Leveraging Furby
Looking to capitalize on the national craze for the interactive Furby doll, Oakbrook, IL-based McDonald’s is giving away scaled-down versions of the toy with Happy Meals through April 22, company officials announced.
McDonald’s vp-domestic marketing R.J. Milano says the company has high hopes that the promo will be as successful as the Teenie Beanie Babies programs of 1997-98. Milano declined to divulge how many Furbys were ordered, but did say it was comparable to the first Beanie Babies promotion that saw 100 million toys snapped up in just two weeks.
McDonald’s will offer 80 different versions of the big-eared dolls, which are based on the Tiger Electronics toy that sold two million units last year. Each will have one of eight different electronic functions like wiggling ears or blinking eyes. Vernon Hills, IL-based Tiger is a unit of Hasbro Inc.
