But what's with that freaky embedded blink tag?
Industry Experts Agree...the Britney Spears Doll
Queen of
Toy Shelves This Holiday Season
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Nov. 30,
1999--She's on every girl's wish list -- as well as every teenage boy's. As
predicted, the Britney Spears Doll from Play Along Toys is one of the
hottest toys of the 1999 holiday season - according to consumers and
industry experts alike.
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 is selling off the shelves," says Dick Dibble, girls toy buyer
at
K*B Toys. "I can't keep them in stock."
"We saw this craze with last year's top celebrity dolls," he continues,
"and to-date, the Britney Spears doll is selling even faster."
There are six 11 1/2" dolls in the collection, licensed by Signatures
Network. Each is distinctively styled to resemble Britney in each of her
three hit videos and her sold-out live concert performances. The dolls
retail
from $14.99 to $19.99.
Jim Silver, publisher of The Toy Book and co-publisher of TOY
WISHES: The Ultimate Toy Buying Guide says, "When we cited the
Britney Spears Doll as a "Keep An Eye On" for holiday '99, we thought
she might be a hit."
"Since she landed on store shelves in mid-October she hasn't
disappointed," Silver continues. "Britney
dolls have been flying off the shelves and into the hands of young girls
across the country."
And, the Britney Spears Doll is not only hot on retail store counters
but on the internet as well,
according to Bob Weinberg, senior vice president of merchandising at
Toys'R'Us.com. "Play Along's
Britney doll is one of our top toys on line this Christmas and all
indications suggest that Britney will
continue to perform well into next year."
Jay Foreman, president of Play Along Toys and the force behind last
year's hot celebrity doll
phenomenon said, "I knew that the Britney Spears Doll would be a hit but we
are astonished by just how
big a hit she has become so quickly."
"We're already sold-out of our production capacity well into spring of
2000," Foreman continued. "We're
predicting that Britney will be the hottest celebrity fashion doll of all
time."
It looks like Britney will also be one of the hottest licensed
properties for merchandise well into the next
millennium, according to Joseph Bongiovi of Signatures Network. "Our phones
are ringing off the hook with
companies looking to partner with Britney for merchandise, endorsements and
corporate sponsorships."
The Britney Spears Doll is the first product marketed by Fort
Lauderdale-based Play Along Toys. The
company, founded in 1999, markets toys for boys and girls, including dolls,
action figures and outdoor
toys.