Sindy
Encyclopedia
Sindy is a British
fashion doll
created by Pedigree Dolls & Toys
in 1963. A rival to Barbie
, Sindy's wholesome look and range of fashions and accessories made it the best selling toy
in the United Kingdom in 1968 and 1970. After Marx Toys
' unsuccessful attempt to introduce Sindy in the United States in the late 1970s, Hasbro
bought the rights to Sindy and remodelled the doll to look more American. As a result, the doll's popularity declined and Barbie manufacturer Mattel
filed a lawsuit
for copyright infringement
, which was settled when Hasbro agreed to remodel Sindy's face. During the 1990s, Barbie's share of the doll market continued to grow while Sindy's diminished, which led to Sindy being delisted from major retailers in 1997. Hasbro returned the doll's licence to Pedigree, and the doll was relaunched in 1999, manufactured by Vivid Imaginations
. Sindy's 40th anniversary
in 2003 saw a new manufacturer, New Moons, and another relaunch and redesign. Barbie and Bratz
dolls now dominate Sindy's original target audience of pre-adolescents, so Sindy is aimed at preschool-aged girls.
, a British company located in Exeter
, sought to expand its product range to include a trendy fashion doll
. American toy manufacturer Mattel
offered Pedigree a licence to produce Barbie
, which Pedigree declined due to market research
showing Barbie was unpopular with British buyers. Instead Pedigree manufactured its own doll based on another American doll, Tammy. With permission from Tammy's manufacturer, the Ideal Toy Company
, Pedigree also borrowed Tammy's slogan
, "The doll you love to dress". The name "Sindy" was chosen after a street poll
where young girls were shown a photo of the doll and asked to choose their favourite name from a list of four. The most popular choice was "Cindy", and the spelling made more unique for trademark
ing.
The Sindy doll was launched in September 1963, and London
retailers were sent a promotional 45rpm gramophone record
to introduce the doll, which included Pedigree's marketing
text below.
Pedigree Toys' market research was correct – Sindy's "girl next door
" look made her more popular than Barbie in Britain
. Sindy's boyfriend Paul was released in 1965, and her younger sister Patch in 1966. Sindy's friends Vicki and Mitzi, and Patch's friends Poppet and Betsy debuted in 1968. Sindy was the best selling toy in Britain in 1968 and 1970. Sindy's success in the 1960s was partly due to the increasing range of accessories, with up to 70% of Sindy's turnover
from sales of accessories. Mattel
did not greatly expand Barbie's accessories until the 1980s, and this was a significant difference between the dolls.
During the 1970s, Pedigree focused on developing more Sindy products and neglected advertising
and market research
, risking Sindy's "girl next door" image becoming old-fashioned. In 1978, Sindy was introduced to the United States market by Marx Toys
. Most of Sindy's accessories and fashions were similar to those sold in the United Kingdom, except for the addition of a friend, Gayle, and a McDonald's
-themed Sindy. Marx Toys went into receivership
in 1980 and Sindy was withdrawn from the US market.
's wedding gown, shortly after Mattel
released gowns for Barbie designed by Oscar de la Renta
. Due to its success, a second collection of designs was released the next year, including a bubble dress and lingerie
. An older-looking Sindy doll was released in 1985, with male and female companions Mark and Marie. The advertising campaign was worth £1.5 million.
In 1986, Sindy manufacturers took advantage of new colour-changing
technology and released Magic Moments Sindy, a doll whose hair and swimming costume changed colour when immersed in warm water. Sindy's senior designer Jane Braithwaite travelled to Paris
each month to research fashion trends for Sindy's clothing in an attempt to reverse declining sales. As an example of Sindy's continually updated fashions, during this period the doll's footwear included kitten heel
s, sandals
, knee-high boots
, ankle boots, trainers
, slippers, court shoe
s and slingbacks.
