One of our very first successes in selling dolls came with a very hard lesson: Dolls are a fashion industry.
The dolls you bought to put in your store this year, will probably not be there next year. And even if the doll itself isn't changed, the outfit probably will.
What prompted this post was one such recent change: Calin Yang, the Asian Baby doll by Corolle and Pattycake Doll's most successful and best selling Asian Doll for the last 15 years has come to the end of her run. I can't even tell you how many Calin Yangs and Mini Calin Yangs we've sold in the last 15 years but it's a lot... I would guess in the thousands.
Don't get me wrong, the new Calin Mila Asian baby doll is still very, very cute! But left to our druthers, we'd rather have the old Calin Yangs back. Here's a pictorial timeline: Tell us what you think.
2004: Here's the 'Mini' Calin Yang Asian baby doll. She's about 8 inches tall, and had painted 'flirty' eyes.(See how they're looking to the side? She's 'flirting with you!) She is still available, but only for retail. She's not really packaged for e-tail.
2004 - 2010 approx: Here's the full size Calin Yang Asian baby doll from around the same time frame.She had beautiful dark eyes (inserts, probably acrylic), a full head of rooted hair and was 12 inches tall - which is a standard size for a baby doll - most 12-13 inch doll outfits will fit her.
2004 - 2006 was also when the number of Chinese babies adopted from China reached its peak. And as those toddlers grew older, our sales grew right along with them.
Next, Calin Yang is a very cute shorts set outfit ▲, followed by Calin Yang in a full sized onesie/crawler ▼
Around 2016 a big change: Sleeping eyes!
And then, at the end of 2017, Calin Yang is retired and replaced with Calin Mila: Sleeping Eyes, and molded, painted hair.
So, Should they have left well enough alone, or do you like this new Calin Mila Asian Baby Doll from Corolle?
