I’ve noticed that the Bratz Youtube Channel has been posting all of the old episodes from the original Bratz series! I know many fans loved that series, especially Bratz fans from the U.K. and Canada.
I think I’ve shared with some of my other readers my secret dream: to write for the Bratz series, possibly even a new one! I’ve been having this idea for years. However, I’ve been losing my confidence for a minute, seeing how Hayden Williams was treated after working so hard on his dream. I also have been analyzing what fans want and I’m not sure my idea is what they might be interested in. I decided I would do a poll to better understand what fans want!
I’ve been writing a scripted series for Netflix/web/tv that is loosely based off of the actual Bratz dolls’ “life”. I really thought the old series was cute, but I would’ve liked to see some other characters get animated, like Felicia, and I would’ve liked some elements to be more true to the original design of the characters (back before release and in 2001). I haven’t pitched this script to anyone YET, but I would like to soon.
I’ve already created the pilot. I just can’t decide if it should be CGI, live action, or 2D…If it ever does get picked up…
Anyway, aside from this script, I wanted to personally ask fans: If you could bring the Bratz series back, what would it look like? Make your choice above!
As requested by a listener, I am going to spill out my opinions on Tree Change dolls, a line of dolls known for deconstructing Bratz dolls so that the dolls look more like little girls. As a doll collector and a major Bratz fan, I have a mouthful to say about these dolls. So, just sit back, hear me out, and sip your tea…
Leave me a comment and let me know what you think about the Tree Change dolls!
For my readers, I’m sorry I’ve mostly been doing videos lately. BUT I haven’t neglected this blog. In fact, I have a HUGE, HUGE post coming up. I’ve been working on it for two years. So, don’t worry. Things will liven up on here soon.
Watch my video spilling the tea about the Bratz dolls! Just a little history on them. I’m not trying to drag them too much because I love these dolls! This just seems like a frequently asked Bratz question and I wanted to answer it.
I know I haven’t talked about the Bratz in eons. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been keeping up with my Girls with a Passion for Fashion!
In fact, I have been hard at work preparing for their return. I intend to have a strong hand in the comeback this year. Why? Because I see that the Bratz dolls still have the potential to make their mark on the toy industry. I’ve got quite a few things in mind.
Three months ago, I sent MGA’s inventor team a 13-page proposal stating all of the things I feel the Bratz brand needs. That may have been overly-ambitious, and possibly overstepping my boundaries, but I feel better now that I’ve said what I wanted to say.
So, I’ve been busy with Bratz, don’t you worry.
I’ve had some readers ask me if I’ve heard about the Bratz’s comeback in 2018, and I have.
Why have I been silent? Two reasons: 1) I wanted to wait to do a major article on the brand when the comeback officially releases. 2) I didn’t want to repeat rumors and over-hype the brand just to let myself and others down. 3) I have several concerns regarding the comeback, and I didn’t want my negativity to rub off on the hopefuls.
As for number 2, I have this tendency to get super excited about a brand, to place all of my ideas out there, and I try to get others on-board, too. In the end, my expectations soar way too high. In 2015, I was really let-down by the Bratz dolls.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure the Bratz truly WERE going to come back this year. Companies often say one thing, it doesn’t mean that’s what’s going to happen. Delays happen, too. The toy industry has been suffering. Even Toys R ‘Us took a hit. I wasn’t sure if Mr. Larian could make this happen and I didn’t want to recklessly post my thoughts on it too quickly.
What changed my mind now? Well, I’m starting to see some extremely promising little updates happening.
We all should know by now that Isaac Larian has been hinting at the Bratz comeback since last year. He basically said “Bratz are scheduled to release this fall”.
The fall quarter is basically around the corner now.
We’ve also got some teaser Instagram posts lately:
With all of this, I have every reason to be excited… but concerned, too.
I’m excited because it’s time for a doll brand like Bratz to come back to shelves. I’ve been through toy shelves recently to find inspiration, and diversity is seriously lacking. Even Disney’s dolls and brands are so white-washed.
Dolls are so….boring nowadays, too. They don’t have flash. Most come with cheap clothes, one outfit, and no accessories. Everyone is afraid of makeup. They are so busy trying to appeal to feminist social agendas, they fail to actually interest anyone.
The last time Larian said the Bratz were “coming back better than ever”, we got 2015 Bratz, the goo-goo eyed dolls with a sweet touch.
One of my concerns deals with retailers. Since Bratz’s debut, retailers have had so much control, they managed to alter many of the Bratz dolls’ older lines. Carter Bryant, the original designer of the Bratz dolls, mentioned that retailers’ opinions, especially the Market buyers at Walmart, are what led to the alterations of Bratz Fashion Pixiez (and I’m certain other lines as well). They couldn’t handle Bratz being so edgy, sassy, and fierce.
Now, retail chains are suffering. With the closing of Toys R’ Us, and the power of Walmart and Amazon, what will be sold has completely gone into the hands of these major retail giants. Without their approval, Bratz can’t return to the shelves. Does that mean Bratz may have to sacrifice some original ideas in order to be marketable to these giants? And can Mr. Larian sell the Bratz to these “family-friendly” retailers?
I did offer a different suggestion in my 13-page proposal, but I’m not sure they will really consider these ideas, and I’m not expecting them to. I’ve offered different ideas before the release of the last “re-launch” in 2015. None of those ideas were used, though all of my ideas were given a “thumbs up” when I posted them on Facebook. I have no doubt they tried to implement my ideas, but if retailers didn’t like it…Well, that’s that.
Talking to Carter Bryant back in 2015 has given me a lot of insight and has taught me one thing about the doll industry and creative property in general: You can create what you want, it doesn’t mean you have power over what you create.
Carter Bryant has helped me realize how powerful retailers are in the posts he made on my blog:
Carter Bryant has shown us that Walmart buyer Lori was responsible for a lot of the edgiest lines being dumbed down significantly. Walmart is one of the leading supermarket chains in the USA. Their buyers decide what gets sold on their shelves. They buy the product, sell it at their stores, and get a percentage of the profits.
She’s an older lady, and to me, she seems to favor Barbie. I mean, it’s not unexpected. She probably grew up with Barbie. Bratz probably rattled her cage. I’m not sure if she is still a toy merchant with Walmart, but whoever is will decide what happens with Bratz, and if she is still the primary girls’ toy merchant, we are in trouble.
So, despite the fact that Isaac Larian wants to bring out a doll line that’s “like no other”, would he really have the power to do it? I do have one solution to this problem, but will Bratz’s marketing team consider my idea a good one? Will that idea be enough?
Then, there’s the issue with the generation itself. Do girls even play with dolls anymore? Would they even BUY the dolls? Girls today have shown some interest in toys, but far more interest in technology. Children are more sophisticated than they were 10 years ago, and more girls reject traditional femininity than they used to ten years ago. Will they see Bratz as an outdated brand? Will they see Bratz as a brand that promotes superficial values and reject the brand as a whole?
Last, I’m concerned about feminist and mommy bloggers as well. Will they tear the brand down and influence their “soccer mom” supporters to help them?
There’s a lot to be concerned about.
Despite how negative I might sound, I am fairly optimistic about TWO things.
For starters, I’m optimistic about the Bratz brand’s quality. Lately, Mr. Larian seems to have come across some cash, which might be good for the overall quality of the Bratz brand. He offered to buy Toys R’ Us AND he’s offered to merge with Mattel, his original competitor! He seems well-equipped to polish the brand this time.
He’s seen some success from his LOL Surprise brand. Project MC2 seems to have a steady beat. And both of Isaac Larian’s children have invested in their own brand, Cult Gaia, which brings the family more wealth. He seems pretty confident that he will reap even more profits from his planned Bratz return. So, who knows what he has up his sleeve.
Hopefully, this businessman has hired the right team and is ready to bring Bratz into the future full-force! But until then, I won’t be posting some of my ideas or hopes for the brand. I’m literally “cleansing palates of expectations”. For now, I will just sit back and wait until it all unfolds.
Second,I’m also excited to learn that Hayden Williams, a fashion designer and illustrator who was rumored to be hired to assist with the design of Bratz, actually WAS hired. This means MGA is at least considering the fans’ expectations for the brand. Hayden Williams has officially tweeted me to confirm that he is one of the Bratz designers!
At one time before this update, I wasn’t sure Hayden wouldn’t be interested in being a designer for MGA because it might mean he would lose his freedom as a designer.
Turns out, he’s doing a collaboration with MGA, so he will be free to work as he pleases. His dolls will be Amazon collectors’ exclusives available this fall!
I’m excited to know that MGA recognized his talents and vision.
The best part about the release of these dolls is that they will be available ONLINE ONLY (for now). One of my other concerns was that I wasn’t sure Hayden would really be on-board with designing (despite most Bratz fans’ desire to have him design for the dolls) because I was afraid retailers would try to restrict his freedom if the dolls came out too edgy. I was afraid retailers might be skeptical to buy the Bratz because of their reputation, and that Hayden would have to curb the Bratz’s stylishness. One of my suggestions in my 13-page proposal was for Bratz to be sold online if retailers got funky. Glad to know MGA got the same idea.
I don’t think Amazon will restrict the design of the dolls as bad as other retailers (considering they don’t seem to be biased in what they allow to be sold on their website). Hayden said on his own Twitter:
MGA gave him the freedom to really give his all to these dolls. That’s all us Bratz fans really want!
Still, I hope all retailers recognize this brand’s ability to bring back consumers’ interest back to toy aisles and don’t try to change the image of the dolls to get them there.
Now, here’s where I’m uncertain again. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear Hayden Williams is going to be designing all of the Bratz lines. If they do hire others, they better be on par. I believe that Hayden understands the original “Bratz” design best. He said he has been into the Bratz since 2001. We need fans like him that understand what the Bratz were. No offense to fans who came with the TV series, the movies, or when Meygen jumped in ’02, but you have to have known the Bratz their entire career to understand their image and message FULLY. If you believe you can be on par, do thorough research on the brand, backwards and forwards. I believe that’s why the other designers struggled. The TV series and movies changed a lot about the Bratz, which I don’t appreciate (Read or listen to Bratz 2018: What I Want to Return and What I Don’t)…and some of the people who are fans of the brand mostly remember the media entertainment portion of the brand. While it is one part of the brand, there’s more to it.
I really hope they don’t get Project MC2 designers on-board for the Bratz. If they do, we’re going to have another Moxie-Bratz 2010 problem.
Oh, you don’t know? Remember when Cloe’s leggings were recycled from Moxie Teenz? Yes, that problem.
We’ll also get cute, because that’s what Project MC2 is. They’re cute.
