Groovy Girls were a line of fashion dolls manufactured by the American toy company Manhattan Toy and launched in 1998. It ended in the late 2010's. The brand consisted of plush, 13-inch dolls, fashion and furniture accessories, as well as pets. Groovy Girls generally cost $10 to $20 per doll and target the 3-to-up age range, with licensed products including room décor, apparel, interactive and electronics, stationery, health and beauty aids.
History
Groovy Girls launched as a "funky" alternative to Barbie. Each doll had different skin tones, hair types and facial features, reflecting the ethnic landscape of the world. The brand's lifestyle aspects were fashion, friendship and self-expression, and represents a wholesome alternative to dolls such as Bratz, Flavas, My Scene, and Barbies. Groovy Girls were initially sold in specialty toy stores such as Zany Brainy, Noodle Kidoodle, and Store of Knowledge. Beginning in early 2005, the dolls were launched in Target stores. As of 2005, more than eight million Groovy Girls dolls were sold since its inception, totaling more than $100 million in retail sales. GroovyGirls.com, which launched in the fall of 2004, had approximately 145,000 registered users by early 2005, and more than 1.7 million registered users by July 2007. The Groovy Girls RSVP collection was introduced during the 2008 holiday season. RSVP stands for Respect, Self-Expression, Values and Play.
List of Groovy Girls
Here is a list of basic Groovy Girls by their year of release. Some characters share names. Not counting the updated looks of the Main 6, there have been 2 dolls named "Trini," 2 dolls named "Vanessa," 2 dolls named "Carissa," and 3 dolls named "Marissa." 1998
Lexi
Liza
Lupe
Lucy
1999
Michaela
Max
Zane
Ziggy
Zarah
Zoe
2000
Gabi
Gwenn
Jacinda
Jada
Josie
Janisse
Jordan
Jayna
Jackson
Jarrett
2001
Sarita
Solana
Sesilia
Siri
Shika
Sidra
Samuel
Sean
Kinzey
Karly
Kayla
Kami
Kendra
Kelsey
2002
Talli
Tomiko
Trini
Vanessa
Verity
Victoria
Kalvin
Kyle
2003
Carissa
Cicely
Celeste
Bindi
Brenna
Britta
Darci
Danika
Daphne
Brandon
Blake
Britney
2004
Ailene
Angelique
Ayanna
Hope
Main 6:
Gwen
Reese
Oki
O'Ryan
Vanessa
Yvette
2005
Kassi
Kylee
Kenna
Larissa
Leticia
Lourdes
Kieran
2006
Ellie Mae
Roxanna
Main 6 Updated:
Gwen
Reese
Oki
O'Ryan
Vanessa
Yvette
2007
Rayannah
Raelyn
Roxette
Raina
Ruby Mae
Petula
Pilar
Phoebe
2008
Zadie
Zanita
Zelma
Fenia
Fleur
Franci
2009
Corbin
Chelsi
Camilla
Connor
Cadence
2010
Tegan
Tamae
Thora
Tessa
Tamsen
2011
Izzie
Isadora
Iku
Irina
Inga
Inez
Nadia
Nina
Nora
2012
Amelia
Gabriella
Katrina
Seanna
Sage
Suki
2013
Marissa
Myla
Maren
2014
Brooklyn
Bayani
Breanna
Bailey
Skylar
Fuchsia
Lilia
Jasmine
2015
Renee
Robyn
Rachel
Reagan
2016
Lola
Lily
Layla
Logan
2017
Super
Velvet
Jessica
Rose
Katy
Meghan
Janelle
Lorelei
Justin
2018
Sunshine
Kat
Jamie
Princess Abi
Princess Crystelle
2019
Willow
Poseable
These had wires in their arms and legs that made them able to strike different poses. They were released from 2006-2008.
These dolls date from 2015, and each one is fruity-scented. They all come with a pet as well.
Mia - comes with pet dog Taffy and smells like watermelon
Lilly - comes with pet cat Parfait and smells like raspberry
Sadie - comes with pet rabbit Shortcake and smells like strawberry
Fairybelles
The fairies date from 2015.
Nissa
Cricket
Breena
Groovy Girls Sleepover Club
Groovy Girls Sleepover Club was a series of short, chapter books for early readers starring the main 6 Groovy Girls, who were Gwen, Reese, O'Ryan, Oki, Vanessa, and Yvette. The books each contained 80 pages and a few illustrations. The books were published from 2005-2006.
offered miniaturized plastic as well as plush versions of Groovy Girls in its global Kids Meal program, which ran from February 12, 2007 to March 18, 2007. That year, Manhattan Toy also partnered with the Girl Scouts to develop a line extension of dolls called Troop Groovy Girls. An online community called Camp Groovy Girls launched in September, soon after the dolls became available in stores. In February 2008, the Toy Industry Association named the Girl Scouts' Troop Groovy Girls the best girl toy of the year during the American International Toy Fair in New York City. Groovy Girls had previously won "Girl Toy of the Year" and "Specialty Toy of the Year" awards at the 2003 Toy Fair.