‘I Feel Bad Because There Is WAR’ : Gulf Gamesmanship Has Broad Appeal : Toys: Plastic guns are big among little boys, but adults are buying Stealth models and there’s an Air Force Barbie for girls.
Little boys crowd the aisles of toy stores, looking for plastic guns and tiny camouflage suits. Some of them want to buy American flags.
Middle-aged men and adolescent boys flock to hobby counters and purchase large numbers of model aircraft: Stealth fighters, F16’s and B2 bombers, all marked with stickers that read “In use in Desert Shield.”
Stickers reading “Desert Storm” are on the way.
And Air Force Barbie is gaining some respectability in sales against the more mainstream Wet and Wild Barbie, Wedding Celebration Barbie and Dance Magic Barbie.
Toy stores throughout Southern California report a marked increase in sales of action toys, patriotic paraphernalia and models of the jets and bombers that streak across the skies over the Persian Gulf.
“I do notice an increase in sales of (toy) guns,” said Joy Whipple, assistant manager of Play Co., a toy store in El Toro.
“GI Joe men have been selling well to little guys 10 and younger. We have a little girl here probably about 7 or 8 years old, and she’s carrying around a (plastic) gun and she looks like she wants it. A lot of people ask for American flags, but we don’t carry them.”
GI Joes are also a big seller at Encinitas Play Co., but supervisor Holly Schryver pointed out that the doll was on sale for two weeks.
She added, “We are completely out of squirt guns, cap guns, and the caps for cap guns.
“I’ve noticed our bad-guy action figures have increased,” Schryver said. “They are selling the best. That way (children) can play and act out being a bad guy. . . .
“It would be nice if they bought a good guy and a bad guy,” she added.
Many stores report that plastic models of the military equipment being used in the Persian Gulf War are selling so well it is difficult to keep them on the shelves.
“We’ve sold out of jet fighter planes and some people are asking for Scud missile models, and they want to know what it’s all about, read all the inscriptions and find out what its capabilities are,” said Paymon Jones, a buyer for California Toys Inc. in Los Angeles and Hollywood Toys Inc.
“Mostly middle-aged men are buying them.”
A representative of Revell Inc., a Des Plaines, Ill.-based model manufacturer, said adult men’s interest in models is nothing new.
“Middle-aged men have always been interested in aircraft and ships,” said Robert Nate.
But he added: “The increase in sales has been significant. I’m still writing orders for this. The reason for it is obvious. They are pictured in newspapers, on TV and in magazines. It’s like advertising at Christmas except that our children run from 7 to 65.”
Bob Johnson, director of product development for Revell, said that the replicas are manufactured with the cooperation of the aircraft companies that make the real thing.
“They’ll give you drawings of the aircraft and let you take pictures,” Johnson said. “There’s always a one- or two-paragraph description of how they’re designed, the rate of engine, the power it puts out and any special capabilities it has. The war affects our business positively because you turn on the TV and you see that aircraft. People of all ages want to know more about it.”
Johnson added that Revell plans to make models of Scud and Patriot missiles.
Three Southern California toy stores report that Air Force Barbie has sold out.
“She’s (Barbie) pretty cute,” said Bridget Clumeck, a clerk at Karl’s Toys in Santa Ana.
“She’s wearing a navy blue skirt and a navy blue blazer and a pair of Air Force wings and she has short blond hair. One little girl bought one for herself and one as a gift for a friend.”
On the other hand, a spokeswoman for the Toys R Us chain said there has been no increase in sales of action toys, camouflage fatigues, or toy guns since the outbreak of war.
“This is not a big category (war or action toys) for us,” said Angela Bourdon. “We have not seen a marked increase. (Sales) are really stable. . . . GI Joes always sell well.”