In 1987, Sindy's product manager Edward Machin announced that Sindy would reclaim the lead over Barbie within two years. Hasbro redesigned Sindy and spent approximately £1.5 m on advertising. A Sindy magazine
was also launched in this period to challenge the fortnight
ly Barbie magazine. A £1 million advertising campaign was introduced in 1991 with five advertisements highlighting Sindy's collection of beach and pool wear. The advertisement showed footage of Sindy combined with live action sequences from a look-alike.
In 1993, Sindy was featured in a £500,000 advertising campaign for the fashion company Alexon Group
. Sindy was used to contrast her childish fashion with the sophistication of Alexon's fashion range. Each double page spread showed Sindy in a typical outfit superimposed on a real-life setting. The opposite page showed a real woman dressed in Alexon's clothes above the line 'Dressing up for grown ups'.
500-600 m market in France alone. The chief executive of Hasbro France, Paul Audouy, said recent innovations such as the ability for Sindy to swim and walk a small dog would strengthen her market position. Hasbro invested ₣5 million in the first week of her advertising launch. A new black
friend for Sindy was released in 1995, named Imani, 30 years after Sindy's American friend Gayle was withdrawn after low sales. Hasbro released the new doll in response to "overwhelming demand".
Hasbro withdrew its £5.5 m advertising support for the Sindy doll in 1997 amid rumours that major retailers were planning to delist the doll. The editor of UK Toy News, Jon Salisbury, said, "This is Hasbro taking Sindy out of its main range. But she is running so far behind Barbie it is almost a non-issue. If delisted by bigger retailers, which seems to be happening, then the brand will lose momentum". In 1994, Sindy had a seven percent share of the £70 m doll market, and Barbie held 16%. By 1996, Barbie's share had increased to 30%, estimated by Mattel to be worth £100 m per year including licensing deals, and Sindy's share had only climbed to eight percent. Sindy's popularity had also been overtaken during that period by Polly Pocket
. One explanation for the large variation in market share is the unpopular Americanisation of the Sindy doll in the mid-1980s. The Sindy doll was still available to retailers during this period, but had to be ordered in bulk
from the Hong Kong
manufacturer.
' marketing director, Paul Weston, from the company then producing Sindy. Pedigree, which owns the rights to Sindy, licensed the doll to Vivid Imaginations after Hasbro ceased production of the doll. The doll market in the United Kingdom during this time was worth £77 million, with Barbie holding a share of over 75%.
The Sindy doll entered the digital world in 2000 when Pedigree Toys introduced an official website
. Monitor Media, the website design company, said, "Sindy.com brings Sindy to life for six-year-old girls just getting to grips with computers while sitting on their Mum's knee. They can dress her up, paint her bedroom in different colours, read her secret diary, chat with other Sindy fans and send her e-mails".
In 40 years, nearly 100 million Sindy dolls were sold in Britain alone, and in 2003, Sindy was relaunched for her 40th birthday. Her figure was changed to more closely resemble the girls the doll is marketed towards. Denise Deane, the head of design and development at New Moons, the new Sindy manufacturer, said, "She's lost the big breasts and very long legs, and we've completely changed her face. She's totally unrecognisable. Sindy's still very popular, but she has been neglected over the last few years, and we don't think people are identifying with that look. She's going to look like a 15-year-old, and we've designed her to wear trainers." The doll was released in two versions: six-inch and full-size.
Sindy was relaunched again in 2006, this time resembling a 12 to 14 year old. Jerry Reynolds, chief executive officer
of Pedigree Toys explained, "If you take the Sindy of yester-year she was between 12 and 14 years while Barbie was twenty-something. She got too close to Barbie in the '80s and '90s and has now effectively returned to that younger positioning." The doll was again released in two sizes, with the standard-size Sindy a Woolworths
exclusive, after Woolworths had not stocked a Sindy doll for four years. The 2006 Sindy was aimed at three- to five-year old girls, younger than the audience targeted by Bratz
dolls, and mothers who wanted a more innocent-looking doll for their daughters than Barbie or Bratz dolls.
