Queen Gene
She’s svelte, sultry and sloe-eyed. She’s Gene Marshall, a 15-1/2-inch fashion doll that falls somewhere between camp and vamp. And she has her own catalog, some 250,000 copies of which were dropped lastfall.
The doll was created by Mel Odom, who started out as an illustrator for such magazines as Blueboy and Playboy. The doll was inspired by actresses like Betty Grable, Lana Turner, Lauren Bacall, and above all, Gene Tierney. Each costume is provided with a bit of Gene history as to when and where she wore the “original”-as a movie part or some milestone in her “real” life.
Between eight and 10 dolls and about 14 new costumes are introduced each year. Dolls start around $80 each while a typical price point for a costume is in the $40 range. Each year, some dolls and costumes are retired.
According to Maureen Drone, senior circulation manager at Ashton-Drake Galleries in Niles, IL-the manufacturers and direct marketers of Gene-a typical order is for at least two items, usually a doll and a costume. New costumes and evening gowns do well.
Neither the response rate nor the size of the customer base was released. However, over half a million Gene dolls are reported to have been sold between Toy Fair 1995, when she debuted, and spring 1997, when the catalog was introduced.
As is typical of Hollywood celebrities, there are Gene fan clubs, Web sites, e-zines and even conventions. Ashton-Drake’s official Web site (www.ashtondrake. com) is being revamped in time for Toy Fair next month.
In terms of the catalog’s customer base, Ashton-Drake is looking toward the lifetime value of the Gene collector. It turns out the collector is more male and more urban than for other Ashton-Drake dolls. Drone suggested that men might be around 20% of the list.
Catalogs were sent to names selected from gay, collectibles, fashion, nostalgia, ’40s era, movie star and fan club lists.
