Greenwood Village, CO-based doll cataloger My Twinn shut down operations less than a week before Christmas, leaving some customers without holiday merchandise. The eight-year-old company specialized in creating dolls personalized to resemble “the special child in your life.”
Calls to My Twinn CEO Kenn Thiess were not returned at press time, nor had the company filed for bankruptcy protection. According to its Website, My Twinn ceased operations on Dec. 19 but at press time was seeking a buyer for the business. A Dec. 19 press release stated that holiday orders received by Dec. 7 were in transit to customers. According to a report by Denver television station KUSA, My Twinn took 75,000 holiday orders and had told customers to expect shipments within 45 days.
So what happened? One problem, according to My Twinn spokesperson Dave Ligget, was unexpected delays in shipping its products from China, where all of the dolls were manufactured and assembled. In addition, according to the company’s Website, “For the past two years we have tried to satisfy several millions of dollars in lingering obligations arising from the 2001 holiday season and the tragic events of September 11th.” For holiday 2001, Ligget says, My Twinn had sent out 4 million-5 million prospecting catalogs scheduled for in-home delivery on Sept. 10. The company lost millions in anticipated revenue that year and was never able to recoup those losses.
This year the company had been able to bring down the price of its dolls significantly — from $140 to $79, Ligget says. But, he adds, My Twinn lacked the funds to effectively promote the savings.