The January 1989 redesign made Sindy look more similar to her rival Barbie
. In response, Mattel
sought and won an injunction
against Hasbro
after claiming the new Sindy doll was easily confused with their product. After a French court decided that the Sindy doll infringed on Mattel's copyright
in early 1992, the case was settled in December when Hasbro agreed to alter Sindy's face. Mattel and Hasbro released the following joint statement, "Hasbro has remodeled the head of Sindy in a way which Mattel and Hasbro have agreed is acceptable. As a result, Mattel has agreed to drop all outstanding lawsuits relating to Sindy and Barbie around the world. Each party will be responsible for its own costs". The case was previously ruled in Hasbro's favour in Spain and Greece
.
Similar to many fashion doll
s, including Barbie
, Sindy has been criticised by feminist groups who said her figure set an unrealistic standard for young girls. After Hasbro returned the brand to Pedigree Toys, Pedigree responded to the backlash against "cosmetically enhanced bimbo
" dolls by making Sindy more wholesome and less shapely.
A minor controversy occurred in 1998 when Hasbro expressed a desire to make a Sindy doll that looked like Princess Diana, shortly after former prime minister
John Major
recommended sensitivity when making commercial deals to honour the late princess. The Princess's Memorial Fund denied Hasbro's request, but did not rule out the possibility of a future doll, "if it met the requirements of the trustees and was judged acceptable to the public".
, and websites provide advice on how to re-root the doll's hair and replace parts. Mint condition
dolls are the most sought after. Many collectors shunned the "American look" Sindy developed by Hasbro, while the value of the Pedigree dolls increased. In 2003, a first-edition Sindy, complete with original Foale and Tuffin "Weekenders" outfit (jeans and a striped sweatshirt), box and fashion booklet was worth approximately £160-200. Sindy's rarer friends Gayle (a doll made for the American market in 1975) was worth up to £400, and Mitzi (her French friend from 1968) up to £500.
December 2006 saw the launch of a collectible version of the original Sindy, one called "Classic Sindy" and manufactured in porcelain
. Created by Anne Zielinski-Old, distributed by the Danbury Mint
and still licensed by Pedigree Dolls & Toys, the "Weekender" was the first in a series.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
fashion doll
Fashion doll
Fashion dolls are dolls primarily designed to be dressed to reflect fashion trends. They are manufactured both as toys for children to play with and as collectibles for adult collectors. The dolls are usually modeled after teen girls or adult women, though child, male, and even some non-human...
created by Pedigree Dolls & Toys
Pedigree Dolls & Toys
Pedigree Dolls & Toys, also known as Pedigree Toys, is a toy company located in Exeter, England. Best known for launching the Sindy doll in 1963, Pedigree also produced the Tommy Gunn action figure from 1966 to 1968...
in 1963. A rival to Barbie
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
, Sindy's wholesome look and range of fashions and accessories made it the best selling toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
in the United Kingdom in 1968 and 1970. After Marx Toys
Louis Marx and Company
Louis Marx and Company was an American toy manufacturer from 1919 to 1978. Its boxes were often imprinted with the slogan, "One of the many Marx toys, have you all of them?"-Logo and Offerings:...
' unsuccessful attempt to introduce Sindy in the United States in the late 1970s, Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
bought the rights to Sindy and remodelled the doll to look more American. As a result, the doll's popularity declined and Barbie manufacturer Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
filed a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
for copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
, which was settled when Hasbro agreed to remodel Sindy's face. During the 1990s, Barbie's share of the doll market continued to grow while Sindy's diminished, which led to Sindy being delisted from major retailers in 1997. Hasbro returned the doll's licence to Pedigree, and the doll was relaunched in 1999, manufactured by Vivid Imaginations
Vivid Imaginations
Vivid Imaginations is a company based in Guildford, Surrey, that manufactures, designs and distributes toys and holds distribution rights on a number of popular TV shows and Blockbuster movies. Captain scarlett was the first of many distribution deals that turned Vivid into the Uk's number 1 toy...
