this one!" she squealed, plunking the box down next to her ankles at the Toy Chest.
Of Margo's many toys, her favorites are the dolls, says her mother, Susannah Bryne of Glastonbury.
"We're trying to discourage her from buying number 99," she said.
It's girls like Margo that give executives in the toy business hope. The industry, which has had mixed success harnessing the high-tech fads, has been relying on dolls like Wet-and-Wipe Paul and the classic, Barbie, to buoy sales in an uncertain economic climate. For the most part, it has paid off.
I know the kids are being taken advantage of for profit; however, who can deny the excitement of a child (as I fight back tears)?
Must there be no joy left in this world (because I'm certainly not finding it in adults)?
Dolls have a remarkable staying power. Most people can remember the hysteria surrounding Tickle Me Elmo, Furbies, and Giga Pets, and they also remember when those crazes ended. Even though many a fortune is made with flash-in-the-pan trends like Pogs or Beanie Babies, it's hard to find anything with the staying power of classics like the standard baby doll or American Girls line.
"There's something wonderful and timeless about seeing a child play with a doll," said Beaux James, president of North American distribution for Corolle dolls. Corolle, a French company and the top brand in the specialty doll market, is also the manufacturer of Paul Drink-and-Wet Bath Baby.
That's what makes me cry; it is such a special time of life.
And then I think of all the Iraqi, Afghani, African, Palestinian -- and countless other kids around the world -- and the tears flow even more.
Although toys have become more high-tech, doll play has stayed essentially the same, James said. First, you undress it, then dress it, then play with its hair and then maybe bathe it.
Nowadays the authorities haul the parents in for child sex abuse if they see that!
Talk about innocence lost.
"Those things have been around forever," he said.
Yes, the child is LEARNING ABOUT THEIR WORLD and ROLE PLAYING!!!!
But dolls are facing increased competition in a market where it's harder than ever to catch and hold children's attention with a single toy.
I'll bet the psychotropic drugs haven't helped.
Fifteen years ago, there was far less choice in dolls - the selection was mostly limited to collectibles, babies, or Barbie. There was also less choice in toys, meaning these few dominated the market, said Jim Silver, longtime toy analyst and publisher of the Toy Book. Now, dolls make up 12 percent of all toy sales, according to the NPD Group, a market research outfit.
Today's toy landscape is a far cry from the one parents of young children remember. Barbie, the longtime queen of toy sales, shocked observers when she underwent a kind of midlife crisis a few years ago (the doll was created in 1959) and was dethroned from her perch as top-grossing doll by the sassier, street-wise Bratz brand.
But it wasn't just Bratz (which caused a stir after some dolls were found wearing what looked like thongs; the company said it was a manufacturing glitch) that toppled Barbie. It was iPods and MP3 players and all the other gizmos kids are pleading for at young ages. Silver traces Barbie's troubles to 1999, when Britney Spears began influencing little girls.
Why is the industry driving our little girls in this particular direction, readers -- only to harangue them when they explore such things?
As for Britney, see post below.
It became OK for kids to wear midriff T-shirts and show some attitude, Silver says. That was also when little girls' tastes in fashion and music started to grow more sophisticated. Gone were the days when dolls could wear bloomers or bonnets and get away with it.
Oh, is that what they are calling the whoring up of our little girls: "sophistication?"
"You can't fool young girls," he said. "Girls 8 years old, they know what the trends are; they know what's hot."
Yeah, I actually agree; kids are a lot smarter than we give them credit.
That's why the schools have to turn them into idiots!
Gail Bryne, Margo's grandmother, who was also shopping with her at the Toy Chest, fondly remembers playing with dolls until she was 14.
Look, I'm NOT a 40-year-old virgin; however, I have "action figures." I have tons of Star Wars figures, superheroes, King Kong stuff, teddy bears, and stuffed animals.
I've always felt WHAT is WRONG with LOVING SOMETHING, readers?
Do I still play with them? No, but I have them!
Chances are Margo won't. Children are losing interest in dolls at younger ages than ever before, said Stephanie Oppenheimer, cofounder of Toyportfolio.com. That leaves toy companies with an increasing youthful customer base - so much so that many kids Barbie's target ages haven't quite developed the motor skills to dress and undress the dolls easily.
Yeah, there are the economic predators preying on the kids.
"That's why you end up with a lot of naked Barbies," Oppenheimer said.
And SO WHAT? As long as Ken doesn't walk in the room, right?
Or is Barbie a lesbian now?
Besides, what does it matter?
The KIDS DON'T KNOW!!!
They are only EXPLORING THEIR ENVIRONMENT and LEARNING THEIR WAY!
Sometimes I wonder if the kids aren't the mature ones; they have NO HANG-UPS about nudity!
Toy companies are trying to hold kids' interest in dolls longer, especially 'tweens, roughly defined as ages 8 to 12, by pairing dolls with technology - Barbies that hold MP3 files, elaborate online worlds and electronic dance platforms such as Dance Dance Revolution.
"The successful doll brand will be part of a bigger program," Silver said. American Girls are a good example; you buy the doll and the experience. You can see the movie, buy the books, wear the clothes, and make a reservation for tea at American Girl stores.
Do they have a female soldier or president doll?
I can hear the Hillary crowd hollering sexism already!!!
Barbie, whose profit margins remain tenuous, eventually overtook Bratz and reclaimed her spot as the most popular doll - although not until her maker, Mattel, revamped her website and gave her brand image a makeover."
