|
Are Barbie and BRATZ Out of Style?
Robert Tonner, CEO and head designer of the Tonner Doll Company (ToyDirectory) ( Tonner finds what Barbie and BRATZ are doing “interesting,” but there’s so much more. “We are affected by fashion, what they wear to the Oscars, not VH1. Style vs. shock. Elegant and beautiful classics rather than the trend look.” Which brings up the whole BRATZ conundrum. The backlash to the BRATZ look hasn’t stopped them from selling, but it has begun a pendulum swing towards alternative styles. Mattel’s new 17” Teen Trends emphasize distinct personalities and styles they hope tween girls will identify with — a step away from their derivative “My Scene” and short-lived “Flavas” dolls. (View article: Doll Wars).
Chic Boutique’s fashion dolls are outselling the major brands in some major arenas. But the twin towers of Mattel and MGA Entertainment, the maker of BRATZ, are formidable. Nguyen explained, “It’s difficult to compete with alotalotalotalot of money in TV and marketing. It’s TV driven. Percy Newsum, founder of Integrity Toys, whose Janay and Friends line targets multi-ethnicities, concurred. Retailers are hesitant to allocate shelf-space away from the "big girls," despite consumer wants. “Buyers will continue to try to fill the void of supplying an ethnic line of dolls sufficient enough that they do not get complaints from consumers that shop at their stores, but will not take the risk of giving dedicated shelf space.” But the girls know. They’re finding the dolls. And the reasons? “Dolls are about nurturing, expression. They teach all sorts of things, fantasy and play values, something girls can aspire to,” explained Jarvis. Nguyen added: “It’s about girlfriends and total fashion, all diverse, but with great friendships, supporting each other.” “I think it’s important to be ‘role models’ for girls in both responding and setting trends,” expounded Newsum. MGA has had difficulties expanding outside of BRATZ — none of their other lines have been nearly as successful. In fact, both the heads of Mattel and MGA declined comment on this article. The tide is shifting. Things are changing. Tonner summed it up best: “Dolls are so open: you can jump from pop-culture to fantasy, classics to future trends. They reflect what’s going on.” And what’s going on is a whole new fashion. Read article on Fashion Dolls for the Middle East. Read an update on the Fashion Dolls Wars in Playzak. |
|