Party's over, Barbie! Meet the woman whose Harajuku-inspired dolls are set to shake up the toy industry
- Madeleine Hunter, 29, has designed and created Shibajuku Girls dolls
- The dolls draw inspired from Japanese Harajuku and Shibuya street style
- Shibajuku Girls are large than regular dolls with sparkling glass eyes
- They are available at Toys 'R' Us in Australia and will be shipped abroad
With Barbie nearing her 60th birthday, a new doll on the block could prove to be a serious rival.
Melbourne
resident and toy creator Madeleine Hunter has invented Shibajuku Girls:
dolls inspired by Japanese Harajuku and Shibuya street fashion.
The
dolls launched this month in Australia at Toys 'R' Us, and Ms Hunter
told Daily Mail Australia they have plans for the product to be sold in
the US, the UK, Ireland, France, New Zealand and parts of Europe.
New doll on the block: Melbourne resident Madeleine Hunter (right) has invented Shibajuku Girls
Street style: The series of five dolls are inspired by Japanese Harajuku and Shibuya street fashion
Doll rivalry: The dolls are set to rival Barbie, who at 57 years old is nearing her 60th birthday
So how does one compete with a doll as prominent and influential as Barbie?
'I've
made the doll large than any doll on the shelf. It's 13 inches and the
standard doll size is 11 and a half inches,' Ms Hunter said.
'I
also went back to that really natural and pretty face, I know there are
a lot of monster dolls and vampires are a huge trend, but since Barbie
there hasn't really been a pretty doll.'
Point of difference: The dolls are 13
inches tall, nearly two inches taller than regular dolls, making them
stand out on the shelves
Unique:
They have sparkling glass eyes and a range of accessories, such as hair
clips, that can be used on the dolls and the girls playing with them
The other main point of difference is the doll's eyes, which are made of glass instead of being printed on.
Ms
Hunter studied Commerce and Art at Melbourne University, before
starting work at her father's toy import and distributing company Hunter
Products.
There she was assigned a job product developing toys for the Dreamworks movie Home.
In the family: Ms Hunter studied
Commerce and Art at Melbourne University, before starting work at her
father's toy import and distributing company Hunter Products
'I
learned so much, I made many mistakes, but I ended up getting the
product sold in to more than 40 different countries,' she said.
'I formed a world of relationships and connections through that, and I presented in toy fairs around the world.'
Ms Hunter said the hardest part was convincing her father Jeff and brother James that Shibajuku Girls was a good idea.
Convincing the family: Ms Hunter's
father and brother initially rejected the idea due to the competitive
market, but gave the green light once they saw how different the doll
was
Global interest: Companies pitched for the doll off the cardboard design, giving Ms Hunter the confidence to pursue the idea
'They
both told me absolutely not, that there's no way they're developing
this doll because a lot of time and money goes in to it and competition
is pretty tough.'
But she remained determined, taking her doll to fairs around the world where companies pitched for it off the concept design.
'I
got them on board by saying to them I would made a doll that is
completely different to anything on the shelf at the moment,' she said.
'I want to turn this in to a brand, rather than just a doll.'
Expanding business: The dolls are
currently only available in Toys 'R' Us in Australia, but will soon by
stocked in Myer, Big W, Target and Toy World
Brand goals: By the end of the year, they are estimated to have sold about 500,000 dolls
Ms
Hunter said she has always loved Japanese culture, and the doll's
clothes reflected the fun street style seen in the streets of Harajuku
and Shibuya.
She
drew inspiration from Taylor Swift and her two pet cats with
feline-inspired clothes and accessories, and the dolls have hair clips
can be used in little girls' hair as well.
There
are five dolls – Yoko, Namika, Shizuka, Koe and Suki – who all have
different styles and personalities, with about 500,000 dolls estimated
to be sold by the end of the year.
The dolls retails for $39.95 at Toys 'R' Us, and will soon be available at Toy World, Myer, Big W and Target.