The Bratz are not meant to be “cute”. We don’t need designers who think “cute” will make the Bratz better. N-to-the-O.
So far, I have so many mixed feelings about this comeback now. I’m excited, I’m nervous, I’m happy, I’m nervous. I just don’t know what to think anymore!
Readers and fellow Bratz fans, what do you all think of the Bratz’s upcoming “return”? Do you believe the Bratz will deliver this time? Or do you think retailers and critics will find a way to ruin the brand once again? Leave me a comment and let me know!
Lately, I’ve been going back into the history of Bratz, where Bratz experienced a tremendous rise in the toy industry and where Bratz took a tumble downhill. As a major Bratz fan, I still have a difficult time coming to terms with the fact that these dolls are not going to be produced anymore, that they are discontinued, and that they are no longer popular. In 2016, MGA, the owners of the Bratz doll brand, announced that they were discontinuing the Bratz dolls after a less-than-glorious comeback from their hiatus the year before.
As a way to find a sense of closure, I’ve been researching all kinds of news articles on the Bratz, news that have been out since 2001. I’ve been going back into my own “archives” both online and offline.
While flipping and clicking through everything, I’ve come to realize that feminists, moms, and Bratz dolls were never far a part from each other, but feminists and moms never really met eye to eye with the Bratz. It doesn’t surprise me that “soccer” moms are against the Bratz. Their name is “Bratz” after all. Parents may have heard the name and assumed that the dolls encouraged their girls to rebel against their parents.
However, I’ve found the Bratz to be a very empowering line of dolls in totality. That’s why it shocks me to read about so many feminists who are really against this doll brand. In fact, many feminists have openly been against the Bratz since debut. Therefore, I’ve concluded that the details that go into the Bratz’s recent decline in popularity have at least a little to do with active feminists. How so?
Before I get into the details, let’s review how the Bratz came to be, how I got interested in the Bratz, and how (and why) they got so popular in the first place.
Bratz: The Urban Fashionistas
Carter Bryant was the original designer of the Bratz dolls who came up with the idea for the dolls after looking at a Steve Madden shoe ad in Seventeen magazine, photographed by Bernard Belair.
Bryant liked the “cartoonish” yet stylish look of the ad and wanted to create dolls with a similar appeal. To put it simply, Bratz were never meant to look realistic, but they were going to be displayed wearing the latest teen fashions.
Carter Bryant has also shared with me that he was inspired from the urban and punk scenes he always loved. He is an edgy man at heart and wanted to bring that to the Bratz doll line. When he brought the dolls to MGA, Issac Larian, the CEO, was skeptical at first, thinking their heads and feet were weird. But when Larian showed the dolls to his daughter, Jasmin Larian, she thought they were cool. The Bratz doll Yasmin was named after her.
At the Turn of the 21st Century, tweens (kids between the ages of 10 and 14) lost interest in dolls. With pop music spreading around the world, many girls were growing too “old” to be interested in toys (though I’d say it’s worse now than it was then, now that there’s this emphasis on smartphones and tablets). The doll market was experiencing a decline back then just as it is now. Many doll companies were interested in turning the new pop culture trend around in their favor. They wanted to make “up-to-date” dolls specifically for tweens so they could bring them back into the market.
Barbie was dominating the toy market, but by the 1990s, she was considered babyish.
Barbie was also criticized by minority ethnic groups for “lacking diversity” and outshining her more “diverse” friends. To many, Barbie was a sign of “White Supremacy”. After all, she was invented at a very tense racial time (1959).
Since the 1970s, feminist writers began examining entertainment designed for girls. Barbie came under fire several times throughout generations of feminists.
Feminists have been wanting to encourage self-love since then. Barbie was criticized for having unrealistic body proportions (like bigger than average boobs, a tiny waist, super thin lips, full hair, tiny feet, etc), body features that didn’t seem realistically attainable for every woman.
Bratz wasn’t the answer to everything missing in the doll industry (according to feminists), but they did solve the “diversity” problem.
The Bratz were released wearing “urban” fashions, a huge trend among youths at the Turn of the 21st Century since the rise in popularity of African American hip-hop and rap artists and labels in the 1990s. White people had also jumped on the urban trends (thanks to groups like New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys). Bratz had bigger lips than the average doll. They wore the “latest trends”, which often included cropped tops, baggy pants, and mini skirts, as well as tons of makeup. The dolls came in a variety of different “colors” and hair textures even if their actual ethnic backgrounds were left ambiguous.
I was a tween at the time of the Bratz debut in 2001, the target demographic. I was one of the children that stopped playing with dolls at 10 years old (thought I still liked to collect them as a hobby). I would say books, video games, anime, and internet consumed my life rather than pop stars and MTV. I still liked certain doll brands, like Magic Attic Club and American Girl, but I never played with the actual dolls. I mostly bought the books, not the dolls. I completely lost interest in the regular Barbie doll (though Generation Girl Dolls peaked my interest for a short time).
To me, as someone who lost interest in playing with Barbies at 10, Bratz were amazing. As an African American, I was happy to see dolls with full lips, full thick hair, and urban fashions commonly worn in my own black community (and not the cookie-cutter suburbanite outfits I often saw on my Barbies as a kid in the 1990s).
That’s why it was perplexing to find that most of the articles kept describing the dolls as “oversexualized” and “materialistic”. I couldn’t understand it at 11 years old. “What’s so sexual about them?” I kept asking myself. Their clothes were cool and urban to me, not sexual. I couldn’t see how baggy pants and beanie caps (included in the 1st edition of Bratz) were even “sexual” in nature. The dolls carried a lot of sass and attitude. They seemed bold and confident to me. The quality was impeccable and very realistic at the time. If anything, these dolls were gender-defying for me! They were not prim, perfect, pink, and prissy. They said “So what!” to fashion norms and boundaries that told girls to be “presentable, lest you tempt the manfolk”.
It truly surprised me to see so many feminists set against the Bratz.
As I got older, I began to understand the feminists’ concerns a little more than I did as a child, but I still don’t agree with many of their assumptions about the Bratz.
Let me give you a little history about myself.
I’m not your typical doll collector. I’m not only an adult, I’m an androgynous tomboy. As a child, I was a complete tomboy. My parents, particularly my mother, would often dress me in dresses, but she was very strict about how I should eat when dressed up, how I had to wear each article of clothing perfectly, and she schooled me on the people I had to please (particularly friends and neighbors). I got verbally (and sometimes physically) assaulted at times for wearing the wrong shoes with the wrong outfit. As I got older, because of these experiences, I began to reject social femininity. When I got more control of my fashion choices, I made sure to avoid dresses and skirts as much as possible. I became mostly uninterested in clothes and makeup. I prefer to dress comfortably. I became convinced that “femininity” was all about conforming socially, pleasing others, and dressing the part in every situation. Social femininity was translated as “threatening” to me.
So it might make people wonder how I could be interested in such a fashion-conscious doll line like the Bratz.
As I mentioned before, I didn’t see what many of these news journalists and feminists saw in the Bratz. When I first saw the 2001 1st Edition Bratz, I saw their art versions, which displayed four girls in urbanized fashions in the sickest artwork ever. They all wore baggy jeans and sporty crop tops! If anything they looked like tomboys with makeup on!
The clash of femininity and tomboyishness made me feel thrilled and excited. Bratz did renew my interest in fashion, but not as a way to please or impress others. Bratz made me realize that fashion could be used to express oneself, to express ideas, to express art. Bratz inspired me to take my boyish looks to the next level which was why I got interested in different androgynous looks. I became unafraid to look different. I became unafraid of the controversy.
I was an outcast in middle school and high school. I was different. I was not only a tomboy, but a Black girl who enjoyed world music (like Japanese and Turkish music), among many genres including rock and roll, and enjoyed anime and video games. I never dressed up, so everyone thought I was weird. I looked like a 10 year old because I was so petite and never did my hair in the latest styles (which made me look even younger). I wore glasses and didn’t care for contacts. I would wear the same clothes year after year. I didn’t care, as long as they were clean. Many people thought I was a lesbian because I didn’t date in high school. Most of the guys thought I was too skinny to be attractive anyway. I didn’t have curves. When they discovered I wasn’t a lesbian, that confused them even more.
When Bratz were introduced, they were just the kind of thing I was looking for in the world. The Bratz not only renewed my interest in fashion but in the fashion doll industry in general. The dolls also helped me come to terms with my own individuality.
I always loved dolls, even in high school. I didn’t play with them; I just liked collecting them and taking pictures. I collected a lot of 18″ dolls mostly. After the Bratz came out, I was looking for fashion dolls like them. There were few dolls like them though.
I wasn’t ashamed of liking dolls, though I’m certain many teenagers would’ve been. I think after dealing with being forced to fit standards as a child, I had this counter-culturalist in me just waiting to break free. I didn’t think I was feminine at all, and so I rejected it in myself and in others.
Even though they were just dolls, Bratz helped me understand myself. My interest in them revealed something about myself. I realized I hadn’t lost touch with my femininity or my own sense of woman, I just had a different kind and that was okay. I realized that there were many ways to define “being a woman”.
Bratz helped me at a difficult time, when I felt like I had to fit all of these standards. Unlike me, Bratz could do whatever they wanted to do. They had the courage and bravery, despite the backlash, to just be. It was obvious by their outrageous fashions, their exciting movies, and strong music that they just didn’t care. Much of their music still inspires me, like Bratz Forever Diamondz “Yasmin”‘s “Hang On”.
To me, the Bratz had a very strong empowering message of teaching girls to be confident and comfortable with who they are, no matter what anyone says.
When I saw their outfits, though, they seemed to wear mostly costumes rather than “regular” fashions. They reflected the latest styles with a twist. I was impressed with the detail, the various accessories, and the quality (hair that felt soft and thick, jeans made from actual jean material, etc), as well as the creative and bold themes.
Bratz also set many trends and broke many fashion rules. I liked Bratz because they reflected my own liberation from society’s norms. And at the time, they were the only dolls doing this.
Nowadays, there are many dolls empowering girls in many different ways. Many dolls out today have been inspired from the Bratz. Still, I have a special place in my heart for these dolls because they encouraged me to be bold and different, to be innovative and creative, and to think outside of the box.
My other favorite part about Bratz was that a blonde white girl wasn’t at the center. Don’t get me wrong, I grew up with Barbies, too, which I’ll go into further later. But Bratz offered me something I never could let go of, something I could relate to more personally.
Bratz had a variety of different characters eventually, of many shades, with most being dolls of color. I was so happy when MGA released Felicia, an actual dark-skinned doll that was designed beautifully and stylish! Many other Black characters have been in the Bratz franchise as well.
