This an intersting discussion! Thats so cool that Taffy knows a lot about Mattel, does she know someone that works there? As far as when the AG today and bitty baby were introduced, I know that they came out right before the company was sold but it seemed that when they first came out the historical line was still the heart of the AG collection and thats what seems to have changed. But then that could be because the company was sold right after they were introduced and they have added so much in the past few years. BTW, why did they have bitty baby for awhile in the early 90s then stop and restart the collection in the late 90s? Or did miss something? LOL Ultimately what everything comes down to is me just being very sad about Felicity (and Josefina) having so many of their things retired. But the good news is that I recently got Felicity's scenes and settings, reading and writing lesson and muff, mitts and pattens on ebay!! All in great condition!!! [img]biggrin.gif[/img]
I think Bitty was originally introduced as our new baby or something like that. They were supposed to be purchesed by families about to have a new baby or with a new baby to teach a litle girl about the baby. My cousin actually got a bitty for this purpose. The original bitty was availible as a girl or a boy. Later Bitty became more of a baby doll to dress up.
Here's what I think. I think that AG learned a VERY IMPORTANT LESSON THE HARD WAY!!!! Alot of people hated AG at the time of her discontinumentbecause they loved Felicity! I also think they thought Kaya would sell better! Well that plan SUCKED! Then , after Sam's movie. someone hit Ellen Brothers in the head and when she woke up said " Lets make a movie for Felicity and everything Sam got,to boost her sales, and apoligize to loyal Felicity and AG Fans!!!!!!! P.S. The kaya comment does not register to those who like her! [img]mad.gif[/img]
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">No, he used to work across the street from Mattel's headquarters in El Segundo though. [img]smile.gif[/img]Originally posted by rachie421:
This an intersting discussion! Thats so cool that Taffy knows a lot about Mattel, does she know someone that works there?
I do feel very strongly about the principles behind the marketing plan that built Pleasant Company. The focus of the company was on the books and it was the job of the books to promote the rest of the line. To further illuminate the story you had props, e.g., the doll, all of the outfits and major accessories that were mentioned in the story. You then had craft and recipe books to bring events in the story to life and gain a multidimensional knowledge of the characters. Add to that the Scenes and Settings and the pattern collections, which were designed to further involve the reader in the context of the character. In short, it was a soup-to-nuts participative involvement of the reader in the story. To bring additional material to the catalog, it was necessary to first develop a book, e.g., Molly going flying. To paraphrase the often quoted maxim, "It's the books, stupid..."
The new CEO of Mattel, having been brought in to run a toy company, thought that American Girl was about the dolls. Neither Mattel, nor Kraft Foods, has a stellar history as publishers and, I believe, Mattel's management seriously failed to understand the role of the books in the Pleasant Company model. To the boy with a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail...
AG has a strong enough model that even the bumbling missteps of Mattel appears unlikely to kill it off, despite a pretty good try. Of course, changing the retail model and selling AGs in Wal-Mart and the myriad other stores where Mattel pushes Barbie, that could harm American Girl, as could diversifying too far into lines that have nothing to do with the books.
Taffy
You bring up really good point Taffy that I forgot to mention about the books. Having dolls and accessories to go along with a story while educating was the theme. And a great one at that! I think thats my biggest problem with AG today, as cute as the dolls and accessories are, you dont have the books to go along with them and reading so important when you are young. However I think the limited edition dolls like Lindsey and Kailey are great idea. They are modern and have their own small collection as well as book to go with their character. Although I have not read either book, I can only imagine that they each preach a good moral at the end of the story much like the historical girls. I really hope the AG has learned their lesson to a degree and that like you said, the collection is simply to stong to be killed off by bad marketing anyway.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Interesting thought. I don't think Kaya was a total falure, but her novelty as the new doll has waned and she might not be continuing to yeild profit for AG. And if she cannot suffiantly sell I wonder what'll happen to her. [img]graemlins/thinking.gif[/img]Here's what I think. I think that AG learned a VERY IMPORTANT LESSON THE HARD WAY!!!! Alot of people hated AG at the time of her discontinument because they loved Felicity! I also think they thought Kaya would sell better! Well that plan SUCKED! Then , after Sam's movie. someone hit Ellen Brothers in the head and when she woke up said " Lets make a movie for Felicity and everything Sam got,to boost her sales, and apoligize to loyal Felicity and AG Fans!!!!!!! P.S. The kaya comment does not register to those who like her!
<font color="#051E50" size="1">[ November 27, 2004 05:13 PM: Message edited by: Felicity+Addyfan ]</font>
I guess I haven't been collecting long enough again to have my feathers ruffled by the state of the company today. I still think they have beautiful products, and I do like the newer characters like Josefina and Kit, and look forward to bringing them into my collection someday.
As for Kaya, I love her collection and hope to get most of it eventually. If it winds up that she is going to be discontinued I'm going to hurry up and get her stuff as soon as I hear confirmation. What do you guys think? Is it likely she'll be discontinued in, like, the next year?
Okay...this is a great thread, and "gets me going" on a few points!
First of all...There is no mistaking the change in quality since Mattel took over....and I think it got worse after Pleasant left all together. Perhaps that is when the new CEO came along? I don't think we can blame Pleasant, though. We all have to live our lives....
Secondly...I don't, and never will, think Barbie is a good role model for girls. I have a Barbie lover on my Christmas list, and I just couldn't bring myself to buy one.
Thirdly...the fact that the CEO of AG is the former CEO of Kraft explains a lot to me!!!!
Kraft is boycotted in my family...
Kraft imports most of it's milk product from other countries. Countries that do not have to meet the strict regulations that the FDA puts in place in this country. Regulations that keep foods pure, and safe for consumption. Why does Kraft do this? $$$$$$$$$!!!!!!!!!
The next time you make a box of Kraft Mac and Cheese, think about that. Also think about America's Dairy Farmers. We work really hard, but cannot get a good price for our product because Kraft not only imports product from other countries, but they mess around with the u.s. cheese market, as well....so they can make the most money. And you would be surprised how many food products are made by Kraft.
And Mods...me speaking of this won't get anyone in trouble. I have documentation. NO one can dispute it. It's fact.
So...if the bottom dollar is all that is important with food products...how can we expect better from a doll company run by someone with that mind set?
Jenny, this is sort of OT, but do you sell your products to local co-ops? I was just wondering because we have started buying organic Mac & Cheese and other organic dariy products since the Kraft wasn't very healthy. We thought we were also helping out the individual dairy farmers by purchasing something that came from individual farms or co-ops and not a large company like Kraft. Does it really help any?
Kim
Yes, Kim, it does help. We ship our milk to a local plant. Our milk gets made into cheese. We have to be very careful with sanitation, as does the milk plant. The countries that Kraft buys it's milk product from, do not.
And it really upsets me that a huge company like that would go to another country to purchase milk product, when we produce milk in this country. That's just not playing nice!!!
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