the buzz log
The Doll and the Moll: American Girl Really "Wanted"
Oy veh. If the FBI comes calling to an American Girl store, it won't be for tea. Seems the latest doll unveiled by the maker of multi-ethnic, meticulously researched characters, is a Jewish-Russian immigrant from 1914 named Rebecca Rubin—and she already has a criminal record.
Unfortunately, the toymaker didn't cross-check the newest doll's name with the FBI. If so, they would have realized she shares it rather infamously with a wanted suspect.
Rebecca Rubin, American doll, is nine years old, 18 inches tall and resides in Manhattan. She can come with a toy kitten and challah bread. Rebecca Rubin, arsonist, is at large and comes with a $50,000 award and "should be considered armed and dangerous," according to her FBI poster.
Only one is a criminal, but many girls are sure to argue that it would be a crime if they don't get their Rebecca Rubin doll.
Filed under: Dolls
Tattooed Barbie Rocks the Web
Barbie has changed quite a bit over her 50 years. She's been a princess, a mermaid, and most alarmingly, a NASCAR fan. But she's never gotten inked up...until now. That's right, kids. America's sweetheart now comes with tattoos, and some parents are outraged.
The Buzz is alive with articles on "Totally Stylin' Tattoos Barbie." Some parents remarked that they wouldn't buy a Barbie with tattoos, as it encourages girls to show off their bodies. To be fair, the blond bombshell doesn't come with tattoos already applied. It's up to the kids to attach the stickers where they see fit. The tattoos look to be the standard collection of hearts, stars, and butterflies. Sadly, there are no "Death Before Dishonor" or "Semper Fi" tattoos.
The doll also comes with temporary tats that kids can attach to Barbie's clothing or to themselves with a handy-dandy applicator. Despite the outrage, Barbie-maker Mattel has no plans to discontinue the doll. In fact, tatted-up Barbie is selling well. Searches are also moving at a brisk pace. Over the past day, queries on "tattoo barbie" and "buy tattoo barbie" have taken off.
It's also worth noting that this isn't the first time Barbie has done something controversial. A few years ago, Barbie's best friend Midge was pregnant. After parents complained, Wal-Mart pulled the doll. Stay tuned to see if tattooed Barbie suffers the same cruel fate, or if Mattel keeps it real.
Filed under: Dolls
Buzz Multiplex: Character Issues
This week's pair of Tinseltown releases pits funnyman against funnyman. The onscreen yuks aren't finding critics and audiences in good humor, but the real draw may be the drama surrounding one comedian's comeback. Meanwhile, an American Girl gets her limited release debut, before the big Independence Day coming out party.
1. "Get Smart" (PG-13). Unlike "The Love Guru," unimpressed critics lay the fault not upon the stars, but with the filmmakers. Still, there's decent interest in the revival of the 1960s television show (which has seen its own Search resurgence), especially among the teens. Audiences (as in men) adore Anne Hathaway, but lead Steve Carrell gets a lukewarm response. Maybe casting Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as lead bumbler could've pumped up the comedy's numbers.
2. " The Love Guru" (PG-13). Critics hate this movie so much, they're getting personal. Both USA Today and the Chicago Sun-Times feel disturbed over star Mike Myers' obsession with male genitalia. Slate critic Dana Stevens calls her experience the "most joy-draining 88 minutes I've ever spent outside a hospital waiting room." Despite Myers pimping this movie on morning shows, reality competition finales and his old stomping grounds, searchers know enough not to commit: The film has half the look-ups as its multiplex competitor.
Still, searches for "mike myers" are a third higher than for the film (although in truth audiences prefer co-star Justin Timberlake in his Speedo). Myers skulked from theaters after coughing up the 2003 "Cat in the Hat," so this venture has been regarded as a comeback of sorts. But, Entertainment Weekly profile of the megalomaniac genius warns readers that self-destruction could be at hand... and Slate's opinion that Myers was "regressing on-screen before our very eyes" has made the behind-the-scenes story more fascinating than the movie itself.
