Presentations for Mattel investors were done on February 12, 2016.
Richard Dickson's document contains photos of the cute Wellie Wishers dolls page 18.
Richard Dickson's document contains photos of the cute Wellie Wishers dolls page 18.
Thank you Valerie for the link!
They're okay,certainly not something of my interest, but I can see now the prevailing argument for not getting these from every little kid will be "but I want a REAL american girl doll!". They'll probably be popular for the price, but there's several other factors, such as their target market and story line that make me think they won't do well. It will certainly be interesting to see how well these sell.
ReplyDeleteThey're cute, but they look a little creepy to me - almost alien with their eyes so far apart. And their waists are tiny in proportion to the rest of their bodies, which I think will make them less popular with the parents who dislike Barbie and similar dolls. Also the wellies-with-spring-skirts idea seems a bit odd to me (unless this is a new fashion with young girls? It may be, I guess)
ReplyDeleteThe Monster High dolls have big heads. I noticed the other day that the Disney Princess 12" doll have heads that are a bit bigger. My daughters don't like the bigger heads on those dolls. I think the Wellie Wishers are cute, but like others don't see the purpose of the line.
DeleteI wonder if they are replacing the Bitty Twins. If you have multiple aged girls in your house, the under 8 year olds want something that looks closer to the American Girl doll, that their sibling may have. The Bitty Twins are more toddler looking.
The Wellie Wishers appear to be easy to care for and easy to dress. All the dolls look like they have an elastic waist skirt and easy to put on plastic boots. Some of the boots look like they have some sock and shoe design, not just a rain boot, maybe so the younger girl doesn't have to mess with putting socks and shoes on. Also, a smaller waist would fit easier into smaller hands.
I think these dolls are a great replacement for Bitty Twins, especially if they add a boy doll. It looks like Wellie Wishers can stand alone and are poseable. I would recommend these to people like me who want to re create the AG books with their photos. For example, the redhead doll could play Felicity's little sister Nan, and the African American doll could be Addy's sister Esther (at least from the later books.) The blond doll could receive a haircut and become Kirsten's brother Peter, and so on.
DeleteRosie
I do like the faces. The body is problematic because it is an almost teen sculpt matched with an even younger head. Having large heads on skinny bodies is typical of many other doll lines like Blythe, or Pullip, which have a large following for different reasons. But in the case of Blythe dolls the tinier bodies despite slim waists still "go" with the childish large eyed faces. Perfect for photography and expressions with the eye mechanism, which Pullip shares. Tiny waists can be hidden by clothes. The rich Pullip costumes also add to the appeal. With these new Wellie dolls the faces can still be very clearly associated with AG which the Blythe collectors (typically an edgier group) are more likely to turn away from. If this is the direction Mattel is going toward they would have more success giving these dolls a younger, more endearing body. This is something the Asian bjd companies have mastered if you look at the smaller dolls they market and what collectors snatch up and represent in vignettes. I guess it will depend on who their target consumer really is.
ReplyDeleteare these 18 in dolls? will they be available in other stores, or just AG? just wondering, this is the second time I have heard about it but I've never seen any specifics on price, size or market.
ReplyDeleteI think they will be 16".
ReplyDeleteThey're so cute! I love the girl in the middle in the first photo- she might end up being a little sister to my Jess.
ReplyDeleteI think these little dolls are adorable! I can't wait til they are released! I love the old Hopscotch Hills dolls too. Tooo cute!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be suprised if they do away with the BTwins line. They never spent the time revamping them like the BBaby line. It'd be a nice change for the age gap... I second not liking their waists! Make them more like the AG dolls. I'd feel better getting them for my younger girls and not soo bad they'd be ruining the Truely Me's and Beforever's the way they do. But then they're about the price of 4 or 5 Barbies ...what's that to parents nowadays?
ReplyDeleteMrsMacarons
Just looked up "Valerie Tripp Wellie Wishers" on Amazon and the results for Wellie Wishers Books 1-3 came up with a September 2016 release date. Do we know if Amazon's book release dates are accurate? If they are that would be amazing! All 5 of these dolls are adorable; deciding which ones to get will be tough!
ReplyDeleteAt the age I am, I actually want one! I love Willa, the redhead. It seems they have stolen my heart!
ReplyDelete-Nova ♡