Sasha looks gorgeous in her “natural” hair!
Even though the Bratz dolls came in many shades, Black and Latino culture initially influenced much of the doll brand. From the styles, to the music (as you could tell above), to the full lips and thick hair, down to the urban fashion, Bratz were meant to appeal to a wider ethnic demographic.
In the early 2000s, gangster rap was just sizzling down. Many people outside of the black community (and even some of the old-school generation within) looked down on “urban” fashions and felt it represented “deviant” culture. This is partially why Bratz carried even more controversy at debut. Many people compared them to “urban thugs”. But most of the fashion was widely accepted among black and Latino/Hispanic cultures.
The more rebellious Bratz appeared, the more I loved them. Did it mean I was a bad girl and that I didn’t want to follow any rules? Of course not. But I did recognize that I don’t have to let others define me or decide the type of clothing I needed to wear socially. The Bratz showed me that I can represent alternatives in fashion and let that make its own statement.
Of course, we do have to consider some things socially when picking our clothes, but adding a little creativity and imagination to our wardrobe also adds to our individuality (along with our personalities). Bratz taught me that.
Eventually, Bratz brought in wild lines like Tokyo-ago-go, Space Angelz, Rock Angelz, Pretty N Punk, and many others to the mix. That just gave me more courage to speak out and embrace my individuality.
Some Feminists’ Issues with the Bratz
It baffles me how many people don’t realize just how influential feminists and moms were when it came to the Bratz’s 2015 transformation and sudden decline. Yes, other factors contributed to the Bratz dolls’ decline in popularity (such as the ongoing court battles between Mattel, owners of Barbie, and MGA, owners of Bratz). But the recent comeback, as well as the one in 2010, was obviously specifically “watered down” to appeal to moms and feminists, which didn’t go over so well with many of the fans of the brand.
The moment MGA released the first batch of dolls in 2015, MGA shared a facebook post called New Bratz dolls Tell Girls “It’s Good to be Yourself”. The article states that the dolls give a message that “won’t make parents cringe”. MGA must have realized that moms and feminists didn’t approve of the original Bratz and they wanted to ease the criticisms. Women have a lot of power and influence in the retail industry, believe it or not. MGA posted that article to show how Bratz have become more “innocent” in the last couple of years. They tried to put less makeup on the dolls, they made the outfits cuter, and made the eyes bigger so they wouldn’t look sassy or like they have “attitude”. It still didn’t work. Feminists still felt they were “underwhelming“. All it did was make the fans less interested in them and made the feminists criticize them even more.
The few feminists that are/were supportive of the Bratz have mostly been supportive of Bratz’s ethnic diversity and “ethnic” features (such as large lips, thick hair, and slanted eyes).
But most of these feminists overlook any of the positive regarding these dolls.
After reviewing many articles from feminists about the Bratz, I’ve learned that they take several issues with them (issues I find confusing):
Now, many of these comparisons are made right alongside the Barbie doll. As mentioned before, feminists’ first gripe with the fashion doll industry came with Barbie. Barbie has been pretty influential in girls’ lives and she has been an icon of fashion and materialism. She has been a staple of femininity for even adult women. Many feminists have examined how Barbie influenced girls and were afraid the Bratz, who seemed to carry some of the same “problems”, would influence girls much the same way.
But here’s where I think some of these feminists miss the mark.
Yes, sometimes girls often imitate their dolls in various ways and grow up to be inspired by these dolls. However, from my experience working with children and being a child during the Barbie and Bratz era, I would definitely say it depends on the context and the way the dolls are presented. It also depends on one’s own life experiences. Barbie and Bratz gave me two different vibes and that influenced my perception of the dolls, myself, and womanhood in general.
I don’t think Barbie and Bratz give a similar message at all. I think the feminists that think they do only know that the Bratz are considered fashion dolls, but know nothing else about them otherwise. These feminists may have seen one or two lines with the Bratz in more “conventional” fashion, but more than likely they didn’t dig deeper than that.
Let me explain why Bratz and Barbie are so very different and how this affects each of their messages to girls.
Bratz Vs. Barbie
I will share the history of both brands a little more because I believe the very inspiration behind the dolls shows how each was meant to affect girls.
As mentioned before, Bratz was designed to represent a “cartoonish” and yet stylish look, while also reflecting underground subcultures in fashion. Their inspiration came from an ad in a teen magazine.
Barbie was thought up by Ruth Handler, a woman who often watched her daughter Barbara pretend her paper dolls were adults. Ruth saw an opening in the market for adult-designed dolls rather than the usual baby dolls and paper dolls available.
When visiting Germany, she saw the Bild Lilli Doll, based off the popular German comic strip character. Bild Lilli was a beautiful bombshell woman who worked but was not above using men to suit her aims. The comic strip and the dolls were designed for adults, but kids would often take the dolls and mix and match her fashion.
Arguably, Barbie is the inspiration for all fashion dolls that came afterwards, so all fashion dolls will be watched by skeptics. But the intention behind the doll is significant when it comes to the art and presentation of the doll.
Barbie was designed to be an adult figure for girls to imagine and aspire to be. Initially, she was presented as an ideal adult female figure (more so from the White upper-class perspective).
I can honestly tell you, as a 6 and 7 year old, that was exactly what I thought of when I played with Barbie. Barbie may not look totally realistic in her proportions, but she looks realistic enough from a child’s perspective, and she looks realistic enough for women to “aspire” to “obtain” her look. Sure, her breasts are bigger than the average woman’s, especially on someone that thin, but breasts like that didn’t seem impossible to me as a child. In fact, Barbie looked like many of the blonde women I saw on Baywatch (which I often caught glimpses of on tv in the 1990s).
Thus, it was obvious in my mind’s eye that Barbie fit a perceived beauty standard.
In my mind, Barbie had several differences from me. She was blonde, tall, white, and wore clothes only the wealthy could wear. I never aspired to be blonde and white like her, however she reminded me of all the adult women around me. I didn’t see too many women who deviated from the “norm” socially as a child. I would always imagine doing what my mother did when playing with my Barbies.
When I played with Barbie, I didn’t see myself, and that influenced how I felt about her as I got older. As I got older, I saw that I was not growing into an adult like Barbie. I began to disconnect with the doll. I saw my mother and everything she was: a glamorous working woman who could do anything she put her mind to. I didn’t see much substance in Barbie at all, though. And that may imply that I really didn’t see much substance in the women around me. It implies it and it is true.
However, even though I couldn’t relate to her, I admired her pink empire. I longed to live her wealthy, high-class life, a life my broke Black behind would have a difficult time achieving.
In the 1990s, she came with literally everything. But she had no “real” set personality, no real individuality. All of her friends were just ethnic versions of her that you could hardly find in stores. They literally often wore the same outfits as Barbie, though it would sometimes be in a different color.
Yea, her hair seems nicer in the picture, but the actual doll is not the same!
As a kid, I wanted to be more “successful” like her, but I knew that I was too different to want to be like her completely. I wasn’t girly enough to pull of being a Barbie. Many of my other friends wanted to have straight, blonde hair like Barbie. They wanted the perfect body when they grew up, like she had. They wanted to drive pink cars like Barbie. They wanted to live in mansions like she did. They wanted a handsome boyfriend like Ken. Many of them ended up doing those things in the future, perfectly fitting the social package. I can amusingly say that they often look like clones of one another, trying to outdo each other when it comes to the latest trends.
Bratz, in contrast, never had a body to “aspire” to obtain. They literally looked like cartoon characters. I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting heads and feet as big as theirs. In fact, big heads and big feet are normally considered ugly in America! The Bratz made it look cool. As someone who had big feet, I appreciated that. But I never heard anyone “aspire” to have a big head or big feet like them. It became clear that their proportions were not designed to fit an “ideal” but rather they literally were made to be disproportionate.
Sure, they were skinny. But their breasts were not large. Even being skinny, no kid would honestly think their bodies are normal enough to pay attention. My friends and I would always make fun of the Bratz heads and feet. We didn’t sigh with envy, that’s for certain. But the outfits were super creative. It was hard not to anticipate what they would think of next.
Each doll was different in some way from the other. Not only were there dolls of various colors, but each doll had their own wicked fashion sense and personality. They were very individual and not outshined by the “white” doll. The four core dolls were treated equally at debut, which I appreciated.
The Bratz were not designed to fit the usual beauty standard. They were meant to reflect the underground cultures, cultures that have developed a sense of community to help them cope with being an outcast. Therefore, in my mind, Bratz produced the opposite response of wanting to “imitate” and rather encouraged individuals like me to be “themselves” and strike out boldly. At 11, I was thinking that if each Bratz girl looks different, and has her own passion for fashion, that means all of us are different. We don’t all have to look and be the same. It encouraged me to find my own unique sense of style, not be the doll I saw in front of me (unlike with Barbie).
Barbie’s other media entertainment, like her movies, showed her as a gorgeous, glamorous lady who could do anything. Bratz movies showed four individual sassy teens who liked to hang out, dress up at times, dabble in their hobbies, and go on amazing adventures. The Bratz never seemed as shallow as Barbie.
Bratz Boyz were a stark contrast to Ken. Though they are all fashion dolls, the Bratz boyz weren’t just accessories for the girls. They had their own lines, several individual ethnic appearances and personalities, many different hair textures and styles, and just as much detail as the girls. Boys were not ashamed to admire them. Girls saw more than just boyfriends in these dolls. In fact, only one of the main characters “crush” on a Bratz Boy. But that boy has his own interests, his own personality, and his own style.
With the differences settled, let’s address these issues feminists have with the Bratz directly.
“Too Much Makeup”
Feminists across the board have been very critical of the Bratz’s overuse of makeup.
Some feminists believe that the Bratz have perfectly made-up faces, which teaches girls that they have to wear makeup to look perfect.
Among feminists, makeup in general has been controversial. Feminists are determined to break the social expectation that encourages girls to be too interested in their appearance. Unlike men, women are often expected to appear perfect, without flaws. This has been linked to women being treated like objects rather than creatures of “substance”. Many jobs around the world won’t hire women or will fire women if they don’t wear makeup. Feminists have been pushing for women to embrace their natural features and colors without a “mask”. They have been pushing for businesses to remove the makeup standards/policies or equalize them (pushing men to also wear more makeup).
One look at the first Bratz dolls, and a feminist would definitely think the Bratz’s usage of makeup further encourages these harsh makeup standards in young ladies. As someone who doesn’t wear makeup, I completely understand this concern.
On the other hand, feminists also preach against body-policing and believe that women should be free to indulge in whatever they enjoy. If a woman truly enjoys makeup, does that make her a product of the patriarchal system and less feminist?