. Sindy's 40th anniversary
Anniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
in 2003 saw a new manufacturer, New Moons, and another relaunch and redesign. Barbie and Bratz
Bratz
Bratz is an American line of fashion dolls and merchandise manufactured by MGA Entertainment. Four original 10" dolls were released in 2001 - Cloe, Jade, Sasha and Yasmin...
dolls now dominate Sindy's original target audience of pre-adolescents, so Sindy is aimed at preschool-aged girls.
Development and launch
After 20 years of producing dolls, Pedigree Dolls & ToysPedigree Dolls & Toys
Pedigree Dolls & Toys, also known as Pedigree Toys, is a toy company located in Exeter, England. Best known for launching the Sindy doll in 1963, Pedigree also produced the Tommy Gunn action figure from 1966 to 1968...
, a British company located in Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, sought to expand its product range to include a trendy fashion doll
Fashion doll
Fashion dolls are dolls primarily designed to be dressed to reflect fashion trends. They are manufactured both as toys for children to play with and as collectibles for adult collectors. The dolls are usually modeled after teen girls or adult women, though child, male, and even some non-human...
. American toy manufacturer Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
offered Pedigree a licence to produce Barbie
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
, which Pedigree declined due to market research
Market research
Market research is any organized effort to gather information about markets or customers. It is a very important component of business strategy...
showing Barbie was unpopular with British buyers. Instead Pedigree manufactured its own doll based on another American doll, Tammy. With permission from Tammy's manufacturer, the Ideal Toy Company
Ideal Toy Company
Ideal Toy Company was founded as Ideal Novelty and Toy Company in New York in 1907 by Morris and Rose Michtom after they had invented the Teddy bear in 1903. The company changed its name to Ideal Toy Company in 1938...
, Pedigree also borrowed Tammy's slogan
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
, "The doll you love to dress". The name "Sindy" was chosen after a street poll
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
where young girls were shown a photo of the doll and asked to choose their favourite name from a list of four. The most popular choice was "Cindy", and the spelling made more unique for trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
ing.
The Sindy doll was launched in September 1963, and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
retailers were sent a promotional 45rpm gramophone record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
to introduce the doll, which included Pedigree's marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
text below.
Sindy is the free, swinging girl that every little girl longs to be. Sindy has sports clothes, glamour clothes, everyday clothes — a dog, skates, a gramophone — everything... Every genuine Sindy outfit is a child's dream come true. Each one is designed for today's fashionable young women by today's leading women designers. They are authentic miniature replicas of the latest adult clothes.
Developing accessories and American release
Girl next door
The cultural and sexual stereotype of the girl next door or the All-American girl is invoked in American contexts to indicate wholesome, unassuming femininity, as opposed to the culture's other female stereotypes such as the tomboy, the valley girl, the femme fatale, girly girl, or the slut. The...
" look made her more popular than Barbie in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Sindy's boyfriend Paul was released in 1965, and her younger sister Patch in 1966. Sindy's friends Vicki and Mitzi, and Patch's friends Poppet and Betsy debuted in 1968. Sindy was the best selling toy in Britain in 1968 and 1970. Sindy's success in the 1960s was partly due to the increasing range of accessories, with up to 70% of Sindy's turnover
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
from sales of accessories. Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
did not greatly expand Barbie's accessories until the 1980s, and this was a significant difference between the dolls.
During the 1970s, Pedigree focused on developing more Sindy products and neglected advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
and market research
Market research
Market research is any organized effort to gather information about markets or customers. It is a very important component of business strategy...
, risking Sindy's "girl next door" image becoming old-fashioned. In 1978, Sindy was introduced to the United States market by Marx Toys
Louis Marx and Company
Louis Marx and Company was an American toy manufacturer from 1919 to 1978. Its boxes were often imprinted with the slogan, "One of the many Marx toys, have you all of them?"-Logo and Offerings:...
