Ty Girlz
Ty Girlz were girl dolls manufactured by Ty Inc. Similar to the Ty Beanie Babies, the Ty Girlz are on a limited release pattern with dolls being introduced and older ones retired at various times. Ty Girlz are plush toys that are connected to an online virtual world at TyGirlz.com. Introduced to the global market on April 13, 2007, Ty Girlz was one of only a few virtual worlds geared to girls. The line was discontinued in 2013 and the virtual world shut down on June 7 of that same year.
Advertising
When the Ty Girlz were debuted at toy fairs, Ty had posters and cut-outs of the Girlz to promote them. Ty even had a billboard in Atlanta, Georgia, showing Sizzlin' Sue saying "Who's that Girl?". That phrase soon became a popular tag for the line. In September 2007, the Ty Girlz got a MySpace and YouTube page.In the Spring 2008 Ty retailer catalog, retailers were able to purchase clothing made exclusively for Ty Girlz.
Sweet Sasha and Marvelous Malia controversy
In January 2009, Ty released two new Ty Girlz, one named Sweet Sasha and the other named Marvelous Malia. Media reports linked the names to Sasha and Malia Obama, daughters of President Barack Obama. On January 21, a Ty spokesperson told the Chicago Sun-Times that the Obama daughters were indeed the inspiration for the dolls. In response to Ty, Michelle Obama's press secretary said that Ty did not ask permission to use the Obama daughters' first names, saying "It is inappropriate to use young private citizens for marketing purposes." On January 22, when asked whether the new Ty Girlz were inspired by Sasha and Malia Obama, Ty's Senior Vice President of Sales said that the dolls were not made to physically resemble either of the Obama daughters and that the names chosen "worked very well with the dolls". Ty said that the process of naming dolls is proprietary information and would not say how the names were given to the dolls. In February 2009, Ty decided to retire the original dolls and give them new names, Marvelous Mariah and Sweet Sydney. The CEO of Ty said the name change was due to Michelle Obama's disapproval of the original names. Ty stated that, while the original names were inspired by "this historic time in our nation's history", they were not named after the Obama daughters. Ty promised to donate the profits from sales of the original dolls to a charity, the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation for youth education.Following the recall, dolls that had already been shipped to the marketplace sold on eBay for $3,000.
List of dolls
Ty Girlz Clothing Accessories | Description | Release Date | Retirement Date |
Cool Preppy | Khaki pants with a pink plaid belt, white collar shirt with a black vest, and a pink plaid bag | February 2008 | May 30, 2008 |
Fairy Princess | purple dress with purple wings, sequined headband | February 2008 | May 30, 2008 |
Girlz Night Out | pink ruffled dress with a white boa and silver clutch bag | February 2008 | May 30, 2008 |
Super Sporty | white ski pants, blue and white striped shirt, and white ski vest | February 2008 | May 30, 2008 |
Uptown Girl | denim skirt, green jacket, pink hat | February 2008 | May 30, 2008 |
Beach Bash | Hawaiian dress, green hoodie, hot pink tote bag | July 2008 | February 7, 2013 |
School Cool | graphic tee, velour bag, denim skirt | July 2008 | December 12, 2012 |
Hangin' Out | velour track suit, star printed duffle bag | July 2008 | December 18, 2012 |
Best Dressed | red ruffle dress, black and white polka dot cardigan, black bag | December 2008 | December 18, 2012 |
Sweet Dreams | Ice cream and candy themed pajamas, screen printed pillow | December 2008 | December 12, 2012 |
Cool-n-Cozy | white hoodie, aqua corduroy pleated skirt, striped scarf | December 2008 | December 18, 2012 |
Peace, Love & Cozy | Peace sign-themed loungewear and cozy | June 2009 | 2013 cancellation |
Polo Prepster | Green-and-black-striped layered polo shirt, denim skirt, and black messenger bag | June 2009 | 2013 cancellation |
School Rock | 3-in-1 matching pink plaid shirt and tie, pleated skirt, and backpack | June 2009 | 2013 cancellation |
Ty Girlz Animals | Description | Retired? |
Fabulous Fluffy | Fluffy white dog with pink houndstooth carrier, removable collar, and leash | Yes |
Little Lucky | Brown dog with blue plaid carrier, removable collar, and leash | Yes |
Peppermint Princess | Pink-and-white cat with teal floral-print pattern carrier, removable collar, and leash | Yes |
Dalmatian | Sold with some releases of Awesome Ashley | Yes |
Cocker Spaniel | Sold with some releases of Beautiful Brianna | Yes |
Husky | Sold with some releases of Exciting Emily | Yes |
Black Cat | Sold with some released of Hip Hannah | Yes |
Chihuahua | Sold with some releases of Lovable Lily | Yes |
Gray-and-White Cat | Sold with some releases of Lovely Lauren | Yes |
Bo | Sold with some releases of Sweet Sydney and/or Marvelous Mariah | Yes |
Poodle | Sold with some releases of Oo-la-la Olivia | Yes |
Sheepdog | Sold with some releases of Preppy Paige | Yes |
Labrador Retriever | Sold with some releases of Trendy Taylor | Yes |
Bulldog | Sold with some releases of Totally Troy | Yes |