Zac Efron is a doll -- literally

Tracy Lapa — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing and Advertising, Walt Disney (DIS), Film

Zac Efron has been turned into a plastic doll. Not only Zac Efron, but all the leads from the new film Hairspray. At this point, two questions probably come to mind:

1. Who is Zac Efron?
2. Why does he matter?

If you can already answer either of these questions, you are either one of the 100 million people who have seen the Disney (NYSE: DIS) film High School Musical or something HSM-related, or you are one of the millions of people who have heard of the film-turned-Broadway-musical-turned-back-to-film Hairspray, which opened in theaters Friday. What is interesting about Zac Efron is that while his only acknowledgment in the Hairspray trailer is within a list of names trailing the major celebrities, Efron should be a featured star.

If you have never heard of High School Musical, let me get you up to speed. The Disney Channel original movie, featuring Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens (a budding superstar with a gold debut album, figured to have earned $2 million last year), has sold over 7 million DVDs. The High School Musical soundtrack was the No. 1 CD last year, selling more than 3.7 million copies. The film was exported to 100 nations, launched an arena tour and "High School Musical: The Ice Tour," and will by followed by the sequel, High School Musical 2, due out this August. This is all, of course, in addition to your licensed merchandise. Yeah, I guess you could call it a franchise.

In essence, High School Musical has become a worldwide brand phenomenon, propelling Zac Efron to the forefront of popularity for a good segment of the population. Hairspray, on the other hand, is really Efron's ticket to breaking out from under Disney and reaching a different, older demographic. It is also rumored that Zac Efron will star in the remake of the musical movie Footloose. Apparently Efron is the go-to guy when it comes to musicals. So, whether or not you've seen or heard Efron, there's a pretty good chance you will sometime in the near future.

It seems like Play Along, a division of Jakks Pacific (NASDAQ: JAKK) and the makers of the 12" inch tall Hairspray dolls, are onto a good thing turning Efron into a collectible. Especially since his role in the film, about which co-star Nikki Blonsky raves, "He just jumps off the screen and right into every girl's heart," undoubtedly contributed to the film's weekend gross of $27.8 million. While loyal Disney kids may or may not see Hairspray, it's likely that their next visit to Toys 'R' Us will result in a quest for the plastic Efron, and now you newly exposed adults will be able to relate to their kids for $14.99 (or a singing version for $20-25).

Maybe Zac Efron is more doll-worthy than we may think.

Tracy Lapa is an AOL Money & Finance intern who recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Communications.

Zac Efron is a doll -- literally originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 23 Jul 2007 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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