. Most of Sindy's accessories and fashions were similar to those sold in the United Kingdom, except for the addition of a friend, Gayle, and a McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
-themed Sindy. Marx Toys went into receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
in 1980 and Sindy was withdrawn from the US market.
Focus on relaunches, fashion and advertising
During the 1980s, Pedigree's new marketing director David Brown made several changes, including increasing advertising and market research, and consulting often with fashion experts to ensure the doll's image was kept up to date. Pedigree produced a number of evening dresses designed by The Emmanuels, famous for designing Princess DianaDiana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
's wedding gown, shortly after Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
released gowns for Barbie designed by Oscar de la Renta
Oscar de la Renta
Oscar de la Renta is one of the world's leading fashion designers. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1973.-Career:...
. Due to its success, a second collection of designs was released the next year, including a bubble dress and lingerie
Lingerie
Lingerie are fashionable and possibly alluring undergarments.Lingerie usually incorporates one or more flexible, stretchy materials like Lycra, nylon , polyester, satin, lace, silk and sheer fabric which are not typically used in more functional, basic cotton undergarments.The term in the French...
. An older-looking Sindy doll was released in 1985, with male and female companions Mark and Marie. The advertising campaign was worth £1.5 million.
Thermochromism
Thermochromism is the ability of substance to change color due to a change in temperature. A mood ring is an excellent example of this, but it has many other uses such as baby bottles and kettles. Thermochromism is one of several types of chromism.The two basic approaches are based on liquid...
technology and released Magic Moments Sindy, a doll whose hair and swimming costume changed colour when immersed in warm water. Sindy's senior designer Jane Braithwaite travelled to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
each month to research fashion trends for Sindy's clothing in an attempt to reverse declining sales. As an example of Sindy's continually updated fashions, during this period the doll's footwear included kitten heel
Kitten heel
A kitten heel is a short, slender heel, usually from 3.5 centimeters to 4.75 centimeters high with a slight curve setting the heel in from the edge of the shoe. The style was popularized by Audrey Hepburn.-Definition:...
s, sandals
Sandal (footwear)
Sandals are an open type of outdoor footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps passing over the instep and, sometimes, around the ankle...
, knee-high boots
Knee-high boots
Knee-high boots are boots that rise to the knee, or slightly thereunder. They are generally tighter around the leg shaft and ankle than at the top. Mostly made of a synthetic rubber , they are used by fishermen, dairy workers, stable hands, duck hunters, clammers, etc. to protect the feet from...
, ankle boots, trainers
Athletic shoe
Athletic shoe is a generic name for the footwear primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but in recent years has come to be used for casual everyday activities....
, slippers, court shoe
Court shoe
Court shoes or pumps are shoes with a low-cut front and usually without a fastening. However, some have ankle straps...
s and slingbacks.
In 1987, Sindy's product manager Edward Machin announced that Sindy would reclaim the lead over Barbie within two years. Hasbro redesigned Sindy and spent approximately £1.5 m on advertising. A Sindy magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
was also launched in this period to challenge the fortnight
Fortnight
The fortnight is a unit of time equal to fourteen days, or two weeks. The word derives from the Old English fēowertyne niht, meaning "fourteen nights"....
ly Barbie magazine. A £1 million advertising campaign was introduced in 1991 with five advertisements highlighting Sindy's collection of beach and pool wear. The advertisement showed footage of Sindy combined with live action sequences from a look-alike.
In 1993, Sindy was featured in a £500,000 advertising campaign for the fashion company Alexon Group
Alexon group
Alexon Group plc is a ladies' clothing retailer, based in Luton, England. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange . It is a constituent of the FTSE Fledgling Index....
