Justin Bieber Haircut Costs Toy Company $100,000
Justin Bieber got a haircut in February. This alone would still be huge news, but when you add in the bit that a toymaker lost $100,000 because of said haircut, it is not as big of news.
Alas, The Bieb cut his hair, ditching the "sideswept" hairdo that became his trademark. This was not good for Jay Foreman, the founder and CEO of toy-making company The Bridge Direct.
Foreman, you see, and his company make Justin Bieber dolls. The day news of Bieber's haircut broke (yes, news of Bieber's haircut broke), he heard screeches coming from his staff.
"First off, I had no idea what he did," Foreman told CNNMoney. "I heard a lot of shrieks around me, and people running in and out of their offices."
The Bridge Direct had already begun producing dolls for the 2011 holiday season at the time, so the move was devastating to more than just fans who really, really loved the old Bieb.
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Foreman's brand managers were among the first to find out about Bieber, who is dating Selena Gomez, and his new haircut, as many had started Google alerts to track the singer's every move in the news. Which is to say: They were tracking the singer's every move.
"I got everyone into a conference room and we looked at some images," Foreman told CNNMoney. "We weren't sure what he had done. Then it became obvious that his trademark was gone."
Foreman decided to keep production running, so dolls coming out on the shelves will still sport the old Bieber hairdo. That means when fans are Under the Mistletoe, it won't be with! a prope rly styled Bieber. The company was able to alter production for next spring, which upped costs.
For his part, Foreman is not too torn up about the haircut.
"You take a risk when you're creating a product based on a celebrity," Foreman said.
This is Shaquille O'Neal looking at a Justin Bieber doll.
Surely, Foreman thought, along with the legions of other Bieber fans, that the hairdo would always stay the same. But you can Never Say Never.