Today's Wall Street Journal has a story about how Mattel is struggling to breathe life back into its flagship brand, Barbie--more than a year after problems surfaced. A great illustration of the tough job the toy industry faces in attracting the fickle attention of young girls.
They've tried all kinds of gimmicks to modernize the doll with more electronic features. But with all the iPods, games, phones and other electronic stuff out there, all they've done is confused their young customers. The recent "Magic of the Rainbow," a fantasy doll marketed under the Barbie brand--doubled as a remote control, came with a CD-ROM game and featured wings that fluttered at the push of a button, resulted in girls asking the question, is this a doll?"
Apart from some dolls almost being lethal, this is a good example of line extension gone nuts. Stick to basics, and when the franchise starts to get fatigued, move on to something new. The world has changed from when kids used to prefer the box to the toy... Unless it's a Gucci designed $500 box!
George Parker
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