Film, TV characters getting doll avatars

From Bollywood stars to television actors, many have dolls based on their popular characters.

In 2009, Katrina Kaif became the first Bollywood celeb to be crafted in the form of a Barbie doll. She even walked the ramp, all dolled up in a Nishka Lulla outfit.

When Dhoom 3 released four years later, she and actor Aamir Khan launched celebrity dolls based on their characters, Sahir and Aliya. Those were the first ever Bollywood celebrity dolls to hit the Indian market and the trend still shows no sign of dying down; even television has joined the fray now.

From Anurag Basu and Komolika of the serial ‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay’ and actors Mohsin Khan and Shivangi Joshi of ‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’ to model Priyank Sharma and Bigg Boss 12 winner Dipika Kakar Ibrahim, many of these celebs have dolls fashioned after their on-screen avatars.

But publicity and prestige apart, how much business do these dolls bring in? Metrolife spoke to toy manufacturers in Bengaluru to understand the popularity of such toys among kids.

Vipul Jain, co-owner, Manglik Toys, says that celebrity toys don’t sell much as kids are not familiar with what’s happening on screen.

“Cartoon characters are more attractive when compared to celebrities for kids; they have a different and strong attraction towards, say, Mickey Mouse or an Avenger toy as these are more familiar,” he says.

The Taimur Ali Khan doll is somewhat popular among parents but again, why would they buy that doll for their own kids, questions Vipul. He refers to these dolls as fads like the fidget spinner, which last only for a few months.

“Apart from Karnataka, we supply dolls to Goa and Kerala but we have not seen much of a demand for such dolls,” says Vipul.

As is the norm, manufacturers have to give royalty to the concerned person or character that they try to replicate.

“We generally don’t try to make character dolls as the licensing costs are too high. Moreover, parents today prefer more practical and educational toys that can help their kids learn faster.

Sowmya Krishnamurthy, founder of Aatike, a brand that deals with handicraft toys and other products, feels that toys should evoke fond memories in a kid.

She is of the opinion that these celeb dolls don’t serve that purpose or even encourage learning.

“A toy manufacturer should know how a toy would be useful to a child and not try and sell anything and everything. The toy industry has a lot of responsibility. Parents should invest in toys that will give their children life lessons and improve their creative skills,” she says, adding that she is in favour of toys based on mythological characters or even cartoons.

Do they look alike?

We compared a few of these dolls with the characters they are based on. Though we appreciate the hard work, we are sorry, they bear no resemblance. When Taimur Ali Khan’s doll came into the market, Kareena Kapoor Khan too reacted negatively.

TV actors who have dolls made on them

Parth Samthaan and Erica Fernandes

The duo playing the popular characters, Anurag Basu and Prerna Sharma in Ekta Kapoor’s ‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay’ seems to be the current favourites. Ekta took to her Instagram to unveil the couple’s dolls, recently.

Hina Khan and Pooja Banerjee

The other popular characters from the serial are Komolika (Hina) and Niveditha Basu (Pooja) who have dolls on their iconic roles.

Priyank Sharma

The handsome hunk, who rose to popularity with reality shows Roadies and Spiltsvilla, recently shared an Instagram story about the miniature doll of himself.