3. "Kit Kittredge: An All-American Girl" (PG, limited release). Abigail Breslin gets as wholesome as can be in this movie derived from the hugely popular American Girls historical doll line. Wall Street Journal deems the pre-teen tale as "fresh and unassuming," and the tiny buzz shows promise for its July 2 wide release.
What a Doll
We recently helped a group of children write their notes to Santa. Laura wants an American Girl doll. Molly prefers a Bratz doll. And Erik has his heart set on a "High School Musical" doll.
Some Santas already have the news: Adults from 30-44 years old account for 34% of the "bratz dolls" lookups, while children under 13 represent 25% of searches on the same term.
Our deep dive into doll data shows that the most popular queries aren't about the lovelies themselves, but games involving them. Better than having the real thing, folks want to play "bratz doll games online," "dress up barbie doll games," and "ragdoll games."
Want to play along? Check out the top "doll" searches from the past week…
Filed under: Dolls
Bratty Brat Bratz
We love the kids. Truly. So much so, we're dismayed that one of the most popular toys in Search right now is the Bratz line of dolls. When we were kids we stayed away from brats.
But what do we know? Since their original release in 2001, the Bratz dolls and their multi-ethnic, shopaholic, fashionista wiles have captured the hearts of girls around the world. The divalicious dolls have also claimed a healthy share of buzz, hanging out in our top 500 searches.
Let's not play around, the dominant diva in the toy game is Barbie. The blonde bombshell resides in our top 200 searches. However, Barbie's buzz has dipped a bit this holiday shopping season, while Bratz searches have ticked up a healthy 12% over the past month. And on top of that, Barbie and the Bratz don't play well together, adding more doubt on our part about what these toys may be teaching our kids.
Girls and Dolls: An American Controversy
American Girls |
Have you met Molly? She lived in Jefferson, Illinois, circa 1944. How about Felicity from colonial Williamsburg, Virginia? Or Josefina from Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1824? If you don't know these girls, chances are you know a girl who does. They're but a few of the all-American girls in the popular line of dolls from toy maker American Girl.
A subsidiary of Mattel, American Girl has recently been under fire by a conservative group, the American Family Association, who objects to the company's philanthropic affiliation with a youth organization called Girls Incorporated. At issue are Girls Inc.'s statements of support surrounding birth control, contraception, and sexual identity.
On news of a boycott, Girls Inc. and American Family Association both saw brief surges in the Buzz. Just days later, though, the Buzz on AFA was down 32%, and Girls Inc.'s buzz has dipped 78% over the past two weeks. Searches for "american girl dolls," on the other hand, remain steady, and still fall well within our top 2500 searches.
With a thriving line of dolls and accessories, books, movies, a magazine, and flagship stores in Chicago, New York, and soon Los Angeles, it may seem unlikely that the boycott will find support in the dollhouse. Although a Wisconsin school canceled an American Girl event, only time and the impending holiday shopping season will tell whether the pressure on the company will affect its bottom line. Somehow, given their individual stories, we're thinking Molly, Felicity, and Josefina would have something to say about it too.
top movers
| Rank | Subject | 1-Day Move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford 400 | Breakout! |
| 2 | Indonesia Ferry | Breakout! |
| 3 | Jordan Chandler | 3481% |
| 4 | Evan Chandler | 2322% |
| 5 | American Music Awards | 1841% |
| 6 | John F. Kennedy | 1529% |
| 7 | Turkey Stuffing Recipes | 1361% |
| 8 | Liam Hemsworth | 1172% |
| 9 | Lou Dobbs | 1142% |
| 10 | Hendrick Motorsports | 888% |
top leaders
| Rank | Subject | Move | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Friday | +340 | 1290 |
| 2 | NFL | +489 | 670 |
| 3 | Jennifer Lopez | +451 | 515 |
| 4 | New Moon | -67 | 250 |
| 5 | American Music Awards | +236 | 249 |
| 6 | UFC | -36 | 239 |
| 7 | Miley Cyrus | +66 | 169 |
| 8 | Hulu | -11 | 154 |
what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.