Some feminists recognize that makeup can be used artistically. Many feminists believe that if women truly enjoy makeup, and don’t look at it as a necessary tool to hide their “flaws”, then it isn’t necessarily anti-feminist.
Some feminists don’t think women should be controlled to either extreme considering some companies also control how much makeup a woman wears, which isn’t fair either.
Still, there are feminists out there who believe a real feminist would not support makeup at all and they often do shame women who wear it.
Admittedly, Bratz are designed with a ton of makeup on. However, I think it would be unfair to compare Bratz’s use of makeup to other fashion dolls’ usage, like Barbie’s, or any other usage of makeup that is deemed designed to make someone look “perfect”.
When looking at Barbie, for example, Barbie’s “makeup” has consistently been painted on her face to give her the ideal packaged look for every generation. She is literally considered “gorgeous” with it on. She has the perfectly colored cheeks, darkened eyelashes, and perfectly lined lipstick. Her face is clear of blemishes, moles, freckles, and any other “imperfections” she could possibly have. Her eyebrows are perfectly arched and tweaked. Even the best makeup artist can’t get a real girl’s face that beat. Barbie is plastic perfection. Any girl who admires her will want to be plastic perfection as well. Her made-up beauty fits a conventional standard, yet no woman can ever really look like her 100%. Real women get older. Real women have wrinkles, freckles, beauty marks, moles, scraggly eyebrows, and all the other distinct features. And yet, real women do make themselves up to look like Barbie all the time.
Bratz’s use of makeup is/was entirely different.
For starters, the makeup wasn’t designed to hide any “imperfections”. The Bratz doll Yasmin had a mole under her left eye. Her makeup didn’t hide that mole. Other Bratz dolls had moles and freckles, too.
Though, admittedly, a lot of the Bratz makeup was polished, there were many times their makeup was experimental and could hardly ever really be called “perfect”.
Take Bratz Space Angelz Cloe for example.
What is perfect about her makeup? Nothing at all! Her lipstick is asymmetrical, hardly what I would call “designed to appeal”. It would be fair to argue that anyone who wears their makeup like this is looking for attention, but it’s hardly the sexual or attractive kind. While Barbie’s makeup was clearly created so she could look pleasing out in public, this makeup is hardly what I would call public-friendly.
Any child who imitated this would end up getting stared down by the public, and maybe even teased and mocked. I’m sure most children were/are aware of that. But it’s clear that the makeup is different and unique. Keeping that in mind, it’s easy to see that the Bratz are giving a different message with their makeup. They are showing just how artistic and creative it can be, even if it isn’t necessarily attractive! They are showing that it’s okay to do something different with makeup! It definitely doesn’t give the message that girls have to wear makeup to appear normal. In fact, the above doll line made makeup seem very unusual, almost abnormal. Even makeup’s rules were bent by the Bratz dolls!
Much of the Bratz’s other makeup was used to match up with the theme or subculture they represented. Pretty N Punk, for example, represented punk culture. Many punk princesses wear dark makeup to show their edge and fierceness. They don’t wear it to appear “attractive” or sexy or perfect. Male rock stars often wear eyeliner and black lipstick, too, and I’m sure it’s not to appear more attractive and perfect.
Most guys might think these styles are cool, but hardly any of them would consider these girls “bombshells”. It’s easy to tell that their makeup was purely designed to better make a statement rather than to appear perfect, without imperfections.
Again, Bratz used makeup in a variety of ways, even in more conventional ways. But because of their constant changes, they never managed to give the impression that they wore makeup to please others. They never gave the message that a girl had to wear makeup to appear attractive. They literally seemed to just be having fun with it. As a tween, I liked that.
Bratz may not have been the fresh-faced, innocent-looking, demure dolls mommies wanted, but they weren’t exactly anti-feminist either.
By feminists criticizing the Bratz usage of makeup, it’s as if they are placing a rule on who gets to be a feminist. So, are they implying women who enjoy trying different makeup tricks aren’t feminists? This leads to greater questions about modern feminism.
Sure, makeup was created by men and is a reminder of the “patriarchy”. But so is everything in our societies. Does that mean makeup is bad and can’t be used for positive and creative purposes? Absolutely not!
Overall, I’m not sure where some of these feminists are going when they attack the usage of makeup on these dolls. I think most of them are purely ignorant about the brand.
Bratz Are “Over-sexualized”
All the articles I’ve read from feminists, especially from Jezebel, have said that the Bratz are “hyper-sexualized” dolls. What exactly makes a doll sexualized? Short skirts? Cropped tops? Makeup? Pouty Lips? Glossy eyes?
And if they do, what exactly makes these things sexualized?
They are only sexualized when people sexualize them. To say that a doll with a short skirt is sexualized is indirectly saying a woman who wears a short skirt is sexualizing herself.
That would go against most feminists’ mantra: “My clothing is not my consent”.
Haven’t we gone beyond policing a woman’s attire and attributing her wardrobe to sexual and physical attention from the opposite sex? So why is it condemned when dolls reflect just that attitude?
Arguing about dolls being over-sexualized may be more appropriate for Barbie to a certain degree because of the “intent” of some of her lines. Most of her early attire is for the physical attention of her boyfriend Ken (though even she has moved beyond that point). Barbie has been a sex icon for most men for centuries. She was inspired by a “Call-Girl” doll, Bild Lilli, a doll meant for adults. Barbie has literally had lingerie lines. She has had “pregnant” dolls.
Sure, Pregnant Midge isn’t wearing a fitted skirt and a lot of makeup. But she’s pregnant! This opens the doors to other controversial subjects that kids really aren’t mature enough to be exposed to (though children often witness their mothers pregnant all the time).
Barbie is meant to be a blonde, gorgeous adult woman who does “adult” things like have sex and get pregnant. And she allows girls to imagine their lives as “adult” women through playtime with her. Children who play with her are reinventing an adult lifestyle. Sometimes, this produces controversy.
But even with Barbie, should we police all of her fashion styles and attribute it solely to sex and seeking male attention? Not all of it.
If we want to talk about something being sexualized or “hyper-sexualized”, we have to consider the context of the lines the dolls are released in.
The Bratz, on the other hand, have never initiated a sexual response to anyone who played or collected them. The context of their clothing, the intent of their lines, have never been to produce a sexual response. They were intended for a tween and teen audience. They were meant to showcase the latest fashions and the most revolutionary styles out in the cultural world.
In fact, if you look up “Bratz as a sex icon” on Google, hardly anything sexual comes up except these feminists’ articles! While Barbie has many photos of a sexual nature, Bratz don’t!
Most men do not see Bratz as sexually attractive. First off, their bodies are too disproportionate to even be considered “real”.
If you want to argue that Bratz’s skirts are too short, short enough to look like underwear, let’s consider the fact that Bratz hardly wore skirts in the past.
To me, the Bratz have mostly been presented as “fashionable”, not sexy. And if fashionable is considered sexy, women and men have a problem. Clothing itself is a problem. Taste and preference is a problem.
Dolls are designed to mimic the real world around us in some ways. If we don’t want dolls to mimic the styles we find “sexualized”, then we as women need to stop wearing makeup and fashionable clothes that are too sexualized. We need to go back to the point where our skirts were below the ankles and our collars were high. But feminists fought to move away from that point. Why? Because it was uncomfortable to walk in those long, horrible skirts. The collars were itchy and hot in the summer. And it didn’t stop women from being objectified or from being looked at as sex objects.
What is considered sexualized is subjective. In the above Bratz photos, I’m still trying to scan them for any hint of sex and I don’t understand it. Someone else may be able to spot it. If some of us, like myself, can’t spot it as easily, that means it’s not as “overt” as these feminists make it out to be.
Arguably, feminists come from all walks of life, from many different religious and moral backgrounds. Some feminists are Muslim or Hindu and believe in a certain form of modesty. But there are many village women out in the world who often go topless or wear crop tops, and it isn’t considered morally indecent. It’s mostly considered practical in the heat!
If we can honor that women come from all walks of life, we should also be able to understand that the Bratz represent those women that actually enjoy using fashion as a form of self-expression and connecting with group culture, especially sub-cultures. We should understand that the Bratz wear their short skirts and crop tops and think nothing of it.
The short skirts that they wear are simply fashion statements. The Bratz’s legs seem freer, which is why the Bratz give off the image that they are liberated from societal norms. But their lines are hardly ever to cater to male or female sexual fantasies.
The Bratz do often wear cropped tops. But cropped tops aren’t always worn for sexual attention. If we’re going to say that, we might as well condemn every woman who wears one in the summer, on the beach, or at home relaxing. Bikinis should be outlawed then. They’re revealing. If that’s the case, return to the 1800s idea of “fashion” when bathing suits weighed 8 lbs!
But women will not regress. Women have many reasons for wearing the fashions they wear and it is not always to seek male attention. Feminists are the ones who’ve educated the world on that. So why can’t they accept the Bratz dolls for wearing it?
The Bratz’s cropped tops are no different from the ones sported by empowering and feminist female pop stars and figures today.
And yet, most feminists’ honor these women as strong and empowering influences on girls. Are Alessia Cara and Pink seeking male attention with their cropped tops?
It’s true that fashion sends a message to others about us, even if it doesn’t tell others everything. However, if we look at the context of the lines produced, we can clearly see the dolls’ intended nature, even if they’re wearing cropped tops and mini skirts. From the Bratz, we can obviously see they are fierce, independent, and revolutionary dolls that simply want to take fashion to the next outrageous level.
When we look at Bratz fashion lines like Tokyo-ago-go or Pretty N’ punk, what message are the lines sending?
Bratz Tokyo a-go-go tells me that the Bratz are ready for a wild and fun Tokyo adventure, not a date with a hot guy. Their cropped tops don’t hint at any sexual message in this line. Pretty N Punk tells me that the Bratz are ready to listen to some rock music and party at a rock club.
Neither of these lines give the message that they want a male’s attention or that they even want to look sexy at all.
Many of the feminists that complain about the Bratz often complain about anything “too revealing”. If you wear skinny jeans, you’re sexualizing yourself to some of these feminists!
These feminists also associate makeup with sexualization. I think makeup makes people look older, especially children, but that doesn’t mean it’s specifically for looking older and hotter to the opposite sex. There is kiddie makeup out in the world that’s toned down and it’s a lot of fun to share makeup moments with mom. Spa dates aren’t sexualizing to a child.
Face paint can be a form of makeup as well. Face paint isn’t sexualizing. Bratz have often used makeup that way.
What really kills me about these feminists’ accusations is how they equate “features” to sexualization. I find it interesting how “big lips” and “glossy eyes” are associated with sexualization. Bratz have a vague “ethnic” look about them. They were meant to relate, again, to a wider ethnic demographic.
