American imports are top of the kids’ doll charts in the UK, as research from Dubit shows that over half of young girls play with pop star dolls. But what about UK favourites One Direction and JLS? And who’s next on the shopping lists?

The popularity of dolls based on pop stars is clear, with 61 per cent of the 500 girls surveyed by Dubit either playing with them at present (35 per cent) or having done so in the past (26 per cent).  Of course, tastes change as kids grow up, and the research shows that by eight and nine years of age, girls are starting to move away from pop star dolls, although 18 per cent carry on until their 11th birthday.

Who is top of the pops?

So which dolls are proving to be the most popular? Dubit asked its sample of girls aged between six and 12 years of age which dolls they currently own, used to own, and would like to own. The results show that despite the popularity of British boy bands, it is American imports Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber which are most popular. Cyrus comes out top thanks to 16 per cent of girls having owned a Hannah Montana doll in the past. Justin Bieber manages to edge JLS member Aston into third place due to slightly higher number (one per cent) of girls owning his doll before, and an extra three per cent wanting to add him to their collection.

JLS is definitely the most popular boyband, with ownership of each JLS member eclipsing each of those of One Direction and The Wanted. However, it looks like One Direction is about to take over that number one position, as girls are demanding the 1D figures – time to stock up.

The next big thing

But who’s going to be the next big hit? It looks like it’s Jessie J. No doubt influenced by appearances on The Voice, Jessie J knocks Katy Perry into second place. Whereas 25 per cent of girls said they definitely wanted both Jessie J and Katy Perry dolls, Jessie J was top of the pops thanks to a further three per cent saying they ‘may’ want a Jessie doll.

Narrowly behind Jessie and Katy were Rhianna with 22 per cent positive votes, and Cheryl Cole and Selena Gomez who picked up 18 per cent each. British pop princess Pixie Lott managed to edge out Beyonce and Tulisa, although this could change when the X Factor comes back to TV.

Surprisingly Nicki Minaj (who already dresses like a doll) only picked up seven per cent positive votes. The Saturdays, who have already had a toy tie-in with Barbie, were only popular with ten per cent of the girls.

Playtime

When the girls were asked how they played with their pop dolls the two most popular responses were to pretend they’re singing (60 per cent) and make up stories (56 per cent). Dressing them up was popular with 55 per cent of the girls, suggesting that selling additional clothing could be a real money maker. Just under a quarter of girls said they just collected the dolls.

Collectors

JLS is the most collectable group. Of the girls who said they owned JLS dolls, an impressive 43 per cent owned all four. However, only 16 per cent of One Direction owners have collected all five and only 13 per cent of The Wanted owners had the whole group. In the case of One Direction and The Wanted, girls were most likely to only own one member.

While the market for pop star dolls is clearly a busy one, this research shows that there is plenty of appetite for more to come.

Dubit is a specialist youth research agency and digital development studio. By utilising a deep understanding of young people’s motivations and behaviours, Dubit works with brand owners worldwide to create digital experiences that children love. Phone: 0113 394 7920 Email: research@dubitlimited.com