Cyndy, I was intrigued by your page on why Baby Face died an early and untimely death! It always fascinates me, how people tend to search their own imaginations (or lack of imaginations) for answers to questions, and the interesting [or boring] answers they manage to come up with, without the aid (or incumbrance) of facts! There's some pretty creative guesses there, and even one that displays a knowledge of the truth!

At the risk of looking like a proud parent, sticking up for my child, I feel compelled to debunk, not only a few of the more misinformed suggestions, But more importantly the Huge Misconception that Permeates them All, Namely that the "Dolls Didn't Sell Well"! Nothing Could Be Farther From The Truth!

At one point, Baby Face was the Best Selling Doll in several countries and second only to Barbie in the US. And she continued to sell, in the stores that continued to carry her, all the while Galoob continued to Promote her! As for not having a TV show, Baby Face was in "good" company, along side Barbie and Cabbage Patch Kids! We all know how much, not having a TV show hurt them! Rainbow Brite by the way, WAS a TV show! The dolls were only a spin-off product licensed to Mattel by Hallmark.

Speaking of Licensing, None of those products that someone suggested might have overextended Galoob's efforts (party supplies, sleeping bags, slippers, watches etc.) had anything to do with Galoob. They were all created by outside manufacturers, as the result of Kiscom's Licensing Program, and Don't I Wish there WAS a "zillion" of them! But, alas, those few examples sited in the suggestion, pretty much include them all!

The theory that the loss of "Children's What?" and "Kiddie City", hurt Baby Face reminds me of the joke about, A mouse, who while seducing an Elephant, was heard to remark, "Am I hurting you, Darling?".

Any suggestion that the dolls "Didn't Sell" because of the boxes! Or "Stupid Clothes" Or were "Not popular enough with kids" are simply Flat Out Wrong! Galoob was very Happy with the sales, Kiscom and I were very Happy with the sales, And, not only, a hand-full of "Big" girls, but, well over, a Million "Little" ones, were Happy Too!

By the way, I realize that one could engage in a valid debate on weather Baby Face was hurt or helped by the closed box, and as I'm winding down to the end of this story, I'd like to put my vote in now. The Envelope Please! And the winner is "Closed. " My years at Colorforms, taught me the virtues of a closed box. Everyone at Colorforms knew that in the case of Colorforms, the Box WAS the Toy! All the Magic of the Licensed property it promised to contain, was captured and conveyed entirely by the attractive art on the box cover. While, inside, there lurked, a flat printed background and some disappointingly dull, plastic pieces.

The Baby Face boxes not only showed each doll with her "Best Foot Forward", but it Romanced her, by implying a play situation, Party, Beach, Etc. This gave each doll more of an identity, and a feeling that, each one was different from the others. Also a child could open the box, just to "Check it out", and, believe me, they did! Many stores had in-store displays, as I'm sure you know, that contained either 3 or 5 dolls.

The guys at Galoob, loved to relate a story, about one woman who walked into a Toys-R-Us store and succeeded in walking out with the whole display, for the price of the five dolls in it! What made this so amusing was the fact that when one figured in all the expense of making the displays and the dolls and sending a person into each store to set up and install every display, they represented quite an investment!

And The Fact Was, The Display that that lady had purchased for about a hundred dollars, had Cost Galoob a Thousand!! Several years ago I got a letter from a lady who had done just that! I was convinced, at the time, that the lady in the anecdote, Was Her! But now, I'm not so sure, I wonder how many of you, reading this, did the very same thing? 

Next Page: 31. The death of Baby Face

Index Page

Mel's Photo Albums Home