But some of these feminists have associated the Bratz’s big lips and eyes with sexualization. What?
Black women have bigger lips than other races. Are they sexualizing themselves when they wear lip gloss or lipstick on their lips? I think this goes back to a Eurocentric standard of modesty, where thin lips and big eyes are considered “innocent”, while full lips and almond-shaped eyes (more similar to other ethnic groups) are considered immodest and ugly.
I can understand how the Bratz could encourage thin-lip girls to get surgery just to blow their lips up. However, thin-lip dolls can just as easily encourage big-lip girls to get surgery to reduce their lips. I think the Bratz, who are widely looked at as unrealistic in form and design, make big heads, feet, and lips, once considered undesirable traits, more acceptable.
I grew up having big feet. Big feet run in my family. Many of the women in my family wear size 11. The smallest feet in my family have worn size 9! Most people have called me “long feet”. When the Bratz were released, I didn’t feel so bad about it. Their feet were obviously exaggerated though.
To me, the eyes showed attitude and confidence, not flirtation and sexuality. So if a woman glosses her eyes, she’s trying to flirt with someone? This contradicts everything feminists stand for!
Unrealistic Bodies
Feminists have attacked dolls with skinny bodies for years. This is because many are afraid girls will strive to have unrealistic body weights, starving themselves or getting surgery just to appear skinny.
Bratz have very skinny arms and legs.
I can understand why feminists fear this. After all, many people desired to have Barbie’s figure after being exposed to her. However, we have to also analyze what the standard of beauty was before Barbie was released. Being slim, blonde, with thin lips, perky breasts, and blue eyes were always standards of beauty since the 1950s and 1960s. The media played it up. Barbie just reflected that standard in a perfect doll form.
Bratz’s body design never reflected a particular standard of beauty from the very beginning, skinny or not. No one ever desired to have large feet and huge heads (at least in the west) with a skinny body. It never has been an ideal (at least in the west) and never will be.
If we look at Bratz as a doll brand separately from Barbie, objectively, Bratz don’t look realistic enough to begin with to cause children to want to look like them in real life. That’s like assuming little girls would want to look like a Powerpuff Girl just because they like the cartoon. Children are smarter than that. They know when something looks unrealistic.
Barbie and Jem dolls had more realistic appearances, appearances that seemed to fit media standards, so I can understand how individuals could strive to look like them. Bratz dolls have larger than life heads with huge feet. They look like they walked out of carnival fun house mirrors.
If you’re looking to bring body politics into the Bratz world, you’ve got a few things to consider.
First off, keeping in mind their cartoonish look, they aren’t supposed to have realistic bodies. They are supposed to look weird and sort of funny.
Second, you have to consider what kids see when they look at dolls that obviously look disproportionate. I think children get the same vibe from these dolls that they do from characters in My Little Pony. Humans don’t have purple and pink skin, so we can’t be like the Equestria Girls. That’s the vibe I got as an 11 year old when it came to Bratz. In fact, I thought it was cool that they looked like funny, but edgy cartoon characters. Being skinny was not even a thought. I’m skinny, but their type of “skinny” was like watching Anamaniacs characters walk around.
Therefore, it’s simple to conclude that their “skinny” bodies do not honestly matter because the bodies aren’t mean to reflect real bodies at all. They could’ve easily had thick bodies with extremely small heads and feet. It would still look like figures in a fun house mirror, not a real body representing real figures.
The only things the Bratz mimic about humans are their fashion, accessories, hobbies, and personalities. Just like cartoon characters.
Please don’t come and tell me that Gumball toys, based off of the cartoon, make kids want to become clouds, cacti, and fish. Please. Those characters obviously look strange. The Bratz are more similar to them. Kids obviously know that the Bratz bodies aren’t normal and they recognize that they would get teased if they looked that way.
It’s not the same with Barbie or other fashion dolls like her, like Jem. If kids looked like them, they would be “praised” by beauty-conscious individuals.
“Bratz” for a name
Moms may have more of a problem with the name than feminists, but a few feminists have expressed their disdain for the name as well.
Sure, a “brat” is someone who is usually depicted as spoiled, misbehaved, and demanding. It doesn’t sound pleasant over all.
But considering Da Brat was one of my favorite female rappers in the 1990s, I didn’t have a problem with it. Like Da Brat, the name seemed designed to represent their urban, tough, and sassy attitude. It reflected their nonconforming nature. To me, Bratz represented individuality and the beauty of diversity (in style, ethnicity, and interests). The name just made their sass pop.
Da Brat took gangsta to a whole new level with her tomboyish looks!
Again, I can see how this makes the former generation uneasy. After all, they’re still getting used to gay marriage. They wouldn’t be used to a name like “Bratz” being used more positively. To the older generation, nonconformity is dangerous.
But as advocates of nonconformity, it shocks me that there are so many feminists who are so against the Bratz, name and all. I get that we want our little girls to be pure, wholesome, and solid citizens in society. But there should also be room for girls to be bold, innovative, expressive, and revolutionary. I think hijacking the name Brats, adding the “z”, and the halo is the definition of revolutionary and innovative.
Their Emphasis on Materialism
Bratz came with hundreds of accessories and clothes throughout their run. In many of their movies and in their TV show, they are often depicted shopping for outfits for each occasion.
This leads many feminists to believe that the Bratz encourage materialism.
I believe that, as humans, things are apart of our life. Sometimes, things have significant meaning in our lives. In many cultures, family heirlooms are passed through the family and they end up having personal meaning.
Of course, the Bratz’s accessories aren’t as meaningful as a family heirloom, but their items do reflect items we use or see in real life. It’s kind of cool to see miniature-sized items.
Material things are especially a part of being in the 1st world west. I do believe that our lives have been changed for the better by modern conveniences such as cell phones and tablets. I believe that makeup and fashion constantly updates, which says a lot about our culture, so people do spend a lot of money to look good. But I don’t think these things make a person bad or materialistic.
A materialistic person is someone who only cares about material things and can’t live without those material things. The Bratz have shown many layers throughout their shows and movies. Though they do love to look good, they also enjoy their hobbies and connections with friends and family.
Sure, the Bratz have shown that they love to shop. However, they often emphasized being resourceful or finding innovative ways to get the items they wanted. Shopping in bargain bins or designing their own styles were just some of the things Bratz have been shown doing to express their resourcefulness.
The Bratz have shown interest in other things such as sports, music, science, animals, among other things. I don’t think they’ve emphasized material things all the time. Furthermore, I think their use of material things haven’t necessarily made them seem spoiled or privileged.
However, there is nothing wrong with wanting or owning nice things and trying to enhance the quality of your life by collecting something you love or enjoy.
I personally find the Bratz items to be fascinating and enjoyable for playtime. Who wants a doll that comes with nothing? Kids want to bring the world of their dolls to life with mini models. Mini items add to the overall experience each doll line brings.
If we want to question whether we are instilling materialistic values on our children, we shouldn’t be buying them expensive I-phones and tablets. I’ve seen worse behavior come from children demanding the latest technology than from the influence of a Bratz doll.
“Passion For Fashion”= Obsessed with Appearance
Feminists believe the slogan suggests that the Bratz are completely focused on outfits and nothing else substantial.
But isn’t it possible for an individual to be interested in fashion, as a practice, and still have substance?
And why can’t there be substance in fashion?
I can understand if people mostly focus on fashion just to be pleasing or attractive to others. But the Bratz use fashion for many purposes, mostly to showcase many ideas and subcultures, not just to look “pleasing” or “attractive”. Quite frankly, many of the Bratz’s outfits don’t look pleasing. Midnight Dance, Pretty N Punk, and Space Angelz are not really of the “pleasing” sort, though some of the Bratz’s outfits are.
It’s clear the the doll brand is emphasizing not being concerned with pleasing others. Bratz are encouraging individuals to enjoy fashion without fitting into fashion molds. Fashion doesn’t always equal attraction and attraction doesn’t always equal fashion.
I believe the one thing that is lacking among girls today is passion. Girls are not encouraged to be passionate about the things they like and want. They are encouraged to scatter their interests, which makes it difficult for them to master a practice. The Bratz encourage girls to be all about their passions, despite what others think.
I also find it odd for feminists to be against having a “passion for fashion” when we consider the fact that the majority of fashion designers are male!
I think the Bratz’s kind of passion for fashion encourages girls to be future designers and inventors. They don’t encourage girls just to buy clothes, but to also come up with their own ideas, to think outside of the box, and to express themselves in unique ways.
Using myself as an example, I don’t think I would’ve embraced my own gender expression as well had I not been introduced to the Bratz dolls. I don’t think I would’ve thought it was possible to see the individuality in fashion. I don’t think I would’ve found my own social identity.
When feminists began criticizing the Bratz, it affected the overall design of Bratz. MGA made things worse by dragging the brand into court with Barbie’s company Mattel, but feminists began growing in influence and they are the reason the latest Bratz design changed into something long-time fans could hardly respect or appreciate. MGA expressed that they wanted Bratz to have a “better image” for girls. Who made the Bratz image look bad? Why would they decide that the Bratz image wasn’t good enough? Someone had to be criticizing the brand in order for them to make that statement on Facebook. We have to acknowledge that feminists had some hand in the drastic change.
In my opinion, Bratz moved from a more ethnic look and vibe to a more “Eurocentric”-friendly design.
I know it seems like I learned a little too much from a line of dolls, and it may seem that I invest too much time appreciating these dolls, but that is partially why I have a special connection with this brand. I really feel if feminists’ had really and truly tried to understand the meaning behind the Bratz, if they’d actually given them a chance, they would see that the Bratz are/were not too far off from feminists’ goals.
I just hope that when, or rather IF, the Bratz return, they will return to their original authentic design. I hope they truly produce something earth-shattering, regardless of what anyone says. Even if feminists disagree, for me, that’s truly empowering.
Leave me a comment and let me know what you think/thought about the Bratz controversy, feminists’ involvement in it, and the future of Bratz.
The Bratz have returned to the scene this year, and it brought me back down memory lane. I have been going back through my lovely Bratz memories, my amazing doll years.
I had Bratz when I was a tween. We didn’t have the generic toys, you know, the princesses and baby dolls. We had cool, hipster toys.
I used to be a super huge fan of Bratz. I was one of the more fortunate individuals because I had my own computer back then. I would look up everything regarding Bratz. And I mean everything!
I actually learned about Bratz before their debut. I remember when their website was under construction. At first, I thought they were going to be the newest cartoon on TV. The art was so different from any I’ve seen of DOLLS, so I never would’ve guessed that soon the Bratz DOLLS would be released.
