We're fast approaching the one-year anniversary for the release of Disney's Frozen, and yet the world's collective love for this whimsical musical hasn't cooled at all. In fact, Elsa and Anna have just toppled the icon that is Barbie.
USA Today reports Frozen dolls are being purchased for little girls' Christmas gifts more than Barbie. Keep in mind--that means all Barbies out of the untold numbers of variations Mattel has on store shelves. This shocking finding comes from the National Retail Federation, which polled parents to find out what they were purchasing for their kids this holiday season. The survey has been taken annually for the past 11 years, and Barbie has always come out on top. Until the rise of Frozen.
Frozen dolls were the response for 20% of the 6,593 consumers surveyed between November 3 and November 10th. Barbie only scored 16.8%.
The top toys for girls this Christmas looks like this:
1. Disney's Frozen
2. Barbie
3. Dolls
4. Monster High Dolls
5. American Girl Dolls
Perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised. After all, the 2013 release scored headlines earlier this month thanks to the outstanding number of Frozen role-play dresses sold. Then the National Retail Federation was dropping Halloween numbers, reporting that of the 3.4 million children who went trick 'r treating as princesses, 2.6 million of those were Frozen's Elsa or Anna. But more often Elsa. Her merchandise has outpaced her sisters', often two-to-one. I mean, she's not just a princess (she's a queen actually) but also essentially a superhero. Ice power activate!
Memorably, Disney ran into troubles in April when stores sold out of Frozen toys. (In April?! Why was the demand so high in April? Were children demanding Frozen toys in their Easter baskets?) The scarcity of Anna and Elsa paraphernalia caused a vocal outcry, with parents taking to the Disney Store's Facebook page to lodge complaints. Soon, eBay was exploding with auctions for the hotly sought dolls, demanding up to $1,000 a piece.
We suspect Disney won't be caught out in the cold this holiday season, and will be working to be sure no similar issues are hit this December. But with Black Friday nearly upon us, you might want to just get your Frozen toys now.
Also, maybe pick up a copy of the Frozen: Sing Along Edition while you're at it.
