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November 2014 - Retail

Research from the National Retail Federation has found that Barbie dolls are no longer the most sought after present for young girls, for the first time in 11 years.

According to the survey, 1 in 5 parents questioned revealed they would be purchasing “Frozen” merchandise for their daughters, this Christmas.

Throughout the survey’s 11 year past, Barbie has remained the top pick for parents of little girls. This year, only 17 per cent of parents were expecting to purchase a Barbie doll for their daughters.

However, “Frozen’s” success isn’t entirely bad news for Barbie. Barbie’s creator, Mattel has capitalised on the film’s success by manufacturing Queen Elsa and Princess Anna dolls, replicas of the popular Disney film’s heroines.

After criticism of Barbie’s unattainable body shape, sales of the dolls decreased. This was reflected in the last quarter when sales dropped by 21 per cent.

On the other hand, Pam Goodfellow, director of Prosper Insights & Analytics, claimed that “Frozen’s” visibility sky-rocketed in October due to the production of “Frozen” Halloween costumes, which were highly desirable.

For young boys, 14 per cent of parents were planning to purchase Lego items. Also ranking highly on the boys’ pick list was Transformers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles merchandise, the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4.

Featuring on both the boys’ and girls’ lists were Lego and Apple’s iPad.

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