‘Psycho’ Doll Joins Cinderella In Madame Alexander’s Stable

Madame Alexander dolls have gone “Psycho.”

Departing from classics like Cinderella and Scarlett O’Hara, the dollmaker is adding a character from “Psycho” to its lineup this year - a towel-clad doll in a shower with a silhouette of a killer lurking in the background.

Also new for 1998 is a doll based on another Alfred Hitchcock movie, “The Birds,” which has attacking birds attached to the doll’s hair, fur coat, arms and feet.

The new dolls, unveiled last week at the American International Toy Fair in New York, represent a new direction for the dollmaker, which built its reputation on elegant dolls, dressed in detailed outfits.

In years past, its collection has included dolls from stories like “Little Women” and “Alice in Wonderland,” and movies like “Sound of Music” and “Gone with the Wind.”

“We want to move into new venues,” said Herbert Brown, chairman and chief executive at New Yorkbased Alexander Doll Co. Inc., which makes the Madame Alexander line. “Baby boomers are reaching back to nostalgic themes and Alfred Hitchcock generates quite a buzz.”

The “Psycho” doll costs $159.95, while “The Birds” doll is priced at $139.95. Both will be available in stores starting in June.

Alexander Doll Co., founded in 1923, calls itself the nation’s only remaining manufacturer of handcrafted dolls.