Dolls and Stuffed Toys

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's Economic Census, doll and stuffed toy manufacturing was a $292 million industry in 2008. The Toy Industry Association (TIA), using more modern terminology, refers to stuffed toys as plush toys as a better description for soft, cuddly figures like the ever-popular teddy bear. The TIA also recognizes separate categories for dolls and action figures. Action figures and accessories formed a $1.4 billion sector of the toy industry in 2006.

In decades past, girls played with dolls until well into the teen years, but research from The NPD Group found that by 2003 many girls stopped playing with dolls, at least openly, as early as age 8. To counter the market decline attributed to competition from computer and electronic games targeted to girls, manufacturers brought out more interactive dolls and updated their current products with a greater variety of fashion dolls. In fact, in the early part of the decade, 6 of the 10 top selling dolls were fashion dolls.

In 2007, there were 1,150 workers employed in this industry who earned more than $36 million in wages. To contain labor costs, many companies imported branded products or used parts made in developing countries, displacing domestic production. China, Japan, and Taiwan were major suppliers. Exports were helped by an increased interest in products made in the United States and the lifting of trade barriers. In 2007, however, Barbie accessories, but not the doll, were among the hundreds of thousands of toys recalled by Mattel because of lead paint used in production by some Chinese suppliers. Despite fears spurred by recalls and reports of unsafe products, the U.S. still maintained a huge trade deficit in this industry with imports totaling $3.5 billion while exports numbered just $117 million.

The biggest name in doll manufacturing is Mattel, Inc., maker of Barbie, the number one brand targeted toward girls aged three to seven. 95 percent of all young females have at least one, and the average number of dolls per child was eight. Two Barbies are sold every second. Mattel, headquartered in El Segundo, California, had revenue of just under $5.92 billion in 2008 with approximately 29,000 employees.

Since her creation in 1959 as a teenage fashion model, Barbie has engaged in various professional roles and has been joined by friends and family. In 1965, she gained her first ethnic friend and, in 1997, a physically-challenged friend. Barbie underwent a makeover in 1998 in response to complaints that she was a "self-esteem destroyer." Her figure was given more realistic proportions and her makeup was softened. Mattel launched a web site in 1998 that let girls design and order their own "Friend of Barbie" doll by choosing from some 15,000 feature combinations (but no shape choices).

By the mid-2000s, Barbie was marketed more specifically to certain age groups and demographics, and the company offered more variety within the well-known brand. While almost all American girls aged 3 to 10 owned at least one Barbie, the 6 percent rise in Barbie sales during the first half of 2007 was fueled by a 13 percent increase in international sales. Barbie-Girls.com was launched in April of 2007 and by July had 3 million members able to create a virtual character, shop, and interact with other members. A Barbie makeup line was launched with M.A.C. cosmetics.

Through licensing agreements and acquisitions, Mattel has brought under its umbrella such hit dolls and plush toys as Cabbage Patch Kids, Tickle Me Elmo, and Winnie-the-Pooh. American Girl, a subsidiary of Mattel, began in the 1980s and cultivated a culture around its dolls, with books and magazines as well as stores where children could play and have teas with dolls.

In the late 1990s, small manufacturers challenged the norm set by Barbie by introducing more life-like dolls. Get Set Club Inc. produced five ethnically diverse dolls that were fully poseable and had naturally shaped bodies, while GP Toys introduced Walking Tanya, which had a human stride. In the early 2000s, MGA brought out the wildly successful Bratz line, hip-hop fashion dolls that were more appealing than Barbie to many older "tween" girls. By the mid-2000s, Bratz dolls had supplanted Barbie in many parts of the world as the number-one selling fashion doll. Bratz was supported with a couture line, DVDs and video games, a 2007 movie, and an animated television show with a song nominated for an Emmy. Bratz dolls are available in nearly 70 countries worldwide.

Traditional dolls, especially those in the collectible segment, were competition to interactive dolls. Sometimes dolls extended across segments. The Bradford Exchange made its collectible Gene doll a play doll as well by giving it a bended knee. Many manufacturers, such as Alexander Doll Company, Lee Middleton, and Gotz, benefited by serving specialty, or collector, markets.