Liv dolls are being discontinued ALREADY!

Liv in Wonderland-My favorite line from them! I’ll miss it 😦

It seems that Liv was just released three years ago and already these dolls are going to retire. Just when I started to get into them, I hear the announcement that Spin Master, the company that produces them, is getting rid of them in 2013.

I know. When Liv was first introduced, I mentioned how I expected the Liv dolls’ sales to decline. Due to the high competition, Liv just couldn’t stand on it’s own. Liv dolls, even though pretty and fashionable, are just…like any other fashion doll. This is what makes them suffer. But Liv started a fashion trend that the other more “popular” dolls are imitating: pose-able bodies. That’s right. Liv was the first doll to have several different poses. The quality of the Liv dolls have been top notch as well. It’s sad to see the dolls leave so soon.

I know that Spin Master is used to making electronic games and boy toys, but they have to recognize that being a “Powerhouse” doll company is going to take time and effort. They should’ve known this before they made Liv dolls. When Bratz were first released in 2001, they didn’t make a whole lot of money. But Isaac Larian didn’t give up which is why Bratz grew to be the doll franchise it is today.

Times are different now than they were back then. Dolls need money in order for companies to keep manufacturing them. If a company senses that a doll isn’t working, nowadays they immediately toss that doll aside and start working on a project that will make a profit. Dolls are now made into an industry that can promise fortune if done in an innovative, creative, and discerning way. In order for companies to make the perfect doll they must:

1) Not consider what they personally think would be a positive doll, but do what children and tweens like. I’m sorry. Parents don’t want their kids to play with unwholesome dolls, but that didn’t stop Barbie and Bratz. It’s really not about the parents who just pick out a doll for their kids. It’s about the kids who like them. Even if a parent picks out a doll, a kid doesn’t have to play with it. It doesn’t mean they will like it. So, instead of worrying about what parents think, think about what kids like. And unfortunately the industry isn’t about personal creativity anymore either…not if you want to appeal to an audience and make money. So don’t throw your own ideas in too heavily.

2) Consider movie trends, music trends, and fashion trends.

3) Think about the future generation. NOT THE CURRENT ONE. Kids grow up fast, and before you know it, a whole new generation of kids will appear. Be aware of the future, not the present.

4) Have more quality and detail than the last doll to make the most realistic looking doll ever. Observe the current doll trend, in other words.

To conclude, I’m really sad to see Liv go. The doll line has really grown on me and the most recent outfits are so detailed and creative. I wish Spin Master wouldn’t give it all up so soon.

Liv Twist and Dance-obviously no dolls can pose like Liv can! Their poseable bodies had over 100 different poses that made them seem more alive! This is one of my favorites too.

Monster High vs Bratzillaz: the Halloween Trend

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?

 

Have Bratz Truly Come Back? New Bratz Edgy Line 2012!

Okay, so Bratz is releasing a new line of dolls, a new edgy line, called Totally Tattooed. Since they relaunched in 2010, many fans anticipated that the Bratz arrival would come in with a “bang”. And when Bratz fans meant “bang”, they meant “edge and style”. When the Bratz were released in 2001, there was one thing Bratz had that other dolls didn’t have: an edge. Bratz broke all kinds of rules with their daredevil fashions, bold slogan and name, and their sassy, pouty lips.

2004 and 2005 were their most rebellious years to date. And ever since, the expectations were high for Bratz to produce dolls that “moms hated”.

Well, lately, the Bratz have been a little…well, just less than edgy. People have been feeling a “Monster High” thing. The Bratz have been too ghoulish or too plain or too girly…everything but edgy.

Well finally the Bratz have come out with a line that screams edge. It has a Biker Babe look about it, as someone on Flickr pointed out. Check it out in stores!

Bratz Totally Tatooed

Bratz 2010 Newz! Back and Better than EVER!

Bratz Party Sasha and Cloe

These 2010 Bratz dolls are awesome! Just when some people were in fear of the Bratz not being as edgy or outrageous and taking risks like the old Bratz, Bratz Party line was revealed! It really seems MGAE is giving a bit of all the Bratz flavor, from the urban hip-hop wear from the year 2001, to the diversity and beautiful styles of 2002-2003, to the funky, risky, and ecclectic fashions in 2004 and 2005! This is all of what I’m looking for!

Of course, one problem is still the feet. They do look a tad bit smaller, now that I analyze them a little more. I’m kind of getting the sinking feeling that they are trying to compete with the LIV dolls. Even the Moxie Teenz have disappointed me in becoming LIV. Are those dolls really that popular?

I mean, I have had the pleasure of seeing them up close. While the new Moxie Girlz are very cute, though nothing on the Bratz, LIV is only cute in the face. That’s where it ends. The clothes are cheap looking, average, unoriginal….just plain boring. Not a doll collection I’m into. They remind me too heavily of Diva Starz and Barbie and Lisa Frank.

They are too flowery. Talk about a doll collection that lacks edge, it definitely has to be LIV dolls. And Monster High…that’s a pathetic attempt to be edgy. Way to go Mattel at failing with your “Bratz” dolls. They should stick with Myscene. At least it can go past one line. Monster High doesn’t look like it can last past one outfit for each girl….I can see them having the same fate as Flavas….

Yea, but LIV dolls have weird looking bodies. And they say Bratz lacks articulation now. To me, Moxie Girlz even did a better job than LIV at attempting posable bodies. LIV have big heads and faces, long bodies and small feet…not very attractive for me. I knew when I saw them I wouldn’t be collecting them. They don’t stand out to me that much. They look like Mystikats, Zodiac Girlz, and Lisa Frank. Nothing special.

But the Bratz…they are original. Their fashions are hard to imitate because they take fashion risks. The Bratz get their ideas from the urban hip-hop and cutting edge runways, rather than looking at the mainstream pop culture and all the bubblegum looks with all the juicy colors. That’s what turned me off from Moxie Girlz originally…They were just too darn colorful. They were tacky, wacky, and cheesy. The eyes and hair and face were cute, but lacked any individual style, originality, and creativity. Their fashions were also too childish for my tastes, but I didn’t care about that because I knew it was mostly directed to little kids. Bratz have always been way ahead of other dolls in high-style fashion and trends, they’ve always been original and creative with their approach in fashion, and they just look like time and care was taken into the doll, even though it is for kids.

Some companies think that just because something is directed to kids that it doesn’t matter the quality or how it’s made and that kids will like it anyway…that is SO not true. Kids know good quality when they see it sometimes…especially when the material of the clothes keep tearing every time they play with them. And they are especially attracted to pretty and lavish, like they see on TV and internet.

Bratz have it all, for pretty much all ages. They are pretty, stylish, diverse in their fashion and trends, diverse in ethnicity, and just completely risky and creative. They are everything a fashion doll can and should be…Not to mention, with all the movies giving the Bratz personality, their personalities are not very cliche, like you would see with LIV dolls. LIV personalities remind me of Diva Starz. Bratz are more unique and sassy, making them appealing.

Well, the only downside is they’re not exactly “parent-material”…but just about any fashion doll can be a bad influence on children, especially if the dolls are representing teenagers. Kids want to be like their “older siblings”, which is natural. “Soccer moms” should really observe their older daughters and their styles. Bratz is a mirror into what your teens are wearing. So if you want to “improve” Bratz fashion, monitor what your teens are wearing, and raise them not to like pop culture.

Bratz Party Jade and Yasmin