From the archives: Dolls: Toy makers market to new generation

This story was originally published in Newsday on February 9, 1999.

As Barbie turns 40 and doll sales slump for the first time in years, toy manufacturers are praying that unusual lines of dolls will pique the interest of girls who increasingly are turning to computers and electronic games for playtime.

Toymakers are counting on a combination of high technology and hipness to extend the useful life of dolls. Last year, doll shipments to retailers fell 3.2 percent, to $ 2 billion, according to the Toy Manufacturers of America, the trade group that organized this week's American International Toy Fair in Manhattan, where retailers come to place orders for Christmas.

Perhaps the most unusual new doll, and certainly the most talked about, is Sweet Faith, who, dressed in a nightgown, recites a traditional prayer when her hands are brought together.

Developed by DSI Toys Inc. of Houston, the $ 25 doll will debut next month on the QVC shopping channel and in Christian bookstores; it will be available later at toy stores and discount chains. About 500,000 are expected to be sold this year.

"We've positioned this as a family values doll, not a religious doll," said Howard Peretz, DSI senior vice president, noting the prayer is a generic version of "Now I lay me down to sleep," with "Lord" and "Amen" used.

But toy industry experts say Sweet Faith may spark controversy among non-Christians who could interpret the doll as a conversion tool. Marianne Szymanski, president of Toy Tips magazine, which recommends products based on nationwide testing, wonders what societal need the doll addresses. "Isn't it better for parents to pray with their children?" she said.

Another talking doll teaches basic skills to preschoolers rather than "family values."

The My Best Friend doll, which retails for $ 40, has a computer chip that allows it to recognize a little girl's voice and converse with her in games that teach numbers, colors, words and three nursery rhymes. "This really is the next generation of dolls because it talks to kids, understands what they are saying and responds appropriately," said Rod Spongberg, vice president of Play By Play Toys & Novelties, based in San Antonio.

Barbie accounts for more than half of all doll sales, but in recent years the forever-young fashion icon has bored teenagers and some pre-teens. In an effort to win them back, Mattel Inc. has created a hipper Barbie Roberts, who takes acting and film classes at an international high school in Manhattan. She and five friends, including one with a nose stud, shop in Greenwich Village, play extreme sports and attend rave parties, minus the Ecstasy drug.

"These dolls are more reflective of today, more in touch with popular culture," said Mattel spokesman Sean Fitzgerald. They are sold under the Generation Girl brand name for $ 23 each and target girls ages 6 and up rather than traditional Barbie for ages 3 and up.

Mattel also plans a Barbie advertising blitz with the emphasis on sports and music, not fashion, and slogans like "Be anything you want to be." And if this sounds strikingly familiar to the Spice Girls pop group and their "Girl Power" theme, Fitzgerald quickly discounts any connection.

Christopher Byrne, an editor of the Toy Book, an industry trade journal, applauds Mattel and other manufacturers for creating products that are more relevant to today's kids. He pointed to Girls Best Friends Club from Plainview-based Toymax International Inc. as another example of a hip toy. It consists of electronic and craft toys, combined with a special Web site.

"Girls are more social . . . they like to share secrets with each other and write notes," said Amy Weltman, Toymax marketing vice president. "We wanted to take that to another level and add the fun and excitement of the Internet."