Margot Robbie Barbie now the most popular doll in our range
28.7.2023
Translation: Katherine Martin
Has Barbie fever hit online retail? Whatever way you look at it, the Margot Robbie doll has become a bestseller within a matter of weeks. It’s still unclear whether our doll range as a whole stands to gain from the pink craze. What we do know, however, is which cantons are home to the most doll-lovers and how «diversity Barbies» are selling on Galaxus.
The release of Barbie and Oppenheimer saw two Hollywood blockbusters hit Swiss cinemas last weekend. «Barbenheimer» went down a storm at the box office, raking in over half a billion dollars worldwide on its premiere weekend.
In Switzerland, Barbie beat every other film to the top spot. The question is: will this plastic doll turned real girl also cause a sensation outside of movie theatres? Are we seeing Barbie’s influence at Galaxus? Will the success of the film impact sales of Barbie dolls? Galaxus has analysed the sales figures and compiled the results.
1. Margot Robbie now our most popular Barbie doll
Galaxus has had two Margot Robbie dolls in its range since June. The movie had barely hit theatres when sales figures went through the roof. In July, the online retailer sold significantly more Margot dolls than in June.
Both Barbies currently rank among the ten top-selling dolls in the Galaxus range. The version sporting a pink, patterned dress is the most frequently purchased doll in our range right now.
2. A Barbie boom? Let’s not be hasty here.
It’s still too early to declare a Barbie boom. The Barbies designed for the film may be selling very well, but we can’t (yet) tell whether Barbie fever has had an impact on our doll range as a whole.
Not only that, but the movie, directed by Greta Gerwig, has only been playing in Swiss cinemas since 19 July. It’s still too early to spot any Barbie- or doll-related sales trends. We’ll know more in a few weeks.
3. This baby is the only one stealing Barbie’s thunder
Six of our ten best-selling dolls are from Mattel. However, the doll that’s been most likely to find a new home in Swiss children’s bedrooms this year, is a different one altogether: the Baby Born Magic Girl – which, according to her manufacturer, has ten lifelike functions.
So far this year, it’s mermaids that have dominated the Barbie rankings. Here are the ones to have flown off the virtual shelves most often in 2023.
It remains to be seen whether the Margot Robbie doll will outperform the mermaid in the annual rankings. Or maybe this aquatic Barbie will take her colourful fin and swim to success as soon as the hype around the Barbie movie dies down.
4. Good for the image, not so good for the bank balance: wheelchair Barbie
President, astronaut, CEO – these days, Barbie can be anything. In the past, the dolls conformed to unrealistic beauty ideals, with blonde hair and white skin as standard. Recognising the spirit of the times, Mattel has been working against these prevailing norms with a good dose of diversity and inclusion.
But how often do customers actually buy Barbies in wheelchairs or Kens with vitiligo? In a nutshell, none of the following toys made it onto the list of top 50 best-selling dolls.
Wheelchair Barbie: #89, Barbie with Down syndrome: #96, Ken with vitiligo: #351
5. Doll-lovers in Vaud and Valais
Across all cantons, there’s a positive correlation between population and sales figures. The more people live in a canton, the more doll orders the local population places on Galaxus.
However, there are some outliers – Galaxus sends more dolls to Vaud than to Bern, even though the latter has more inhabitants. And Valaisans have bought more dolls in 2023 than people in the more populous cantons of Lucerne or St. Gallen.
Looking at the absolute figures, most dolls wound up in Zurich mailboxes. Uri residents, on the other hand, seem to be least familiar with Barbie and co.
*How to read the map: «Average» means the canton's doll sales ranking is in line with its population ranking. For example, Zurich is the canton with the largest population and Galaxus sells the most dolls in Zurich. If doll sales in a canton are disproportionately higher than its population figure, then doll sales there are above average. If the opposite is the case, the canton is marked as «below average».
6. Lego is still our number one toy
Lego is incredibly important to Galaxus customers. In the current year, the online department has sold four times more Lego sets than dolls (including doll accessories). Even the Barbie movie won’t be able to shake up this hierarchy.
Have you seen the Barbie movie yet? Or is Oppenheimer more your cup of tea? What do you think of Barbie dolls? Are they role models for girls or sexualised plastic objects that have passed their sell-by date? Let us know in the comments!
Stephan Kurmann
Senior Communications Manager
Stephan.Kurmann@digitecgalaxus.chStudies claim that we have a shorter attention span than goldfish. Ouch! My job is to get your attention as often and for as long as possible. How? With content you enjoy. Outside of the office, you’ll find me on the tennis court, curled up with a book, Netflixing or travelling.
Movies and series
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
Toys
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
1 comment
later