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Video highlights: Barbie sales go meteoric

Here's your 90 second primer on Mattel's successful Barbie movie launch
John Fetto
2 min read
29 June 2023

The Summer of Barbie

Sexagenarian Barbie—who doesn’t look a day over 19—is the star of one of the most anticipated cinematic releases of the summer and Americans are here for it! Grips reports that online sale of Barbie-branded merchandise in the United States have tripled since February and generated more revenue in May than in the peak of the Christmas holiday season.

Highlights

  • Barbie sales have increased by 200% between February and May and now surpass revenues brought in during the holiday season
  • No other major toy brand has seen similar growth in recent months
  • While sales of Barbie-branded merchandise are also increasing in the UK and Germany, American’s have the worst case of Barbie fever
  • Amazon, Kohls and Macy’s are generating the most revenue from Barbie products online

Watch the 90 second video

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Video Transcript

Welcome to Fun Fact Friday from Grips. Even though the release of the highly anticipated Barbie movie is a full month away, Americans have clearly caught Barbie fever. According to Grips, online sales of Barbie branded merchandise ranging from dolls and doll houses to pajamas and bedding have posted 3 consecutive month over month increases since March, with revenues nearly tripling during that time. Furthermore, in May, sales of Barbie branded merchandise exceeded the previous holiday peak by more than 30%. That’s a trend that will likely expand in the coming months.

From Lego to Fisher Price to Nerf and more, no other major toy brand today has seen similar growth in recent months, pointing to a clear success of the early Barbie buzz. Not so surprisingly, this seems to be a uniquely American craze. While Grips found that Barbie sales in the United Kingdom and Germany are on the rise, they’re far from exceeding levels reached during their holiday period.

Grips is currently tracking Barbie sales on 50 e-commerce sites and in the United States, Amazon is getting the lions share of that revenue, followed by Kohl’s, Macy’s. Walmart and Target Combined, these retailers account for 84% of online Barbie sales since August.

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