NEW YORK — For the first time in more than a decade Barbie has been frozen out of the top spot on the holiday wish lists of girls.
The new reigning champion in the hearts of little girls is Team Elsa.
The megahit “Frozen” has earned Disney more than a billion at the box office worldwide and the gravitational pull of the animated film has now plucked Barbie from the throne she that she has occupied for 11 years, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.
The NRF’s Holiday Top Toys Survey found that one in five parents, or 20 percent, plans to buy “Frozen” merchandise for their girls. That beats the 16.8 percent that are looking to make a Barbie purchase.
Barbie’s star has faded of late, with sales of the iconic doll dropping 21 percent in the third quarter, according to the toy company Mattel Inc.
“Frozen,” even a year after the release of the film, continues to rule the playground, where girls spontaneously form circles and burst into songs like “Let It Go,” and “For the First Time in Forever.”
Dolls dominated the top five spots for girls in the NRF poll. Monster High dolls took the fourth spot and American Girl grabbed the fifth position.
For boys, the NRF said that the No. 1 spot is again held by LEGO, which by its own right had a big, box office smash. Cars and trucks came in second place, while Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were in third place.
The NRF survey, which was released late Monday, polled 6,593 consumers from Nov. 3 to Nov. 10. The survey was conducted for NRF by Prosper Insights & Analytics. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.2 percentage points.
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