| Playboy
playmates go on sale
Move over Barbie, the
playmates are going plastic.
"Anatomically correct" doll
replicas of some of the most famous of the bare-all playmates
from Playboy magazine will soon be available under a deal
signed by Los Angeles marketing firm The Stronghold Group and
adult entertainment company Playboy Enterprises Inc.
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The first limited
edition doll is a replica of former Guess? Jeans
catalog girl and 1997 Playmate of the Year, Swedish
blonde bombshell Victoria Silvstedt, and is available
from now through March.
"Victoria is the most
popular playmate in Playboy history," Jeff Ahlholm,
Stronghold chief executive officer, said. "Still to
these days, she is one of the major images that
Playboy uses."
Playboy -- whose namesake magazine founded nearly 50
years ago became a staple in US culture -- and
Stronghold Group plan to develop three new dolls per
year as part of a line targeting adult collectors that
is expected to roll out over the next five to 10
years. |
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Ahlholm said that early next year, the companies will reveal
the names of all three 2002 dolls plus the identity of a
fourth playmate, who will be a special Christmas doll dressed
in the classic bunny outfit. He anticipated that Karen
McDougal, 1998 Playmate of the Year, will make her doll debut
in April.
Each figurine, featuring
super smooth "skin" and Playboy apparel, is 16 inches tall and
will sell for $49.99 from Playboystore.com, Musicland Stores
Corp. and Electronics Boutique Holdings Corp. stores, among
others.
Only 30,000 models of each
doll will be produced for sale worldwide, with fewer than
20,000 units being shipped to the United States. While Ahlholm
did not rule out the possibility of increasing the production
due to large demand, he said the companies would like to keep
the exclusivity of the product.
Stronghold Group has
previously merchandised products for boy bands *NSYNC and the
Backstreet Boys, Puerto Rican pop sensation Ricky Martin and
hard rock band Korn
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