American Girl dolls used to only be available online, in catalogs, or a handful of specialty shops.
Advertisement
Richard Barry, global chief merchandising officer at Toys R Us, echoed this sentiment in a statement. A month later, Toys R Us will open American Girl shops within about 100 of its stores. In late October, Toys “R” Us will debut American Girl in-store shops in 97 locations across the country. Dolls from that line come in a variety of skin, eye and hair colors meant to match those of the children who will play with them. They include a girl in Depression-era Cincinnati, a civil rights advocate from Detroit and a Native American living in 1760s Pacific Northwest. Money points out these are not the “BeForever” dolls that included history-tinged backstories, though the “Truly Me” line does look like these dolls.
“We are focused on finding new, exciting ways to bring our stores to life, and are thrilled to be launching this exclusive American Girl shop-in-shop in almost 100 Toys “R” Us locations across the country just in time for the holiday season”, said Richard Barry, global chief merchandising Officer, Toys “R” Us.
Right now, the dolls and other American Girl products are only a few dozen stores in the US and online.
Toys “R” Us will also be the exclusive retail partner to carry American Girl’s Truly Me line of contemporary dolls and related outfits and accessories.
Mattel said it will be the first time the Truly Me dolls have been sold at a USA retailer outside of its own stores.
Now, as part of a multiyear partnership between the toy company and the toy retailer, select American Girl dolls, along with their accessories and other branded products, will hit the shelves of Toys “R” Us.
According to a public filing from June, the dolls aren’t bringing in as much revenue as they used to.
Advertisement
Sales of the American Girls brand were down 19% year-over-year in the most recent quarter, El Segundo, CA-based Mattel said in its second-quarter earnings.
