Global retailers cash in on Barbie movie craze

HL Mando

21/07/2023 08:26

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    By Helen Reid
       July 21 (Reuters) - Shoppers are snapping up Barbie hoop
earrings, perfume, jumpsuits, and dresses as retailers seek to
cash in on Friday's Barbie film release, reigniting the craze
for the plastic doll and her hot pink, sequin-adorned universe. 
    With many consumers spending less amid a cost of living
squeeze, retailers are jumping at the opportunity to persuade
shoppers to buy more expensive items and boost their revenues.
    The vast range of products and brand tie-ups, many aimed at
adults, are a bet on the nostalgia trip that Barbie represents
for many who played with the doll as children. 
    Mattel  MAT.O , which owns the brand, aims for the film to
renew the doll's nostalgic appeal, while also embedding Barbie
into the psyche of a new generation.
    "I don't think we've ever seen this many brand partnerships
coming out of one film," said Jo Ashdown, managing partner at
Mando-Connect, a brand partnership agency that is part of WPP
 WPP.L . 
    
    
    Zara's  ITX.MC  Barbie collection launched on Monday does
feature 17 children's garments and accessories, including a
hot-pink one-piece swimsuit, a backpack, and sneakers, but the
offering for women is much broader, with 85 items. 
    Men, too, can buy into the trend with a fuchsia suit, or
cowboy boots and denim shirt to match the styles worn by Ryan
Gosling in his role as Barbie's boyfriend, Ken. 
    Apparel and footwear brands from H&M  HMb.ST  to Primark
 ABF.L , Gap, Superga and Crocs, have launched Barbie
collections.
    A Zara Barbie eau de parfum, hoop earrings, and pink cropped
hoodie were all out of stock by Wednesday on the brand's UK
site. A fuchsia double-breasted suit blazer for men, priced at
89.99 pounds ($116.04), was also out of stock.
    A Gap Barbie hoodie for women was available only in size XXS
online, while a pair of Barbie Crocs, priced at $59.99 - $10
more than normal Crocs - was sold out on the Crocs website.
Luggage brand Beis had a waiting list for all three sizes of
suitcases in a Barbie pink, priced at a premium to its usual
colour range.
    Walmart pitched Barbie dolls in varying skin tones and
hairstyles at $45 to collectors. 
    The craze stretches beyond retailers with Hyatt Hotels and
Hilton offering Barbie-themed hotel suites in cities including
Bogota, Colombia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
    The sheer amount of merchandise - from Barbie rugs to Barbie
toothbrushes - raises a possibility of the brand overstretching,
but a renewed emphasis on diversity and inclusivity from Mattel,
retail partners, and the film itself, could provide enough
novelty to keep people interested.
    "Everybody can be a Barbie or a Ken," said James Zahn,
editor of trade magazine The Toy Book. "I think that's helped
grow the brand without oversaturating it."
 ($1 = 0.7755 pound)

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 (Reporting by Helen Reid, Savyata Mishra, Siddharth Cavale
Editing by Nick Zieminski)
 ((Helen.Reid@thomsonreuters.com; +44 7584 155 200 ;))