Mattel Hopes To Make Up For Barbie Sales By Charging Little Girls Online

The Financial Times reports that Mattel is hoping that the 11m online Barbie doll fans can help it offset the decline in the sales of real dolls. The toy company is going to charge for access to a site that promotes its own toys, introducing subscription-based elements to its rapidly growing BarbieGirls.com “virtual world” website.

Bob Eckert, Mattel’s chief executive officer, told Wall Street analysts that the new “VIP” tier on the site will be “competitively priced” when it is launched in May, but declined to give further details.

Mattel launched the BarbieGirls.com site a year ago. The site allows users to create and dress an online personality and to participate in online chats. It has more than 11m registered users.

Meanwhile, the company’s leading brand continues to struggle. Mattel said sales of the dolls in the US fell 12 per cent during its first quarter, offsetting gains in international sales and contributing to a net loss of $46.6m, or 13 cents a share. Sales declined 2.2 per cent to $919m.

FT.com – Mattel to charge Barbie web fees
BarbieGirls.com