. Sindy was used to contrast her childish fashion with the sophistication of Alexon's fashion range. Each double page spread showed Sindy in a typical outfit superimposed on a real-life setting. The opposite page showed a real woman dressed in Alexon's clothes above the line 'Dressing up for grown ups'.
Brand decline and lawsuits
Hasbro introduced Sindy in France and continental Europe in 1994 after minor facial modifications to reduce her resemblance to Barbie. A Neilsen study suggested Sindy could obtain 20% of the ₣French franc
The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
500-600 m market in France alone. The chief executive of Hasbro France, Paul Audouy, said recent innovations such as the ability for Sindy to swim and walk a small dog would strengthen her market position. Hasbro invested ₣5 million in the first week of her advertising launch. A new black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
friend for Sindy was released in 1995, named Imani, 30 years after Sindy's American friend Gayle was withdrawn after low sales. Hasbro released the new doll in response to "overwhelming demand".
Hasbro withdrew its £5.5 m advertising support for the Sindy doll in 1997 amid rumours that major retailers were planning to delist the doll. The editor of UK Toy News, Jon Salisbury, said, "This is Hasbro taking Sindy out of its main range. But she is running so far behind Barbie it is almost a non-issue. If delisted by bigger retailers, which seems to be happening, then the brand will lose momentum". In 1994, Sindy had a seven percent share of the £70 m doll market, and Barbie held 16%. By 1996, Barbie's share had increased to 30%, estimated by Mattel to be worth £100 m per year including licensing deals, and Sindy's share had only climbed to eight percent. Sindy's popularity had also been overtaken during that period by Polly Pocket
Polly Pocket
Polly Pocket is a toy line of dolls and accessories. The name comes from the fact that many of the original Polly Pocket dolls came in pocket-size cases. The current Fashion Polly dolls sold by Mattel differ significantly from those originally sold by Bluebird Toys. The original Bluebird dolls...
. One explanation for the large variation in market share is the unpopular Americanisation of the Sindy doll in the mid-1980s. The Sindy doll was still available to retailers during this period, but had to be ordered in bulk
Bulk purchasing
Bulk purchasing is buying products in large quantities at a lower price per item, or unit price, than is available for smaller quantities. Wholesale is selling or related to selling goods in large quantities for resale to the consumer. Retailing is buying products in bulk at wholesale, and selling...
from the Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
manufacturer.
Return to Pedigree Toys and further doll makeovers
Sindy and Barbie went head-to-head in August 1999, when both manufacturers created large advertising campaigns for the dolls and Sindy was relaunched. The manufacturers updated the dolls' images and revamped them with a "millennium look". Sindy was transformed into a younger-looking doll with "new themes, new friends and a new family, fitting today's environment and in tune with the street-cred concerns of today's young girls", according to Vivid ImaginationsVivid Imaginations
Vivid Imaginations is a company based in Guildford, Surrey, that manufactures, designs and distributes toys and holds distribution rights on a number of popular TV shows and Blockbuster movies. Captain scarlett was the first of many distribution deals that turned Vivid into the Uk's number 1 toy...
' marketing director, Paul Weston, from the company then producing Sindy. Pedigree, which owns the rights to Sindy, licensed the doll to Vivid Imaginations after Hasbro ceased production of the doll. The doll market in the United Kingdom during this time was worth £77 million, with Barbie holding a share of over 75%.
The Sindy doll entered the digital world in 2000 when Pedigree Toys introduced an official website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
. Monitor Media, the website design company, said, "Sindy.com brings Sindy to life for six-year-old girls just getting to grips with computers while sitting on their Mum's knee. They can dress her up, paint her bedroom in different colours, read her secret diary, chat with other Sindy fans and send her e-mails".
