"Littlest Pet Shop" is a toy product line by Hasbro (www.hasbro.com) that developed into an animated television series from Sunbow Productions and Creativite et Developpement that debuted in 1995. It follows the lives of a group of five miniature animals, each about the size of a rat. They live in a pet shop on Littlest Lane and have their own treehouse inside of the store. They go on all sorts of adventures together, sometimes involving other miniature animals. The toys each have their own little magnet on one of their front paws that will go on any magnetic object.
Littlest Pet Shop was a popular line of toys by Kenner base on the show. The collection had many lines. The first one was introduced in 1992 to modest acclaim but after four years enthusiasm dwindled, and the line was retired in 1996.
All the various sets produced can be seen at The Littlest Pet Shop Guide: http://littlestpetshop.50webs.com/
In need of a lasting girl's toy brand, Hasbro took a look back to the toys of the 1980s, namely, My Little Pony. With the success of the lines relaunch, Sharon John, Head of Hasbro's Girls Division, was looking for a toy with STAYING Power...no "one-hit-wonders".
In 2005, toy designer Gayle Middleton redesigned Littlest Pet Shop toy line for Hasbro bringing a fresh new look which has made it one of Hasbro's most successful Girl's Division line-ups. Since then sales of the Littlest Pet Shop line--marketed as being a collection of inch-tall kittens, puppies, hamsters, and turtles that inhabit a pet store--have soared from $60 million to $600 million in five years. That represented that Hasbro has sold more than 60 million of the figures at roughly $4 a piece. Who knew?
In redesigning Littlest Pet Shop, Hasbro decided to mix the modern with the traditional. They gave the animals the big, vulnerable eyes made popular by Japanese animators. Designers toned down the pink packaging and went with more contemporary purple and green. But they kept the figures the same size as before—much smaller than most dolls—knowing girls like to collect and carry little things. Hasbro was also looking for a line that could be a large cross-seller: selling both TOYS and in other lines, such as backpacks, clothing and bedroom items.
Then that group applied a few time-tested lessons from boys' action figures. The company created more than 300 versions of the animals, changing them every few months to keep kids interested. And for the holiday season there's Littlest Pet Shop store-exclusive items, electronic diaries , and plug-'n'-play TV games.
Now comes the digital strategy! Hasbro has started selling what it calls Virtual Interactive Pets (VIP) on its Web site and those of a few retailers. The bigger, $15 dolls come with a secret code that unlocks an online world where kids can create virtual pets and play games...much like Webkinz toys by Ganz. Hasbro hopes the new line, which went national in February 2008, will draw in girls older than eight.
Information from Wikipedia and a Business week article: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_52/b4064066955267.htm?chan=magazine+channel_what%27s+next
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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