Butterfly Barbie effect

American Demographics, May, 1996 by Marcia Mogelonsky

My 5-year-old went toy shopping with me last December. What special gift would she most desire for the holidays? "I really, really want a Butterfly Barbie," she said. I, like so many babyboom mothers, had promised myself that she would never have such gender-specific toys. Yet Butterfly Barbie now sits in a place of honor in her room.

If she had not gone shopping with me, I probably would have bought my daughter one of Butterfly Barbie's less-expensive friends. I would not have been alone. In 1994, the average mother shopping for toys by herself spent just under $22 per shopping occasion in all outlets, according to A.C. Nielsen. The average mother shopping with her equally average child spent just under $30 on each shopping occasion. Mothers shopping solo in discount outlets spent just under $25, while moms and children shopping together in this format spent more than $30 each time they went toy shopping.

Seven in ten U.S. households bought toys and/or games in retail stores in 1994, according to Nielsen. On average, each household purchases two items at a time on five separate occasions, totaling ten items over the year. These figures are based on scanner data. They do not include toys and games bought through the mail, which for some families adds up to a considerable additional sum.

Not surprisingly, families with children under age 6 are the backbone of the retail toy and games industry. They buy more toys more often than anyone else. They go toy shopping an average of 9 times a year, bringing home about 17 toys and games in all. They buy 127 percent more than their household share would indicate. Maturing families, those with children aged 6 to 17, spent 75 percent more on toys and games than expected. These families go toy shopping about seven times a year and add 14 toys to the family playroom.

Established families with children aged 13 to 17 spent 21 percent less than would be expected on toys and games. Games are the bigger category when kids reach their teen years. Almost half of teens play home video games, 33 percent play computer games, and 31 percent play board games, according to Teenage Research Unlimited of Northbrook, Illinois. None own up to playing with toys, but this is hard to believe.

People buy things for other people's kids, too. Other parents are the biggest spenders on extra gifts at birthday or holiday time, especially if they are relatives. One in five parents bought toys or games for nieces or nephews in 1994, according to the Roper Youth Report, and one in five adults aged 60 and older bought for a grandchild. After grandparents, aunts, and uncles, kids may find that childless married friends are better gift-givers than are single friends. Singles of all ages spend less than average on toys and games, according to Nielsen. Childfree couples, on the other hand, spend less than their counterparts with children, but not a lot less. In particular, childless couples under age 35 spend an amount commensurate with their market share, although they buy toys less frequently than parents do.

When it comes to dollars and cents, singles under age 35 are the thriftiest toy shoppers. Twenty-five percent of the toys and games they bought in 1994 involved a coupon, rebate, or other deal, and they spent an average of $3.87 per item. In contrast, parents with preschoolers are less likely to look for deals, and they spend an average of $4.52 per toy or game. That's the Butterfly Barbie effect. It's a small price to pay for the delight on a 5-year-old's face.

Toyland's Taxpayers

People are most likely to buy toys for their own or their siblings' children.

(percent of adults who ever buy toys or games for children who bought something for specified related children in the past year, 1994)

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