Good news! Barbie goes Hollywood

Mattel and Universal Pictures announced this week that they are developing a live action movie about Barbie. Congratulations to Mattel! This is an important move for Barbie and the toy industry as it brings to the doll category some of the excitement that  Transformers and Spiderman have brought to the action figure arena.

What is going to be very interesting is the way Universal tackles its assignment. This is an important opportunity for Mattel to reverse some of the age compression that has negatively impacted Barbie and the rest of the doll category.  

So, I am looking forward to seeing who they target as the audience for this film. Will it be girls up to eight or will they have an eye on their older sisters. It could also be interesting if they produced a film that appealed to women (former little girl and Barbie enthusiasts) of all ages. If they can pull that off, they can raise Barbie’s appeal to every female from little girls to Boomer collectors. 

Excitement is returning to the doll category. Revenues should soon follow.