First came 'Idol,' now come objects to idolize

[John]

First came 'Idol,' now come objects to idolize

Tue Feb 4, 8:04 AM ET
Gary Levin USA TODAY

Now that American Idol has conquered the Nielsen charts, get ready for the inevitable onslaught of Idol-spawned product tie-ins.

Among those first up, due in stores next month: a surprisingly lifelike Simon Cowell bobblehead doll that spews insults, just like on TV!

Push a button on the judge's back, and hear his voice dis you as ''the most boring person I ever met'' and pronounce your performance ''totally pathetic.'' All for only $10 to $13.

''When I saw the doll, I thought it was brilliant,'' says Cowell, humble as ever. ''Some of the merchandise from the show is so awful.''

That won't stop it from flooding store shelves in coming weeks.

Look for T-shirts, boom boxes, board games, even a fog-and-light machine slapped with the Idol logo.

California tchotchke maker JAKKS Pacific is shipping hair accessories, cosmetics, rhinestone tattoos, metallic body gel pens and other doodads that won't break the piggy banks of teen girls, selling for $2.99 to $4.99. Stationery and notebooks are due for fall's back-to-school season.

''When the show first came to America (from London), we were out actively selling it (for merchandising), but nobody had ever heard of it, and we weren't having any luck,'' says Mike Eaton, a vice president at Idol co-producer Fremantle Media. ''Once we got to the final 10, the phone was ringing.'' But products can take up to nine months to reach store shelves; thus the lag between huge ratings and the assault on your wallet.

In an early sign of demand over the holiday season, Eaton says Toys R Us sold 30,000 Idol karaoke machines -- priced at $129 -- in less than three weeks. He says the chain is considering an in-store Idol boutique; a Toys spokeswoman declined comment.

Licensing experts say the trinkets have solid appeal. But there's a ''risk factor that the products may hit (stores) after the show's gone off the air,'' agent Joy Tashjian says.

Some expect the flurry to be as brief as some Idol finalists' careers.

''It's one of those fad properties, what's hot now,'' consultant Woody Browne says. ''But it's not going to become another Scooby-Doo. Think about Survivor: That show's still on the air, but the merchandise has come and gone.''

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[fluff]

Simon bobble-head doll?

Whatever next?