Sunday, September 6, 2015

Kids do like dogs, but..

One of the two Taffy sets.
I was checking out the toy section a few weeks ago, when I noticed a proliferation of dog-related sets. A dog spa set, a puppy-keeping set, and a dog walking set.  Cute, I thought, but then I looked more closely at the dog-walking one and realized that it's actually called the "Potty Trainin' Taffy" set, and spotted something ridiculous (but set-appropriate) on the accessory list: 5 little brown bits of plastic representing the dog's bowl movement.



I remember a similar release from Moxie about a year ago, but that one came with a more symbolic representation of the droppings - pretty little pastel eggs.  But this one is strangely realistic.
The other version of the "Taffy" set.

And even stranger to me is that this set is apparently very popular - I've been checking back regularly for the past month, and these sets are apparently hard to keep in stock.  The first time I went, they had five each for the two versions of the set (there's one that comes with with a white doll and one with a black doll), and less than a week later only one of the ten was still on the shelf.  And I've watched them be restocked and vanish from the shelves several times since then!

So while my first instinct was to wonder "Who on earth would buy this?", apparently the answer is almost everyone!  Even when I joked about it here a few weeks ago on the "My Life As" review, Farrah Lily (of Cozy Comforts and Dolls) immediately knew what I was talking about, because her daughter wanted one.
Up close with the plastic dog poo.

Now I'm not confused by the popularity of a set with a toy dog - I totally see the appeal there - but this is just one of the dog-included Barbie sets that are on the selves now.  Of course the other two don't feature dogs that can relieve themselves.

Still, a variety of dog sets I can appreciate. And yes, I can see how most of these sets look like they'd be great fun for a dog-loving kid (or an adult with a fondness for photostories, of course).  And sure, kids often love dogs - my nieces and nephews certainly do.  But what they love tends to be the playing and petting and walking.  When it comes time to pick up the poop they usually let out a loud "Ewwww!" and run in the other direction.


The kids look happy to be with my dog now, but just wait until nature calls.
They'll be running the other direction then!

So did I buy this set (or any of the dog sets)?  The answer is no.  But am I going to keep going back to that aisle to watch them fly off the shelves?  That's a yes.  Because while I don't understand the popularity of this thing, I am fascinated by it and wanted to share the phenomenon of these sets with anyone who might have missed it.
The Dog Spa set.  No poo in this one!



22 comments:

  1. This really is a fascinatingly weird phenomenon -- especially since I don't think Moxie Girls Poopin' Pets were especially successful.

    Maybe the Moxies stagnated due to lack of realism, since the pets pooped rainbows and glitter?

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    1. Heh, maybe that is why the Moxies didn't stick around! Who knew?

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  2. I remember the Moxies reviewed by Muff last year (the tagline was "I poop rainbows" O_o)
    I should ask my niece if she would like one of these.....

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  3. LOL! It's a very realistic set I must say. Sometimes it's a real mystery why certain toys sell so well isn't it. I do like the bowl with treats in this set :-).

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  4. What's amazing to me is that some people dye their dogs. Dog as accessory ;-P

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    1. Heh, there are these two women walking four standard poodles that I see every morning when I'm walking my dog. One of their four has white hair, but for the past two weeks she's been dyed blue. It's funny to look at (although if dogs feel embarrassment, I'm pretty sure that dog must be humiliated).

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  5. I remember seeing these sets on the internet before and thought they were funny! If they want realism though, they need waaaaay more than those few little brown lumps of plastic, if my dogs are anything to go by! ;)
    xxx

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    1. Ha! You're right, these lumps look a bit more like rabbit droppings, don't they? LOL.

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  6. Perhaps it's a way to start training people to pick their dog poop in the park at an early age!! ROFL! Makes one wonder what they'll think of next.
    Hugs,
    X

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    1. Maybe they were created by a parent whose children kept pestering them for a dog and claiming "I'll pick up after him, I promise!"

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  7. Sure, I can understand these as training tools but as an adult sans kids, I wouldn't want one.

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    1. If the dog were a little more realistic I'd have been tempted, but yeah, I'm with you on that.

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  8. Hmmmm... Now, I'm imagining a photo series featuring those brown things as the main stars... LOL!

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  9. So funny. I did end up getting it for my 6 year old for her birthday and you should've seen my family (brothers/sister, mom, aunts and uncles) reactions when she opened it...they were like "whhhhat does it do?" Haha. Since then all of the poops and dog bones have gone missing (there's a shock!) and she only really plays with the Barbie and the dog without the the feeding and pooping mechanism. This doll had become very poopular (sorry, lol) on certain doll review Youtube channels geared towards kids and I think that's where all the hype came from. When I asked her just now what it was about the set she liked so much and why she wanted it the answer was simple and clear...."because you can feed the dog, it poops and it's so funny!" Kids just think poop is funny and that's that! ;)

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  10. With four little real dogs, I pick up my fair share of dog poop daily. I don't want to pick it up in my dolly world, too. I can however, see how it would be fascinating. That's the beauty of business. You never know what will catch on and sell. Remember the fascination with the pet rock? Who would have known such a thing would be a phenomenon?

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    1. Now that you mention it, maybe pet rocks are due for a comeback! ;)

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  11. Very funny observations! I am surprised it is that popular.

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    1. Right? It's such a funny thing to be in demand!

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