Groovy Girls

Talli, a character from the Groovy Girls line of fashion dolls

Groovy Girls are a line of fashion dolls manufactured by the American toy company Manhattan Toy and launched in 1998. The brand consists of plush, 13-inch dolls, fashion and furniture accessories, as well as pets.[1] Groovy Girls generally cost $10 to $20 per doll[2] and target the 6-to-12 age range, with licensed products including room décor, apparel, interactive and electronics, stationery, health and beauty aids.[3]

History

Groovy Girls launched as a "funky"[4][5] alternative to Barbie.[4] Each doll has different skin tones, hair types and facial features, reflecting the ethnic landscape of America.[6] The brand's lifestyle aspects are fashion, friendship and self-expression,[3] and represents a wholesome alternative to dolls such as Bratz, Flavas, My Scene, and Barbies.[7] Groovy Girls were initially sold in specialty toy stores such as Zany Brainy, Noodle Kidoodle, and Store of Knowledge.[6] Beginning in early 2005, the dolls were launched in Target stores.[6][8]

As of 2005, more than eight million Groovy Girls dolls were sold since its inception,[9] totaling more than $100 million in retail sales.[3] GroovyGirls.com, which launched in the fall of 2004, had approximately 145,000 registered users by early 2005,[9] and more than 1.7 million registered users by July 2007.[10] The Groovy Girls RSVP collection was introduced during the 2008 holiday season.[4] RSVP stands for Respect, Self-Expression, Values and Play.[4]

List of Groovy Girls

Here is a list of basic Groovy Girls by their year of release.

Some characters share names. Not counting the updated looks of the Main 6, there have been 2 dolls named "Trini," 2 dolls named "Vanessa," 2 dolls named "Carissa," and 3 dolls named "Marissa."

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Main 6:

2005

2006

Main 6 Updated:

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Poseable

These had wires in their arms and legs that made them able to strike different poses. They were released from 2006-2008.

Holiday Exclusives

Christmas

Easter

Valentine's Day

Halloween

RSVP

These dolls came with codes to unlock special items online. They celebrated Groovy Girls' 10th anniversary. The RSVP line dates from 2008-2009.

Fun Packs

Troop Groovy Girls

These dolls were partnered up with Girl Scouts. The Troop line dates from 2007-2010.

Dreamtastic

The Dreamtastic line dates from 2005-2011.

Candy Kingdom

The Candy Kingdom doll line dates from 2007. Fatina and Dari have their pets on leashes attached to their hands.

Special Edition

These dolls date from 2005-2012.

Chic Boutique

The Chic Boutique doll line dates from 2005.

Flutterflies

The Flutterflies doll line dates from 2010.

Princesses

The princesses date from 2010-2015.

Mermaids

The mermaids date from 2002-2012.

Style Scents

These dolls date from 2015, and each one is fruity-scented. They all come with a pet as well.

Fairybelles

The fairies date from 2015.

Groovy Girls Sleepover Club

Groovy Girls Sleepover Club was a series of short, chapter books for early readers starring the main 6 Groovy Girls, who are Gwen, Reese, Oki, O'Ryan, Vanessa, and Yvette. The books each contained 80 pages and a few illustrations. The books were published from 2005-2006.

List of books

  1. The First Pajama Party: Slumberiffic Six
  2. Pranks a Lot: The Girls vs. The Boys
  3. Sleepover Surprise: A Twin-Sational Birthday
  4. Rock and Roll: Divas Supreme
  5. Choose or Lose: How to Pick a Winner
  6. The Great Outdoors: Take a Hike
  7. Growing up Groovy: An Out-of-this-World Adventure
  8. Girls of Summer: Bon Voyage

Licensing and awards

Burger King offered miniaturized plastic as well as plush versions of Groovy Girls in its global Kids Meal program, which ran from February 12, 2007 to March 18, 2007.[11] That year, Manhattan Toy also partnered with the Girl Scouts to develop a line extension of dolls called Troop Groovy Girls.[12] An online community called Camp Groovy Girls launched in September, soon after the dolls became available in stores.[12] In February 2008, the Toy Industry Association named the Girl Scouts' Troop Groovy Girls the best girl toy of the year during the American International Toy Fair in New York City.[13] Groovy Girls had previously won "Girl Toy of the Year" and "Specialty Toy of the Year" awards at the 2003 Toy Fair.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Gabler, Ellen P. (2005-12-23). "Dogs with Attitude to Follow Groovy Girls". Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  2. ↑ Newmarker, Chris (2009-05-01). "Toymaker Plans New, Bigger Doll". Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  3. 1 2 3 "Silver Lining Bringing Groovy Girls to Licensed Products". Kids Today (Reed Business Information). 2005-07-01. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Kadaba, Lini S. (2009-01-26). "Self-Esteem, Sharing Marketed". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  5. ↑ Weisstuch, Liza (2002-12-12). "Toy Story". The Phoenix. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  6. 1 2 3 4 De Mesa, Alicia (2005-10-12). "Marketing and Tweens". BusinessWeek. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  7. ↑ D'Innocenzio, Anne (2003-11-29). "Identity Dolls: Toy Makers Try to Appeal to All Kinds of Girls". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  8. ↑ Bland, Karina (2007-10-09). "Dolls Gone Wild: Unhappy Moms Want Wholesome Alternatives". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  9. 1 2 Grimaldi, Paul (2005-02-25). "Tech Trend Continues Its Ascent". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  10. ↑ Kuchinskas, Susan (2007-07-01). "An Underserved Age Group Has Huge Buying Power". OMMA (MediaPost Communications). Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  11. ↑ "Toy Firms Hope for Burger Bonanza". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 2007-03-12. Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  12. 1 2 Hurn, Mary Elizabeth (2008-01-28). "Manhattan Toy/Girl Scout Partnership; ExpoTV; Auto Insurance Specialists". DMNews (Haymarket Group). Retrieved 2009-11-19.
  13. ↑ "Dolls Chosen as Outstanding Toy". Tri-Town News (Greater Media). 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2009-11-19.

External links

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