Elphaba's a real doll

The 2007 Toy Fair is opening in New York, and one of the items previewed caught my eye. Mattel is bringing back a series of Wizard of Oz dolls as part of the Barbie line, and this time they've added a Wicked Witch of the West doll. Pictures show it looks nothing like Margaret Hamilton's crone. Instead, she's a pretty witch, looking remarkably like Elphaba in Wicked.

Wicked is immensely popular with a similar pre-teen girl crowd that the Barbie dolls are marketed towards. Young people (mostly girls) about the age of 10 and older going wild for it. It's a coming-of-age story, with themes of friendship and being yourself -- that speaks strongly to girls in their teens and pre-teens. At the touring production in Seattle last September, the high-pitched cheers for Elphaba and Galinda made it clear: THE GIRLS WERE IN DA HOUSE.

So Barbie gives us the new icon of individuality nestled amongst the plastic princesses. Mattel's been looking for a way to expand their audience, and at least they recognized the purchasing power behind Wicked fans. Incidentally, the Glinda doll sticks with the movie character's costume, and Dorothy looks like Judy Garland.