Magic Diaper PVC figurines were sold in the US on blister cards, first as Magic Diaper Babies and then in the same packages, but as Baby Face Magic Diaper Babies. This was done in an attempt to stimulate sales by linking them to their number one selling dolls ie Baby Face. The figures had lukewarm sales here with or without the Baby Face brand.
Overseas, it was another story entirely. They were sold in blind packages, so that you could not see what was inside and they were hot, hot, hot. They were so popular that they kept adding more new figures and items, such as baby mermaids, dinosaurs, angels and more, all wearing the color changing diapers. These items were sold in blister packages as well as the blind packages. I am still finding new Magic Baby items that I did not know they made, such as keychains and even a board game!
Their success was rivaled by another baby figurine called Lil Babies, Mini Babies, Les Babies or Gemellini. They were made from the Oodles molds, with the oodle loops cut off. They were sold in the blind packages like the Magic Diaper Babies and were a very popular collectible in numerous countries abroad. The story is that the molds were stolen and used without permission, but that did not keep them from selling millions of them and also related merchandise, such as puzzles, enamel pins, keychains and buttons to name a few that I have found. It wasn’t until Hasbro began selling them here in the USA, that Mel even knew that they were using his molds to make a fortune for themselves without his knowledge. They even had a commercial on TV featuring the Lil Babies, which I find incredibly brazen of them.
Some ten years later, Mel revisited the Magic Diaper Babies and designed a new updated version, which was larger and had a high tech light up diaper. Unfortunately, this design was not sold, so we did not get the opportunity to buy this adorable new millennium version of the Magic Diaper Babies. Here is the presentation video that Mel made of them.
Can you believe that no company bought these great babies?
I am working on new pages about all of the PVC figures and will post a notice here when they are available on the BabyFaceDolls.com website.