Well, since I really loved these dolls, and since my brain is going back in time, I decided to do a little QUIZ.
I want to see what other Bratz fans know about these amazing dolls. How much of a Bratz fan are you? How well do you know the Bratz? There are some obvious questions I can ask about their wardrobes, but there is also some trivia out there as well. See if you can answer them all!
There will be up to Forty Four (44) questions in all, in no particular order. How challenging each question is depends on what you know and how far back you’ve known about the Bratz (or how good your research skills are 😛 ) Make sure you or a friend keep a record of which questions you got right by writing or typing out the numbers of the question you got right. Then you can see your results at the end of the quiz.
Okay, are you Bratz fans ready?
Let’s do this!
Bratz has always had doll lines representing different countries around the world. What was Bratz’s first “destination” line?
What was the first Bratz movie ever?
In their Flashback Fever line, the Bratz came with a mini CD. Can you name all of the songs on it?
What was Bratz’s original slogan?
What were the settings within the first Bratz commercial?
What year were the Bratz Boyz introduced?
What are Dylan and Cameron’s nicknames?
What flag did Jade have on one of her shirts in the Flaunt It line?
Can you name at least two of the Bratz Beach lines?
How many dolls were released to tie into the Formal Funk Line?
What was the Bratz first CD to ever be released?
True or False. StoopidStudios is the first to ever do a Stop-motion show for Bratz.
When Bratz were first released, they used to have their own rooms on their main website. Can you name at least one item they had in their rooms?
When Funk N’ Glow was released, the website tied in a famous pop star’s song instrumental in the background. Can you name the artist and the song that was tied in?
What was the first Bratz car called?
Before Dana became a major part of the Bratz line, she was an exclusive. What was the playset she came with?
Which two Bratz Boyz came after Cameron and Dylan?
Before Bratz Kidz, Bratz were small in another way. Do you know what they were called?
Which Bratz song did Christina Milian feature on?
Which music video of Gwen Stefani’s did Bratz make a guest appearance in?
What were the three music videos made specifically for the Bratz the Movie Live Action film?
What was the Bratz’s first ever video game?
Can you list all of Cloe’s songs from Bratz’s Rock Angelz album(s)?
Bratz had stuffed animals at one time. Do you know what they were called?
Which two dolls from the Bratz were named after Isaac Larian’s (the CEO of MGA, the company behind the Bratz) children?
Many of the Bratz movies and shows were told from the point of view of one Bratz girl. Whose point of view was Bratz Starrin and Stylin supposed to be from (based on the book) AND whose point of view was Bratz Rock Angelz and the TV series from?
Which Magazine ad did Carter Bryant, the original designer of Bratz, first find the inspiration for the dolls?
Who were the Bratz’s “favorite singers” during the Rock Angelz era?
In Bratz Style Starz, which major pop star did each Bratz doll represent?
Who was the Bratz’s target audience in 2001 and why?
Can you name each of the Bratz’s favorite songs from the Bratz Rock Angelz album(s)?
Which Bratz dolls were included in the Bratz Rock Angelz line overall?
Which doll was the first new doll after the first four dolls debuted in 2001?
Who played Sasha in Bratz Rock Angelz movie AND in the Bratz series?
Which Kpop star and Backstreet Boy featured with the Bratz on their song “Show Me What you Got”?
What was the Bratz Nickelodeon reality show called in the U.K?
Which Bratz dolls had “real” eyelashes?
What were the names of the first Bratz twins?
Which American city inspired the Fabulous Bratz line?
Before Bratz CIY, it was DYO. What does that stand for?
Yasmin is known for her racially ambiguous appearance. What is Yasmin’s real ethnicity?
What percentage of the Bratz are dolls of color?
How Many lines were each Bratz doll in?
Bratz had a live concert tour in real life. True or False?
So how many do you think you got right? Let’s see!
Answers
Bratz has always had doll lines representing different countries around the world. What was Bratz’s first “destination” line?
1.Tokyo A-go-go
In their Flashback Fever line, the Bratz came with a mini CD. Can you name all of the songs on it?
3. I will Survive, These Boots Are Made for Walking, Stayin’ Alive, Last Dance, Respect
What was Bratz’s original slogan?
4. The Girls with a Passion for Fashion
What were the settings within the first Bratz commercial?
5. The Mall, a Bedroom, and the streets
What year were the Bratz Boyz introduced?
6. 2002
What are Dylan and Cameron’s nicknames?
7. The Blaze (Cameron) and The Fox (Dylan)
What flag did Jade have on one of her shirts in the Flaunt It line?
8. Union Flag
Can you name at least two of the Bratz Beach lines?
9. Beach Party, Sun kissed summer (answers may vary)
How many dolls were released to tie into the Formal Funk Line?
What was the Bratz dolls’ first CD to ever be released?
11. Show Me What You Got featuring BoA and Howie D (In Japan only)
True or False. StoopidStudios is the first to ever do a Stop-motion show for Bratz.
12. False. A Japanese stop-motion series was released for Bratz in 2003-2004.
When Bratz were first released, they used to have their own rooms on their main website. Can you name at least one item they had in their rooms?
13. Jade-skateboard, Cloe-Acoustic Guitar, Sasha-TV, Yasmin-plants (your comments can vary)
When Funk N’ Glow was released, the website tied in a famous pop star’s song instrumental in the background. Can you name the artist and the song that was tied in?
14. Madonna-What it feels like for a girl
What was the first Bratz car called?
15. F.M. Cruiser
Before Dana became a major part of the Bratz line, she was an exclusive. What was the playset she came with?
16. Salon N’ Spa
Which two Bratz Boyz came after Cameron and Dylan?
17. Koby and Eitan
Before Bratz Kidz, Bratz were small in another way. Do you know what they were called?
18. Lil’ Bratz
Which Bratz song did Christina Milian feature on?
19. Look Around (featuring Christina Milian and Verbal (M-flo)(Teriyaki Boyz)
Which music video of Gwen Stefani’s did Bratz make a guest appearance in?
20. Rich Girl
What were the three music videos made specifically for the Bratz the Movie Live Action film?
21. Daechelle-Fearless, Prima J-Rockstar, Janel Parrish-Rainy Day
What was the Bratz’s first ever video game?
22. Dress Up, Get Down, and Be A Bratz Superstar
Can you list all of Cloe’s songs from Bratz’s Rock Angelz album(s)?
23. You Think, Grow Up (Blah, Blah, Blah) with Roxxi
Bratz had stuffed animals at one time. Do you know what they were called?
24. Bratz Catz
Which two dolls from the Bratz were named after Isaac Larian’s (the CEO of MGA, the company behind the Bratz) children?
25. Yasmin and Cameron
Many of the Bratz movies and shows were told from the point of view of one Bratz girl. Whose point of view was Bratz Starrin and Stylin supposed to be from (based on the book) AND whose point of view was Bratz Rock Angelz and TV series from?
26. Starring and Stylin-Yasmin, Rock Angelz and TV series-Cloe
Which Magazine ad did Carter Bryant, the original designer of Bratz, first find the inspiration for the dolls?
27. Seventeen Magazine Steve Madden ad
Who were the Bratz’s “favorite singers” during the Rock Angelz era?
28. Yasmin-Black Eyed Peas, Sasha-J.Lo and Beyonce, Cloe-Anyone topping the charts, Jade-Gwen Stefani, Roxxi-Green Day
In Bratz Style Starz, which major pop star did each Bratz doll represent?
29. Jade-Jessie J, Cloe-Lady Gaga, Yasmin-Nicki Minaj, Sasha-Katy Perry
Star Stylez
Jade:
Cloe:
Yasmin:
Sasha:
Who was the Bratz’s target audience in 2001 and why?
30. Tweens between the ages of 10 to 14. Prior to the 2000s, it was normal for kids to play with toys even when they were 9, 10, 11, or even 12. Some kids didn’t even stop playing with toys until they were 15. That all changed at the end of the 1990s and early 2k. Tweens were more into TV and music than toys, which caused companies to lose that demographic in the late 1990s. Toy companies were trying to find a way to get tweens interested in toys again.
Can you name each of the Bratz’s favorite songs from the Bratz Rock Angelz album(s)?
31. Sasha-Who I am, Cloe-You Think, Jade-Looking Good, Yasmin-Rock the World, Roxxi-Rock Out/ Stand Out
Which Bratz dolls were included in the Bratz Rock Angelz line overall?
Which doll was the first new doll after the first four dolls debuted in 2001?
33. Meygen
Who played Sasha in Bratz Rock Angelz movie AND in the Bratz series?
34. Tia Mowry
Which Kpop star and Backstreet Boy featured with the Bratz on their song “Show Me What you Got”?
35. BoA and Howie D
What was the Bratz Nickelodeon reality show called in the U.K?
36. Bratz Design Academy
Which Bratz dolls had “real” eyelashes?
37. Girls Nite Out
What were the names of the first Bratz twins?
38. Roxxi and Phoebe
Which American city inspired the Fabulous Bratz line?
39. Las Vegas
Before Bratz CIY, it was DYO. What does that stand for?
40. Design Your Own
What is Yasmin’s real ethnicity?
41. Iranian Jew and Hispanic/Latina
Yasmin was named after Jasmin Larian, Isaac Larian’s daughter. In an interview, Jasmin Larian mentioned that “Yasmin” is the Persian form of Jasmin. It derives from Yasamanah, a beautiful and lovely white flower. Yasmin’s ethnicity is therefore hinted within her name. She was meant to be Iranian just like Jasmin.
However, when Carter Bryant originally designed Yasmin, she was designed to be Hispanic.
What percentage of the Bratz are dolls of color?
42. Reports reveal it to be around 75% of the dolls! The highest record of any doll brand.
How Many lines were each Bratz doll in?
43. Cloe-180, Yasmin-180, Sasha-107, Jade-105
Bratz had a live concert tour in real life. True or False?
44. TRUE.
If you answered questions 1, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 18, 24, 32, 33, 37, 38, 39, 40, and 43 correctly: You know your Bratz toys! I wouldn’t be surprised if you had a large collection to go with that store of knowledge! You are a true toy collector and no one can top you when it comes to knowing all of the Bratz lines that have ever been released.
If you answered 2, 4, 5, 6, 13, 14, and 22 correctly: You are a Bratz veteran! You have been in the Bratz fandom a long time and there isn’t one epic moment in Bratz history you don’t remember. Chances are, you are an adult now and the Bratz are quite vivid in your mind. You have become so wise on Bratz knowledge, you could probably work for MGA by now!