Sindy was relaunched again in 2006, this time resembling a 12 to 14 year old. Jerry Reynolds, chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Pedigree Toys explained, "If you take the Sindy of yester-year she was between 12 and 14 years while Barbie was twenty-something. She got too close to Barbie in the '80s and '90s and has now effectively returned to that younger positioning." The doll was again released in two sizes, with the standard-size Sindy a Woolworths
Woolworths Group
Woolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...
exclusive, after Woolworths had not stocked a Sindy doll for four years. The 2006 Sindy was aimed at three- to five-year old girls, younger than the audience targeted by Bratz
Bratz
Bratz is an American line of fashion dolls and merchandise manufactured by MGA Entertainment. Four original 10" dolls were released in 2001 - Cloe, Jade, Sasha and Yasmin...
dolls, and mothers who wanted a more innocent-looking doll for their daughters than Barbie or Bratz dolls.
Controversies and lawsuits
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
. In response, Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
sought and won an injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
against Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
after claiming the new Sindy doll was easily confused with their product. After a French court decided that the Sindy doll infringed on Mattel's copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
in early 1992, the case was settled in December when Hasbro agreed to alter Sindy's face. Mattel and Hasbro released the following joint statement, "Hasbro has remodeled the head of Sindy in a way which Mattel and Hasbro have agreed is acceptable. As a result, Mattel has agreed to drop all outstanding lawsuits relating to Sindy and Barbie around the world. Each party will be responsible for its own costs". The case was previously ruled in Hasbro's favour in Spain and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Similar to many fashion doll
Fashion doll
Fashion dolls are dolls primarily designed to be dressed to reflect fashion trends. They are manufactured both as toys for children to play with and as collectibles for adult collectors. The dolls are usually modeled after teen girls or adult women, though child, male, and even some non-human...
s, including Barbie
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
, Sindy has been criticised by feminist groups who said her figure set an unrealistic standard for young girls. After Hasbro returned the brand to Pedigree Toys, Pedigree responded to the backlash against "cosmetically enhanced bimbo
Bimbo
Bimbo, in its popular English language usage, describes a woman who is physically attractive but is perceived to have a low intelligence or poor education. The term can also be used to describe a woman who acts in a sexually promiscuous manner...
" dolls by making Sindy more wholesome and less shapely.
A minor controversy occurred in 1998 when Hasbro expressed a desire to make a Sindy doll that looked like Princess Diana, shortly after former prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
recommended sensitivity when making commercial deals to honour the late princess. The Princess's Memorial Fund denied Hasbro's request, but did not rule out the possibility of a future doll, "if it met the requirements of the trustees and was judged acceptable to the public".
Collecting
The Sindy doll is popular among collectorsCollecting
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world...
, and websites provide advice on how to re-root the doll's hair and replace parts. Mint condition
Mint condition
Mint condition is an expression used in the description of pre-owned goods. Originally, the phrase comes from the way collectors describe the condition of coins. As the name given to a coin factory is a "mint", then mint condition is the condition a coin is in as it leaves the mint...
dolls are the most sought after. Many collectors shunned the "American look" Sindy developed by Hasbro, while the value of the Pedigree dolls increased. In 2003, a first-edition Sindy, complete with original Foale and Tuffin "Weekenders" outfit (jeans and a striped sweatshirt), box and fashion booklet was worth approximately £160-200. Sindy's rarer friends Gayle (a doll made for the American market in 1975) was worth up to £400, and Mitzi (her French friend from 1968) up to £500.
December 2006 saw the launch of a collectible version of the original Sindy, one called "Classic Sindy" and manufactured in porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
. Created by Anne Zielinski-Old, distributed by the Danbury Mint
Danbury Mint
The Danbury Mint, is a division of MBI, Inc. that markets a variety of collectibles. Danbury Mint historically marketed high quality medals and ingots produced by others exclusively for them. The company also sold numerous other collectible offering including plates, bells, sculptures, etc...
and still licensed by Pedigree Dolls & Toys, the "Weekender" was the first in a series.
Further reading
- Mansell, Colette (1999). The history of Sindy: Britain's top teenage doll 1962-1994. London: New Cavendish Books. ISBN 1872727549.