Get Real Girl dolls take US by storm.

Get Real Girl dolls were introduced to the American market in 2001 but - even without an advertising budget - they have found a place in the hearts of young female fans across the US. All the indications are that, in coming years, the expanding product line will go from strength to strength, giving the long-running Barbie Doll a run for her money.

"The next time you see little girls playing with dolls, don't expect them to be acting out dream-house fantasies or preparing dinner for Ken [the male equivalent of Barbie]," says journalist Michael Park, in a report on the toy industry for the Fox News TV network in the US.

Says Park: "instead of those traditional doll pastimes, girls may be helping their miniature friends snowboard off a living room settee-turned-Andean mountain, or scuba dive into a kitchen sink-turned-hidden Thai lagoon."

The gal pals for the latest generation of little girls are from a new line of dolls from the San Francisco-based start-up, Get Real Girl Company, which was able to get off the ground thanks to a joint venture with a Hong Kong toy manufacturer.

The dolls are made to look like real girls, to act like real girls and to let real girls know that there is more to growing up than wearing tight clothes, lounging by the pool and finding a fraternity-bound boyfriend.

Get Real Gabi: pitching for soccer.

Jana Machin, president and CEO of the company, explains: "they're about a lot of things, but the important thing is that they are designed for today's girls. They play sports, they are active, they are interested in travel. They have pets."

The 11.5-inch dolls retail at US$19.99 and are aimed at girls aged between five and 12. The dolls are being sold at chains, which include Toys'R'Us, Target, Zany Brainy, Mastermind Toys and KB Toys, as well as smaller stores across the US.

But expansion plans are under way. The dolls have been introduced successfully to Ireland by Get Real Girl's European distributing partner, Hasbro. In 2002, the dolls will be introduced to other parts of Europe, as well as Africa.

The privately owned company, which has less than five employees, is reluctant to give away too many details, but its co-founder, Julz Chavez (who invented the dolls), says that in the first year they achieved sales of close to five million units.

So far, the company has come up with six characters. Skylar is a Canadian snowboarder, who is adopted and half Japanese. Nini is a budding archaeologist from Minnesota who wants to hike across every continent. Claire, a scuba diver, takes photographs of sea life. Hawaiian surfer Corey goes on a Costa Rican adventure, while Nakia, a basketball player from Washington DC, wants to be a sports broadcaster. Finally, Gabi is a part Brazilian Californian who loves soccer.

Accessories are made to order.

Each doll comes with hobby equipment, a postcard, a friendship bracelet and a "passport" recounting travel adventures.

Skylar is equipped with a snowboard, high-tech outfit and snowboard pack; Nini has an authentic sleeping bag and camp stove, all-terrain backpack and GRG sports watch, hairbrush and hair clip; Claire has a surfboard, beach backpack and accessories; Nakia has a basketball outfit and court shoes, fold-out basketball and duffel bag, while Gabi sports a soccer outfit and cleats, soccer ball, soccer backpack with working accessories.

Most importantly, each doll comes with "a history", so girls can relate to them. This will enable more dolls, with the same characteristics, to be introduced as girls get older.

Two more characters are to be introduced in 2002, as well as additional fashion wear and accessories.

Chavez has been in the toy business for 17 years and is negotiating a television series based on the dolls she has created. She says the range is an answer to the unrealistic playthings that clutter the toy market for younger girls, aimed at encouraging teamwork and leadership through sport adventure play.

Dolls on crest of a demand wave.

The line of dolls has won a bevy of awards, including a ranking on Dr Toy's 100 Best Children's Products, and real-life models such as Olympic medallists Brandi Chastain and Marion Jones, have given their support by becoming members of the company's advisory board.

Says Chavez, who is a cousin of Californian labour activist, Cesar Chavez: "We have met a lot of resistance from buyers who believe that little girls want to comb hair and put on makeup and pretty dresses. We have told them, 'wrong, look at what little girls do these days'".

It was Chavez' philosophy which helped her pick her Hong Kong manufacturer, Hing Fat, now a joint venture partner.

Chavez says that the Hong Kong company has been satisfactory. "Hing Fat met every criteria. They have women executives, they treat their workers well, they wanted to get involved in the business with us as partners."

In 2002, Get Real Girl intends to initiate joint venture deals, expanding its licensed brands and is expecting to increase sales threefold, while introducing new products.

Skylar: five star rating.

In product development, the dolls feature "next generation" figure articulation. The figures can be positioned in almost any way which can be adopted by a real person. Get Real Girls have articulated limbs, which means that they can pose surfing or delivering a karate chop. Unlike Barbie, America's most famous wasp-waisted doll, Get Real Girls have realistic proportions.

Child psychologist professor Marc Ackerman of the Wisconsin School of Psychology, says the dolls offer role-model-seeking girls a much-needed balance to Barbie. "If the dolls have realistic proportions, I think they represent a good role model for children," he adds.

The dolls are already a hit with buyers, according to Jeanne Meyer, vice president of corporate communications with Toys'R'Us. She says: "the Skylar doll got a five-star rating - our highest. The line has performed well and we expect it to continue to perform well. The surfing doll is so popular that right now there are only two left, although we will be restocking."

from special correspondent Ian Markham-Smith, Los Angeles