If you answered 7, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 34, 41, and 42 correctly: You are not only interested in Bratz dolls, but all the things that go behind the scenes as well! You notice things most people overlook in the Bratz universe. You know what inspired the Bratz and made them come to life! You read everything that comes with the Bratz and show a sincere interest in the little things. This definitely means you are not only an investigator but detail-oriented as well. Bratz fans look to you to tell them what’s happening with the dolls.
If you answered 3, 20, 21, 23, 26, 29, and 31 correctly: You like the dolls, but you enjoy the Bratz entertainment as well. Movies, music, books, you know them all too well. You are very aware of Bratz’s relationship with pop culture and it’s easy for you to spot the Bratz in the media. If anyone remembers how popular Bratz were, it’s you!
If you answered 11, 12, 19, 35, 36, and 44 correctly: You are a globe-trotting Bratz fan! You just didn’t settle for Bratz merch and entertainment in your own country, you wanted to know what was happening with Bratz around the world! You realized that Bratz became a world-wide phenomenon and you wanted to experience it all!
If you didn’t answer any of them right, don’t lose heart! It’s just a temporary malfunction. Maybe you forgot about Bratz for awhile and need to refresh your memory. Perhaps you just didn’t notice what was happening. Maybe you’re a new fan. Hopefully, by the end of this quiz, you’ll feel like a veteran and can start anew with the breadth of Bratz knowledge you have now.
If you answered half of them right, you knew the Bratz more than most people around you! You may have felt that you were a little too obsessed with them and what was going on around you regarding them at the time, but take comfort in the fact that there are thousands of other fans that support you. You were relatively satisfied with what was produced for the Bratz and you don’t expect any more or any less.
If you answered them ALL right, type up that resume and purchase that ticket to California, MGA and Bratz needs YOU! You are one of Bratz’s number one fans! Would you like to add any more questions to this list?
I hope you all enjoyed the quiz! It’s just a little fun for Bratz fans!
Leave me a comment and tell me how well you did, whether you learned something, or whether you thought the questions were too hard. I would like to know!
Looking at Mattel’s recent string of blonde dolls (McKenna, Caroline, Isabelle), and sales statistics in the recent 21st Century, the answer would appear to be yes. Even looking at other doll lines, like Barbie, one can see how blondes sell well in almost every doll brand that exists. Around the world, Barbie is the world’s best-selling doll. Even people in other countries admire this blonde doll.
It has been noted that other countries admire blonde hair in general. Japanese anime tend to have leading female characters with blonde hair, like in Sailor Moon, Mew Mew Power, and Magical Doremi, though none of their females have this natural hair color. Precure has also had its share of blonde lead characters.
Now you can say that this is because blonde whites are the majority in the USA and around the world. You can say it’s because European influence dominates the world. But actually, statistics show that blondes only make up 18 percent of the population in the USA, and only 2 percent around the world, and even the majority of white people are brunette. Many people are artificially blonde. So European-dominated culture is actually made up mostly of dark-haired people.
Another thing to note is that the selling of these dolls has nothing to do with the fact that white girls want “dolls that look like them”. Blonde girls are actually more attracted to darker dolls than other girls are!
Girls of other colors and other nationalities are drawn to blonde dolls. One study showed three different dolls: a light haired doll, fair haired doll, and dark-haired doll. When asked which one is the nice one, all of the girls said the blonde was the nice one and the dark-haired girl was the mean one. The girls they brought into this study were of all colors and nationalities in the preschool age range.
This is a reflection of what society has been pushing. Society has always pushed blonde hair since the Ancient Roman Empire. Some theorize that this is because blonde hair is “rare” in the world. The same reaction girls gave to blondes, in another study, girls have the same reaction to strange eye colors, such as hazel eyes.
As we see, American Girl has had the same trend of hazel eyes that seem to fascinate young girls. These rare qualities are fascinating, almost like seeing twins.
And yet, what pushes us to see “rare” as beautiful? If we look at many fairy tales in the old days, we see that the blondes were considered the beautiful princesses, and the brunettes were considered dark and “sinister”. In fact, darkness has always been associated with things that are scary. How many people are afraid to sit in a dark room? Darkness has also been associated with hollowness, emptiness, and evil. Even “This Little Light of Mine” the song discourages darkness. Darkness has even been associated with Hell, though fire and the color red has also had that devilish association as well…
The latest Ever After High dolls have banked on this traditional viewpoint. Apple White, the lead Royal character is a perfect, chipper, outgoing, airy blonde, while the other lead is a dark-haired, gothic, Rebel and “Evil Queen”. Though this story is meant to be satirical in some way, and point out the irony in fairy tales being set up so “perfectly”, kids who buy the dolls may still yet see brunettes as evil, mean, and unfriendly.
Aren’t these ideas outdated? Modern society hasn’t yet encouraged people to look at brunettes as lovely and kind people, despite how much human kind supposedly has “progressed”?
And yet, I believe that brunette dolls have the ability to sell over blonde dolls if a company takes a chance and uses the right approach. MGA, maker of Bratz, made four diverse dolls with interesting, unique fashions and hair styles. And though the black girl still didn’t sell well over the others, the blonde wasn’t the best-selling either. The highest selling Bratz doll to date is Yasmin, and her hair is of a light brown color! She is also not associated with the Caucasian race, and has often been highlighted as “Mexican” and “Jewish”, as we saw in the live action Bratz movie. The Bratz brand was the first doll brand where brunettes dominated the whole brand, and blondes didn’t! And they still managed to sell to young girls. And because of their diversity, to an older crowd too. How did they do this?
Back to American Girl dolls…
In my opinion, I do believe the blonde dolls at American Girl sell, but I also believe this isn’t only just because little girls like blonde better. I do believe Mattel, the owners of American Girl, has maneuvered it in this way, considering that most of the production team is white. Why do I believe that Mattel has maneuvered it to be this way?
Well, I believe any production team knows what sells to girls, but a production team also knows how to sell a product to girls, too. Since Mattel owns some of the biggest toys running, and has collaborated with major toy companies , to add, they are the maker of the Barbie doll, it’s fitting that they would know the right way to sell more blonde dolls. Mattel is known for using blonde dolls as “fail-safe” dolls. When they are low on money, they tend to release blonde dolls. That’s what they did with Diva Starz, My Scene, and other brands they’ve had. But this is because Mattel knows how to cleverly manipulate the public into believing “blonde dolls sell better”. Even I was caught up in this belief. But lately, as I started reviewing my doll collection and my collection of magazine clips, I realized something. I realized that Mattel has had a high-selling brunette doll before, and I realized how it happened. Let me highlight more about the American Girl company in the past.
American Girl’s Samantha Parkington
American Girl’s best-selling brunette doll!
Before the release of dolls like Julie, Caroline, Isabelle, Kailey, and many other blonde dolls in the American Girl line-ups we know today, there were very few blonde dolls. Back in the 1990s, there were only six dolls, the only blonde being Kirsten. But in the ’90s, Kirsten was one of the lower-selling dolls, while Samantha was the highest selling doll, and still remained the highest selling doll until her retirement! Why was this?
Look at the difference between Samantha and Kirsten. Samantha was the only doll with soft, pretty, curly hair at the time. She was the only doll with lovely clothes and accessories. And unlike most brunettes, she was lively, outgoing, perky, sweet, and kind. And she still sold just as well, if not better, than the blonde American Girl dolls today. Kirsten, on the other hand, had braids and a very practical wardrobe that wasn’t very glamorous to little girls.
Is it safe to say that maybe the reason why blonde dolls have been selling better than brunettes is because they are given more glamorous wardrobes and accessories?
If we look at the recent brunette dolls in the American Girl brand, either their hair is blah or their outfits are blah. For instance, Rebecca has pretty hair, but considering she’s meant to represent a time where most immigrant families were simpler, she has simpler clothing. Even the modern American Girls with brunette hair have had plain fashions and drab accessories. Look at Lindsey Bergman, Jess, and Chrissa. Their wardrobes, hair, and accessories were so plain compared to Isabelle’s glitz and glamour.
Mattel has even given their brunette My American Girls uninteresting hair styles that aren’t stylish or appealing. Samantha was the last of her kind.
But Samantha is living proof that it can be done, even throughout the 21st century. And yet, they retired their last fabulous brunette doll.
I believe the biggest problem with American Girl company and many other doll companies is how they personally view brunettes. I believe because of their deeply-rooted, subconscious biases, they are not giving the same care to brunette dolls that they are blonde dolls. They may not realize this. Sometimes, brunette dolls may help them in conveying an “average girl” kind of message, since the majority of people around the world have dark hair. Still, this encourages girls to “reach for blonde”. It’s no wonder there are so many artificial blondes in the world!
The unwillingness for companies like Mattel to make brunette dolls into feminine, kind, and glamorous characters shows something about their company. It isn’t as if they’ve never sold well from a brunette doll. The fact is they have sold well on Samantha, very well in fact, even with Julie on the scene! But what’s obvious is their approach to the new brunette dolls they’re making today. They are not putting the same effort into the dark-haired dolls.
It is the same way I feel about an African American doll. Cecile is selling better than Addy, sure enough, but her collection is still mediocre compared to that of the blonde girls who, number 1, have their OWN line, and aren’t sharing it with anyone, and number 2, have an array of accessories and playsets. If American Girl takes the ideas they usually have for their blonde characters, and gear them towards their brunettes and minority characters, I’m sure they won’t have to make as many blondes as they are making. They would not only add diversity, but make us “average” girls feel glamorous and special, just like the blonde characters.
I feel other companies have been cheating too. This goes for them: treat your brunette characters like divas too. It CAN be done. The Magic Attic Club doll brand is another good example of how it can be done. The most popular doll in that brand was Heather. Instead of putting the blonde in pink (which they ended up doing eventually with Chloe), they advertised Heather, the brunette with pink. Heather sold better than their blonde doll with the long hair. See? It’s all in how you advertise the doll. There is no excuse. Some of these companies can make successful brunette dolls, they just choose not to. Why not put the blonde in plain pigtails and drab clothes for a change? If you downplay one doll, another doll will stand out. That’s how it works. Why not let the bruns stand out sometimes, huh?
The only company that has done this is MGA with its line of Bratz dolls. Yasmin outsells any of their blonde dolls, and that’s why they keep making replicas of Yasmin. Why? Because they made her glamourous and pretty!
Yasmin-Isn’t she glamorous and pretty?
Other companies can learn from them. Though I forget, Mattel considers them a “rival”.
That’s what I think. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
I just thought I would dedicate this next article to the Bratz fashion trends that consist of being a musical artist. Bratz, since their first single release in Japan, have had several successful singles and albums released, plus scorching wardrobes to go with them. So lets take a walk down memory lane, shall we?
