A nightmare looms for parents this Christmas with evidence there is a desperate shortage of Britain’s best-selling doll.
Stores are unable to keep up with demand for Frozen Snow Glow Elsa, an interactive doll who sings, speaks and lights up, with an official price of £34.99.
Many household chains and websites, such as Tesco, Toys r Us and Argos, list it as being ‘unavailable’, while any new stock is being snapped up as soon as it arrives on shelves.
Such is demand from parents desperate to avoid tears on Christmas morning that eBay entrepreneurs are cashing in by charging as much as £79.99 – a mark-up of almost 130per cent.
Elsa, the lead character from Disney’s Frozen film, is driving a phenomenal surge in sales in a wide range of merchandise linked to the inspirational animated fairytale.
Sales of dolls and merchandise linked to the Disney film are on course to hit all-time high for any movie franchise – overtaking the phenomenally successful Toy Story.
While Toy Story sales were driven by versions of Buzz Lightyear and Woody, it is the Frozen Snow Glow Elsa which is number one on wish lists this year.
Elsa’s dress lights up and she will sing and speak phrases from the film when owners touch her magical snowflake necklace.
The current top five toy best-selling toys also includes a Frozen Ice Skating Elsa Doll, which is £29.99, and an interactive Frozen Toddler Doll for younger children at £39.99.
UK sales of all Frozen merchandise, from dressing up outfits to dolls and jigsaws, are put at £31m up until the week ending November 8, according to retail experts at The NPD Group.
Global toys industry analyst for NPD, Frederique Tutt, said: ‘New items have been launched, production has been increased to meet demand, and sales are getting stronger.
‘We counted three Frozen dolls in the five best-selling toys last week alone.
‘If Frozen continues at this level until Christmas, not only will the license keep top spot and get the license of the year accolade but it will also beat the all-time record of Toy Story 3 – in 2010 - in terms of toy sales.’
While Toy Story merchandise was most popular with boys, Frozen is clearly a favourite for girls.
The storyline is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Snow Queen and tells how a fearless princess sets off on an epic journey alongside a rugged iceman, his loyal pet reindeer and a snowman to find her sister, Anna, who has become trapped in a land of eternal winter.
The film overtook Toy Story 3 to become the biggest grossing animated film of all time earlier this year with ticket sales of more than £1billion, while the song ‘Let it Go’ won an Oscar and became a social media phenomenon.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2849619/Parents-panic-shops-run-Disney-Frozen-doll-Retailers-unable-demand-34-99-Elsa-toy-sings-speaks-lights-up.html#ixzz3KAJWAYXu
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