Throughout history it seems that the artists who created dolls were faced with the same dilemma -- are these dolls for children or adults?Today, doll companies continue to ponder that marketing question and more often than not they come up with the wrong answer.
I posed this very question in an editorial for the first issue of DOLLS magazine. And, as a marketing consultant to toy companies, I tried to resolve the issue with each new doll concept being considered.
Clearly, Sasha wanted to create dolls for children. While her studio dolls were just as clearly works of art. The dilemma was not one that Sasha had to face but certainly one that both Trendon and Gotz faced.
The early Sasha dolls were designed and priced to be affordable toys for children, but the later dolls were obviously designed to appeal to collectors. That decision was probably based on economics and the changes in the toy market.
Studies have shown an interesting difference between the way adults and children see their dolls. The two photos above are a perfect example. These are outfits from "dollsandreams" and both were extremely popular with Sasha lovers.
However, the doll dressed as a little girl in her Sunday best was far more popular with adults. The little girls preferred the long dress because it was more "grown up."
Parents and Grandparents want little girls to BE little girls. But, little girls want to BE grown up little ladies. Why else do they wear Mom's hats and shoes and carry her handbag.
