10 Hot Toys That Changed the Way People Play These dolls, Mr. Gottlieb said, signaled an awareness that dolls that are blonde and white are “not reflective of the culture that we have anymore.” Some parents criticized Bratz for wearing clothes they viewed as sexualized, but Mr. Gottlieb said sex appeal was not the reason the dolls had staying power. “These products,’’ Mr. Gottlieb said, “became cultural touchstones.” These pellet-stuffed animals, Mr. Gottlieb said, had an outsize cultural and financial impact. “You would go into stores and just see pallets and pallets of scooters, and it was over.” “It was a really cool form of play,” Mr. Gottlieb said. “Lots of people invested a lot of money and time,’’ he said, “but it wound up being worth virtually nothing, what a used plush animal would be worth.” “It wasn’t a pretty doll, they were strange looking.” Mr. Gottlieb said, “Maybe there’s some appeal to the imperfect for us, because it’s who we are.” Although the dolls may have appealed to people’s humanity, they did not always bring out the best in shoppers. “I’m sure somebody got punched in the nose over Elmo, but I really don’t remember.” “Teddy Ruxpin was kind of the first animatronic plush animal,” Mr. Gottlieb said. Mr. Gottlieb ranked the toys below based on the impact each had on the industry, indicating when they became major hits in the United States. “A good fad is about eight months from explosion to collapse,” Mr. Gottlieb said.