From the Show Me What You Got Music Video:
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Bratz have had other lines that show off their music style! Take a Peek!
Bratz Space Angelz Live in Concert-One of the best! From left to right: Fianna, Dana, Jade, Cloe, Sasha, and Yasmin!
Bratz Rock Angelz-One of the best! From left to right: Roxxi, Sasha, Yasmin, Jade, and Cloe. I hate that the movie switched Cloe and Jade around! Just trying to give Cloe the most popular outfit. Sucks!
Bratz Star Singerz-Not one of the Bratz best imo. From left to right: Sasha, Yasmin, Cloe, and Jade. They all look alike aside from some minor details. And it’s really girlish rather than the spunky spicey style the Bratz normally rock.
Bratz the Movie Talent Show-It came with a doll collection too, but only with Cloe and Yasmin, which sucks.
Bratz the Movie MTV Performance-Left to Right: Cloe, Yasmin, Sasha, Jade. If only this were an actual line (and not with just Cloe and Yasmin in it!)
Bratz Girlz Really Rock from left to right: Yasmin, Cloe, Jade, Sasha
Bratz Neon Pop Divaz. They fell right back into cloning each other. From top to bottom: Cloe, Jade, Sasha, Yasmin.
Bratz On the Mic
Bratz Rock Left to Right: Yas, Jade, Sasha, Cloe
Bratz Style Starz-Probably the best one since Rock Angelz! From Left to Right: Cloe, Jade, Yasmin, and Sasha. Really Shocktastic!
So That’s all folks! Just giving a little memorial to the Bratz styles of old that represented music trends! Enjoy! I will be doing more Bratz “memorials”. No? Don’t want any? Let me know if you like this one!
In the Totally Tattooed article, I mentioned that Bratz seemed to be back with the edgy look that they were so notorious for having. Of course, you know by now that the Bratz are always supposed to be cutting edge and and should be a doll line that breaks fashion rules. But Totally Tattooed didn’t confirm that the individuality, the creativity, and the diversity was back.
Well, with this new line, it just proves that the Bratz power is still lurking somewhere in the shadows! Here’s a peek at the newest line:
Bratz Style Starz
Not only is this line edgy (pushing that limited edge, look at those spiked stiletoos!), but this line is their most creative line since their re-launch! 2010 just seemed like it left off from the 2007 year, which was a really bad year for Bratz. 2012 is more promising. Inspired from the pop divas of the the “Gaga” Pop Era, we see the Bratz glamorize-into-fashion famous music idols we all know! Can you tell? I’m getting the Nicki Minaj vibe from that curly wig Yasmin is sporting. Yas’s song has been noted as sounding like “Super Bass”.
Nicki Minaj and her Curly wig! Yas is inspired,obviously!
Ok, it’s been noted that Jade has been inspired by Jessie J! Jade’s song seems to be inspired from Nobody’s Perfect.
Jade is wearing a spiked jacket similar to what Jessie J is sporting.
Cloe seems to have a Gaga look about her! Cloe’s song seems to be inspired by Edge of Glory.
Lady Gaga in a luscious but bold red outfit! Cloe seems to be inspired!
And Sasha is obviously inspired from Katy Perry! Sasha’s song seems to be inspired by Last Friday Night (TGIF). And even the vintage nerd glasses seem to come from the outfit in the music video.
Katy Perry’s Candy dress-Sasha is definitely inspired from the lollipop theme!
Some may say, “How is this creative? It’s just ripping off a bunch of poor musical artists!” But it is cleverly done. Not only will these dolls connect the consumer with pop music and celebrity trends, but these dolls take a bold and original approach to their inspiration! The designs,the wigs, and the individual inspirations bring back the Bratz distinction. And look! All of the shoes are different from one another! Finally! The Bratz have come out with “pop star” lines before but never have they ever looked this outrageous! For some reason, I had a feeling one day they would rock the Gaga thing…
My favorite part about this line was the element of surprise and how unexpected everything was! Everyone thought Jade was Cloe, and Cloe was Meygen! It wasn’t until later we found out the truth: Everyone is mixed up with different trends and hair! No one looks as you would expect them too! It totally breaks the racial and ethnic barriers, which I think is so fun and interesting. I’m also excited that they aren’t poseable in the legs. I think that’s what made the Bratz lose their chunky shoes, and because it took away that splash,the detail went along with it. Let’s face it. Not every doll is meant to be pose-able. The posing bodies just seemed like an imitation of Liv and Monster High anyway. It’s time for Bratz to cut the imitations and get back to what they do best. Let’s just hope the quality comes back. I want some good hair, and I also want more detail in the lines. I do like the little detailed candies in Sasha’s dress and the spikes on Jade’s jacket.The downside that I do see to the line are some of the changes from the prototypes. The major thing I really don’t like is Cloe’s legs. It is painted black. This is going to make it hard for people to mix and match the fashions if they want to. It just shows a lack of quality.Why not real leggings or stockings? Barbie was normally the doll with the painted on clothes, not Bratz. This is my biggest pet peeve about this line. The second thing that gets me is Sasha’s leggings. Where did they go? Well, I guess I can let that one go. I’m tired of the legging thing. But they were cute and made the doll pop out even more. I also am not sure I like Yasmin’s new leggings. The original leggings were more interesting, and had more detail. The new leggings are okay, though…
Check these dolls soon to come out in stores!
Bratz Style Starz Artwork!
If only the dolls looked like this! This was a prototype! Why would you change them MGA! They always take away the quality when they do that!
Yes, Bratz has come out with a line called Bratzillaz. After the line was first announced on facebook, I took a peek. And I admit, at the back of my mind I couldn’t help thinking…”Wow, these dolls look an awful lot like Monster High.”
Bratzillaz
I’m a Bratz fan, heart and soul, but I’m honest with myself when I see the doll line heading in a certain direction. Bratz have always had really outrageous lines, they even had a “ghoulish” line back in 2005 called Midnight Dance. Even though I would say it was more of a Gothic line, it was still very “Halloween-ish”. Bratzillaz have a similar taste in my mouth, except the colors are brighter and the clothes are girlier. This is a result of there being a female designer for Bratz rather than the male designer Carter Bryant.
I hate to bring him in this. But the truth of the matter is he was the genius behind the Bratz fashion. Why? Because he was a dude. I hate to be sexist, number 1 because I am a female, but women make dolls that are too “fashionable” to the point they can’t start trends. It’s too predictable. Women make clothes they would like, and the clothes they like are “girly”. Bryant was a male designer who more than likely thought about what appealed to him: four sexy babes who wear fashions that even men would think were cool. Bratz didn’t have all of this imagination “wear” before 2006. Then Barbie Fairytopia happened, and here comes the Pixiez. Bratz weren’t the dolls for all the magical fairies and princesses. Bratz used to be the line that had the rockstars, the tokyo clubs scenes, the beachwear, the spy outfits, the gothic style…nothing that hinted of being “imaginative”. This is what made them different.
Bratz Midnight Dance-Bratz as Goths
Back to Bratzillaz, I do think the line is very detailed and pretty. It still has a bit of the Bratz edge. To me, it is a better version of Monster High. However, it still feels like a copy-cat. “Zillaz” reminds me of a monster like Godzilla, and they even have a MUSIC VIDEO just like Monster High! Bratz have been known to make fun of the Barbie line (Tweevils). If this is a joke to make fun of Monster High MGA, it’s not very funny. It looks like an imitation. I didn’t even know Monster High was that popular even worthy of imitating.
Because I’ve been hiding in a doll cocoon, I thought Monster High was the most unoriginal idea ever. You can’t go very far with monsters, especially not in High School. Eventually, they will graduate…And to add the line is centered on high school. How many lines can they possibly think of pertaining to high school? Although Bratz oddly seem to remain teens, their life isn’t centered around high school, so they can go beyond high school, no sweat. But Monster High is turning out to be the latest “freakish” trend.
Of course, I know that Bratzillaz aren’t meant to represent monsters. They’re really witches. But who would guess that? Take one look at their pets, and you start thinking “that’s weird, and monstrous”. And aren’t witches a part of the ghoul society?
I’m not saying the line is ugly, but I do hope that Bratz doesn’t cave into the craze. I hope they remain the original Bratz. I don’t want the Bratz to be confused with another line. What’s worse, I don’t want people crying they copied and I don’t want Mattel placing another lawsuit on MGA. We just got Bratz back. I don’t want to see them fade again. To add, it’s making them seem like they’re running out of ideas, and that Mattel’s idea is winning. It’s making them look like pathetic wimps.
Side note: Did anyone else notice that Monster High is like a complete re-vamp of Diva Starz only they’re ghouls? They say “ghoul-o-rama”. Didn’t Diva Starz say “Cool-o-rama”? Monster High also say “Ghoulicious”…didn’t Diva Starz say “Divalicious”? They even have big feet and heads like them, only Diva Star were meant to be mechanical dolls of the “future” (Turn of the 21st Century=Y2K). Oddly familiar…
So which line is your favorite?
Monster High
OR
Bratzillaz
Which artwork do you like best?
Monster High
OR
Bratzillaz
And lastly which is your favorite music video?
OR
Vote and comment to let me know what YOU think about the Halloween fright dolls!
My personal favorite music video is the Bratz. They’re super sassy and sexy! But I have to admit, Monster High’s song is catchy and it was the first! Monster High’s song reminds me of the songs on Disney Channel nowadays though: no talent. It’s also very cheesy. “When I’m with my peeps?” Really? And “My boos”? Very cheesy. And then they have a generic black rapper in the video like they did in Rebecca Black’s video, “Friday”. Monster High seems more “little girlish”, which most dolls SHOULD be. But Bratz looks older, and is more appealing to a wider audience. It’s what makes them different from all the other dolls.
Bratz were the first dolls to promote being different, and even though Bratzillaz seems like a major copy, the whole idea for Monster High’s existence was to be an edgy line that competed with the Bratz. So both are even steven.
Monster High is very limited to ghouls and high school. I can’t see the lines expanding. After they do a prom line, beachwear, pajama wear, school dance line, after school club line, and shopping line…what’s next? After they’ve done all the popular monsters, then what? They’re going to keep re-making the same old lines over and over. And all the characters wear the same colors in every line! Why does Draculaura wear pink in every line that comes out? No variety. It’s not like monsters can go to Tokyo or be Pixiez without looking like monsters…too much of a similarity. Monster High is also too sweet for my tastes. Bratz have a naughtiness about them that attracts me. They’re daredevils. Whereas Monster High is just a ghoul line designed to make Monsters look nicer. Not my thing.
Remember this 2003 Bratz Music Video? Really, we can say Monster High got it from the Bratz, huh?
Generation Next 