Well, Duncan, I guess my first question would be why Toys R' Us is selling fewer Mattel products. That would be of concern to me. Secondly, even though it is nice that the owner of Pleasant Company has bonded with Mattel, the article you posted is erroneous in the sense of the real cost of Pleasant Company dolls. Each little outfit is about $15.00. The dolls need a place to sleep, and their beds range from about $60 to $150 as I recall, depending upon the doll you have. The colonial doll, for example, has an ornate canopied bed. Everything is made out of wood and other natural materials when at all possible; no synthetics for these girls!!
When my daughter was playing with her doll, the entire ensemble was $695. I would bet that it has gone up since then, however. These are historically accurate dolls, and their little books wrap an historically accurate story line around each one of them. I don't know exactly how to describe the market for them without sounding elitist, but while some girls who played with Barbie as little girls end up owning these later, there is much of the Barbie market that could not afford them at all. Nor would they be attracted--these are dolls which are not only expensive, but tend to appeal to very serious, academically oriented children whose parents are highly educated. You need to love history to really get into the spirit here. And they also appeal to that group of parents who never let their child play with Barbie, and don't allow much television, either.
It is nice to see that Mattel seems to be leaving the company alone, at least. I am a little concerned about Mattel's foray into the internet and away from retail stores, because I think there is a real impulse factor in the sales of their products. The child walks by a Mattel toy, likes it, and appeals to a parent, who agrees to buy it because it is not very expensive. This is not a purchase that would ever be made if the toy had to be ordered. |
