This decision is surely based on low profits, so my question is--why weren't Liv dolls more successful? Well, I want to hear your thoughts on this, but here are mine for starters. First of all, the beauty of Liv dolls is that they are highly customizable. In theory, you could buy just one Liv doll and then change her wig and outfit every day for endless new looks. At most, it seems like you might want one of each character, and then you could focus your spending on accessories and new wigs. Two problems with this from a marketing standpoint--first, people don't feel the need to buy very many dolls, which is good for buyers but bad for business. Second, Spin Master didn't make enough outfits, wigs and accessories for these smaller items to carry people's enthusiasm or turn a profit on their own.
My second thought is related to the first. The earlier waves of Liv dolls were all very similar. Except for different outfits and wigs (and some small changes in face shape and eye color) the dolls were almost identical. This contributed to consumers feeling that they didn't need every single doll that came out. In addition, I can imagine some resentment in people who felt like they had to buy a whole new duplicate doll just to get a cute outfit or wig. Spin Master seems to have tried to remedy the sameness in their dolls by making some drastic changes to the most recent doll's bodies. In my opinion, these changes were a big mistake. The Twist and Dance dolls' gimmicky bodies are virtually impossible to play with, and the Liv for Color and Brites dolls, while not awful, have definitely lost the Liv magic.
My last hypothesis is much simpler--Monster High dolls came out right after Liv and these creative and seemingly rare creatures stole everyone's attention and allowance.
So. Whatever the reasons, the news is sad. The silver lining is that Liv merchandise is on clearance everywhere and I am taking advantage. I have always wanted the Toys R Us exclusive Hayden's house:
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| Hayden's house playset |
