Shop Talk

Check Out Line: Hannah Montana rising

Check out the marketing power of Hannah Montana.   Watch out Barbie. Hannah is clawing her way up behind you. At least as far as girl’s toys are concerned.   According the National Retail Federation’s 2008 top toy survey, Hannah Montana has moved up four spots to the number two position for girls’ in the Top Toys survey, trailing on Mattel’s Barbie.   Toys based on the Disney character, who is played by Miley Cyrus, knocked those scrappy Bratz dolls out of the number two spot. Bratz fell all the way to number four behind just-plain-old, everyday, no-specific-name dolls.   As far as boys are concerned, the list is similar to last year, with video games in general topping the survey and the Nintendo Wii in the number two spot. Legos, cars and Transformers round out the top five.   While the weak economy is leading to expectations of a dismal holiday shopping season, parents could find some bargains in toys.   “The good news for parents is that many retailers are featuring toys as loss leaders this year, heavily discounting and promoting these items to bring shoppers into stores,” NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin said.   Also in the basket:   CPI drops at record pace in October   BJ’s Wholesale quarterly profit jumps   Why Doesn’t Costco accept food stamps? (N.Y. Times City Room)

(Reuters photo)

Wake Up! It’s Hannah (prank) calling

On July 23, Shop Talk wrote about Wal-Mart teaming up with Disney to offer free wake-up calls from Hannah Montana, (a.k.a. Miley Cyrus), as part of its back-to-school marketing push.

Parents can use the service to send their child a wake-up call — as early as 5 am — to get them ready for the new school year.

While some readers wrote to Shop Talk to say the service was a great idea, others told us recently that they found an unusual way to use the service — to send prank wake-up calls to their friends or coworkers at 5 am.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Shannon Frederick said the retailer was not hearing of any widespread issues with the service. She said Wal-Mart has sent more than 80,000 calls as part of the promotion — far more than the 25,000 it sent last year as part of a High School Musical promotion.

Disney spokesman Aaron Hunt also said Disney had not heard of anything about prank calls.

“We haven’t had any feedback and we’ve been watching it closely,”  he said.

Both Wal-Mart and Disney said the service is limited so only five phone calls can be sent from a phone number.

Mattel launches My Meebas as Barbie stumbles

What would Mattel wish for if it had one wish to make? The launch of the toy giant’s “My Meebas” points to one possibility — better fortunes for its girl’s toy business, as Barbie sales continue to face trouble.

Mattel launched “My Meebas” — a toy for girls aged 6 to 12 that houses a plush “Meeba” in a plastic tube, which serves as a gaming device with a movable LCD screen.

The toy is aimed at the latest generation of girls, who like plush toys but are also into electronic games, Mattel said. The launch comes at a time when Mattel is struggling to revive sales in its girl’s division, best known for its iconic Barbie dolls. Sales of Barbie have suffered in past quarters, as other toys such as “Hannah Montana” and Bratz steal market share. 

The “Meebas”, also made in China like many other toys, will retail for $19.99, while a Barbie “Top Model” doll can be bought for $14.97 at Wal-Mart. The toys have gone through extensive checks, Mattel said, following the spate of recalls last year.

With a “Meeba,” the idea is for a user to buy the toy as they make a wish, and then go through seven levels of game play, or over 20 activities, which could take anywhere from seven to 12 hours, according to Mattel. 

The LCD screen can be moved up and down the side of the tube, showing how the “Meeba” grows as game progresses.

Once all activities are completed, the tube pops open, and the user can pull out their ”Meeba” — in a sign meant to signify that the user’s wish has finally been granted.

Wake up! It’s Hannah calling!

As retailers look for ever-cleverer ways to spur sales, Wal-Mart has teamed with Disney to offer free wake-up calls from Hannah Montana, (a.k.a. Miley Cyrus), as part of its back-to-school marketing push. 

How can a wake-up call spur sales?

Well, not only are parents given the option to sign up to send their child a wake-up call, they can also send their child a reminder that it is time to do some back-to-school shopping.

“Be a Superstar and get your things together!” states the website where parents can sign up for the alerts.

Wal-Mart has taken a big bet with Hannah. It has teamed with Disney to be the “retail headquarters” for Hannah Montana merchandise and has set up ”Hannah Montana Shops” in 750 Wal-Mart stores across the U.S.

Wal-Mart says parents can buy an entire back-to-school Hannah Montana-themed wardrobe for their child in its stores, including enough tops,  shorts, socks and accessories for one week of school.

Wal-Mart said that in order to sign up to send the wake-up calls, registrants must be 18 years or older. While there is no cost to sign up for the calls and they’re available anytime through Sept. 15, standard mobile phone charges may apply.