Goth Barbie, something most people never expected to hear, is the best-selling doll in the world, according to National Public Radio (NPR). A new line of Barbie-style dolls in Goth fashion has become a very hot thing.
Goth Barbie is part of the Monster High dolls, which come with books and Web episodes that follow their stories in high school. The dolls are are very thin and related to famous monsters, and intended to capitalize on that feeling of being a freak that is almost universal among high school students.
Monster High is made by Mattel, the same company that manufactures Barbie. No one at the company expected the doll to become such a huge success.
Dolls have expanded recently to include many Monster High-type dolls, with many similar dolls at the New York showcase of top toys, which even included zombie princesses, among them a zombie Snow White and a zombie Little Mermaid.
One of Mattel's dolls is a pretty brunette doll with long hair and wolfish ears.
"She's our werewolf so she's gonna howl for us," Dana De Celis, of Mattel, said. "She tosses her head back, she arches her back, she closes her eyes and she is literally howling at the moon."
Mattel started Monster High after seeing girls into darker fashions and trying to tie that into the things a teenager might enjoy, such as snowboarding and environmental activism.
"The message about the brand is really to celebrate your own freaky flaws, especially as bullying has become such a hot topic," Cathy Cline, who is in charge of marketing for Mattel's girls' brands, said. "It's also one of the fastest growing brands within the entire toy industry."
Sales of Mattel's girls' brands have increased 56 percent, in large part as a result of the popularity of Monster High, a part of the brand the company didn't expect to become such a hit.
"Honestly, it was very surprising to us," Kiyomi Haverly, the vice president of design at Mattel, said. "We just noticed girls were into darker Goth fashion."
The dolls are designed for girls between the ages of six and 12, so they aren't too dark. Draculaura, for example, who is Dracula's daughter, can't stand the thought of blood. She's also vegan.
Gerrick Johnson didn't expect the toys to sell well and didn't take them seriously when they debuted.
"I didn't think they would work," Johnson said. "Barbie works because she's aspirational, girls want to be like Barbie."
As it turns out, many girls find the Monster High dolls more relatable than Barbie.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
