Frozen dress spurs $1,600 frenzy by crazed parents

Aaryn Costello is searching for the perfect dress, a 30-inch-long light-blue number with a sparkly bodice and a detachable white cape. That would be the Princess Elsa dress from the Walt Disney hit Frozen, the most soughtafter fashion item among the kindergarten set. Stores across the US are sold out, and originals are being offered for as much as $1,600 on eBay Inc. Desperate parents are shelling out up to $225 for replicas on craft sites like etsy.com.

“Every mom in the world is dying for this dress,” said Costello, a Los Angeles marketing consultant with a Frozen obsessed four-year-old.

Toys, dolls and clothes are a big part of the strategy at Disney, which happens to be the world’s largest licensing company. And it has hit a merchandise-sales jackpot with Elsa, also known as the Snow Queen of Arendelle, and her ice gown.

“The property is hot,” said Sean McGowan, a toy industry analyst at Needham. “It’s challenging to keep up with demand,” says Dena O’Loughlin, director of marketing for Disneylicensed girls costumes at Jakks Pacific.