Twinsburg firm developing Bindi Irwin toy line

She's blonde and bubbly, but you won't find this hiking boot-wearing, wildlife-loving Aussie cruising around in a hot pink convertible.
The Bindi Irwin doll couldn't be farther from Barbie and Bratz on the toy spectrum, forgoing mini-make-up kits and fake cell phones to teach girls about saving the environment.

The 10-inch-tall replica of the child star, complete with puffy pigtails and outback garb, is part of a toy line being developed by Wild Republic, a division of Twinsburg's K & M International Inc.

From plush cockatoos, wombats and pythons to 4-inch-tall rubber action figures with themes like Aquatic Adventure, the toys center around Bindi's life at the Australia Zoo, where she and her family reside.

The daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, Bindi's career began with appearances on her father's shows and later expanded to live music performances and child fitness DVDs.

At Steve Irwin's memorial service, Bindi said she wanted to continue her father's conservation efforts and has since traveled to the United States and other countries advocating his cause.


Bindi the Jungle Girl, a child-friendly version of her father's show, launched in June 2007 on the Discovery Channel. She won a Daytime Emmy last month for the show and nabbed a Logie, an Australian TV award, in May for most popular new female talent.

Not too bad for a girl who turns 10 later this month.


Roadell Hickman / The Plain Dealer
Products based on the daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, will feature stuffed animals, rubber action figures and games. Kim Hammeren, Wild Republic's special projects developer, said the line is meant to be wholesome and spread Bindi's message about conservation. "She's just a very charismatic little girl," said Cathy LeDonne, Wild Republic's product development director. "Even though some of the young kids want to be glamorous, she talks to them on their level and there is part of them that's more comfortable with that."
Wild Republic unveiled Steve Irwin toys last year, and has worked with the Irwin family and the Australia Zoo to develop Bindi's products. A portion of the proceeds helps fund conservation efforts, such as breeding endangered species and rescuing animals.

Breaking into the traditional toy market has been a new venture for the Twinsburg company, which produces stuffed animals and other souvenirs for niche buyers like museum, zoo and aquarium gift shops.

The business began in the garage of founder G.B. Pillai almost 40 years ago and has since grown to include seven international offices, explains Vishnu Chandran, Pillai's grandson and the company's executive director.

Bindi comes with accessories, such as binoculars to spot dingoes in the brush, a camera to capture koalas in the trees and animals like Bindi's own pet rat named Candy.

The talking doll pipes in Bindi's charming, thickly-accented voice such phrases as, "Crikey! Let's go help wildlife" and "You can make the world a better place."

And instead of that pink convertible, the Outback Adventure Set comes with a motor bike, good for quick jaunts across rugged Australian terrain.

"I don't expect every little girl out there will accept this," said Kim Hammeren, Wild Republic's special projects director. "It's so far out there on the charts."

But the idea is one some parents might find refreshing: An age-appropriate doll who wears a blue, "Extinct Stinks" T-shirt rather than a halter top, said Steve Presser, owner of Big Fun, a novelty toy store in Coventry.

While the Bindi doll isn't a product his store would carry, he said it presents a welcome change from stereotypical dolls being sold at large retailers.

"I feel a heck of a lot more comfortable with a doll like that selling to the youth of today," Presser said. "I think it's great that they have gone and thought outside the sexist point of view of most massive merchandise."

Despite its wholesome intentions, the line hasn't gone without controversy, Hammeren said.


Associated Press
An old photo shows Bindi Irwin, now 9, with her mother, Terri, and late father, Steve. After Steve Irwin's death in September 2006, Bindi vowed to carry on his conservation efforts.When Wild Republic released its Steve Irwin toys just months after his death, it endured a spasm of criticism from some who called the company opportunistic. Bindi's toys have been hit with similar jabs, he said.
But the company doesn't pay critics much mind. After all, Terri Irwin, Bindi's mother, and Bindi herself support both toy lines. That's the only stamp of approval Wild Republic needs.

"We all get real excited over" Bindi's approval, LeDonne said. She even recalls Bindi's response to the doll: "Every little girl's dream is to have a doll made just like them."

The small, rubber dolls will sell for $15 each and the large, talking dolls for $20, Hammeren said. Toys "R" Us and other large retailers are expected to carry the line starting in September.

Sid Good, president of Cleveland's Good Marketing Inc. and a developer of children's products, said how well Bindi's message resonates with children will ride on her popularity and Wild Republic's marketing.

"At a minimum, it provides a really nice back story," Good said. "My assumption is that most likely girls are going to play with this doll the same way they are all of their other dolls. No one knows until you put it on the store shelf and it's purchased by the target audience."