We might be living in a Barbie world at the moment – but the doll that once represented the American Dream might need to watch her back. The great British answer to the most famous fashion doll of all time could be about to make a comeback.
Next weekend sees the 13th annual Dollycon held in Lincoln, where Sindy fans will gather to celebrate their hobby. Just four years younger than her glamorous American counterpart, Sindy still holds a place in the hearts of millions of British women who were girls in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
Among those at the gathering will be Matthew Reynolds, managing director of Pedigree Toys, which owns the Sindy brand. And he may have news for aficionados. “We have been working hard to select a new key partner to give Sindy a much wider retail reach,” he says, in a firm indication that Barbie’s rival is about to emerge from – ahem – the doll-drums. “With September beginning her 60th birthday year, we have big plans for her.”
In recent years, Sindy as a doll has been “rested”, says Reynolds, with the brand-recognition campaign focusing on stationery and other branded products. Partners have included Hasbro, Vivid Imaginations, and most recently, Kid Kreations. The doll has been available exclusively in Sainsbury’s and Argos stores for the past few years. “All our partners have been excellent,” says Reynolds. “But now we are keen to relaunch into the market and get that visibility for Sindy in a much wider range of stores.”
While the sweet-spot target audience for the doll is the three-to-eight age range, which Pedigree will be concentrating on for the relaunch, the company – as evidenced by Reynolds’s attendance at next weekend’s Dollycon – acknowledges and appreciates that there is a vast market of adults who collect vintage Sindy.
Melanie Quint is the organiser of Dollycon – formerly Sindycon, but widened out to accommodate other doll collectors. She says that the key to Sindy’s popularity was always that she was marketed as the “girl next door” – a far more relatable proposition than uber-glam Barbie.
“It does feel a bit that Sindy had more working-class appeal in a way,” says Quint. “She had a pony, and fabulous clothes – she had dresses designed by Mary Quant in the 1970s – but it didn’t feel like an impossible dream for young girls.
“People in the 60s and 70s only got toys at Christmas and birthdays, so they tended to treasure them more. That’s where the success of the accessories came in. You’d buy one doll, and then you’d save up for a new outfit or something for the house.”
Sindy had more realistic bodily proportions than Barbie – she was more flat-chested, had a rounder face, and her feet were flatter, unlike Barbie’s curved feet in a permanent state of high-heel readiness.
But can a resurgent Sindy take on the all-conquering Barbie, given that millions will be flocking to the cinema to see Margot Robbie bring the doll to life this weekend?
Deborah Jaffé, cultural historian and author of The History of Toys, isn’t totally convinced. She says: “Sindy holds an important place in toy history, especially in the UK. She was very English, more down-to-earth, not as sexualised as Barbie, who was a product of California.
“Is there a place for a relaunched Sindy in the market? I think it could be difficult, because in terms of fashion dolls, Barbie has remained at the top for a long time, thanks to some very clever marketing, especially to the under-fives.
“The toy business is as ruthless as the fashion industry.”
