Virtually overnight, Britney Spears has become the queen of teen pop, an actress and a fashion icon for preteens and teens everywhere. What could be next for the teenager whose face has graced the magazine covers of Rolling Stone, Teen People and Entertainment Weekly?
A doll in her likeness, of course. And, while the new Britney Spears Doll from "Play Along Toys" was slated to hit retail shelves on October 15, 1999 it was already predicted to be the "hit" of the 1999 holiday season.
The Britney Spears doll has become one of the hottest-selling celebrity dolls to date, causing a frenzy among fans and doll collectors. Britney was a natural for a collectible doll. She represented all the qualities that young girls admire and emulate. She was talented, beautiful and had an engaging personality. At an early age, she had accomplished what every girl dreams of doing. She had become an international sensation and teens couldn't get enough of her.
There were six 11 1/2" dolls in the collection, licensed by "Britney Brands" via San Francisco-based "Signatures Network". Each was distinctively modeled to resemble Britney in each of her three hit videos and three of her live performances. Made of plastic, the doll had flexible joints and hair that girls can style themselves.
To add to the play value, each doll included accessories to go along with Britney's look from her popular videos. The "...Baby One More Time Doll" wore her signature schoolgirl outfit and came with a backpack, a sweater, and a microphone. The dolls retailed for approximately $14.99 each.
The dolls in the Concert Collection also came with accessories and a microphone plus an extra outfit for more dress-up play. The Britney Concert Dolls had a suggested retail price of $19.99 each.
The Britney Spears Doll collection was available at "Toys 'R Us", "FAO Schwarz", "Kmart", "Target", "Wal-Mart", "Bradlees", "Ames", "Claire's Boutique", "Spencer's Gifts" and "J.C. Penney", among others.
Since its debut on toy shelves across the country on October 15th, the Britney Spears Doll has caused a buying frenzy amongst her fans and doll collectors. Britney was selling off the shelves. They couldn't keep them in stock. Britney dolls have been flying off the shelves and into the hands of young girls across the country.
And, the Britney Spears Doll was not only hot on retail store counters but on the internet as well. "Play Along Toys" Britney doll was one of the top toys on line that Christmas and all indications suggested that Britney Doll would continue to perform well into next year (2000).
Jay Foreman, president of "Play Along Toys" and mastermind behind the Spice Girls Dolls phenomenon said that he knew the Britney Spears Doll would be a hit but they were astonished by just how big a hit she had become so quickly. They sold-out of their production capacity well into spring of 2000 and they had predicted that Britney would be the hottest celebrity fashion doll of all time.
The Britney Spears Doll was the first product marketed by Fort Lauderdale-based "Play Along Toys". The company, founded in 1999, manufactured toys for boys and girls, including dolls, action figures and outdoor toys. "Play Along Toys" was founded by three dreamers who combined their knowledge of licensing, sales and business operations to build an award-winning company that markets products quickly and effectively. A Britney Spears toy line was sold over $100 million at retail in the course of 4 years.
Britney Spears Dolls Collection
