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The Bratz Have Arrived By: Robyn Barnette
Move over, Barbie. There is one type of doll that every little girl wants now, and that doll is simply known as Bratz. No, that is not a misspelling. Bratz is spelled with a "z" to emphasize a new trend with little girls today, like how they spell the word cool as "kewl." Or the word later as "l8r." It is a lot different than what I went through when I was a little girl, when I used to spell the word cat as "kat." But I'm going off in another dimension here. Anyway, what in the world are these Bratz dolls, and why in the world have they become so popular? Furthermore, what is it about these dolls that have gained interest by a 31-year-old such as myself? Well, for starters, Bratz dolls are cartoon dolls brought to life. They are action figure dolls that got attitude, unlike Barbie which has been around for about fifty years and is getting old fast. Each of the dolls represents the funkdafied styles and trends that little girls can relate to, because they express themselves daily with their passion for fashion. Bratz were first introduced in June 2001, this after product developer and designer Carter Bryant was doodling around with some ideas for dolls and was told, "Those characters look like a bunch of brats." The rest of that story is history, and it took proper marketing on the part of toy manufacturer MGA Entertainment to make these brats part of the mainstream not just with little girls, but with children of all ages. In less than three years, Bratz has become the number one fashion doll and property in the world, generating sales in excess of $2 billion. At every Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Kwik-E Mart, there is Bratz merchandising everywhere: Doll collections, jewelry, accessories, makeup, clothing, games, and videos. And the merchandising does not stop there. In February 2004, MGA Entertainment entered an agreement with movie studio 20th Century Fox to produce and release a full-length animated motion picture titled "Bratz." The movie is scheduled for release during the summer of 2006. The Bratz dolls may be loved by little girls, but many parents are unimpressed. They claim that these Bratz dolls inflict the wrong image to children, specifically with the sleazy clothing and make up on the dolls. Other parents claim that the Bratz, much like Barbie, will become a thing of the past several years from now and that these same little girls who love them now will outgrow them and generate interest in a new doll line that adheres to a new style and trend. Apparently, parents these days are obnoxious and conservative morons who live in a different reality than reality itself, because I do not see how the Bratz dolls will inspire little girls today to grow up and become prostitutes later in life. Believe me, I have seen little girls as young as ten years of age wear sleazy clothing and makeup, and this was long before the Bratz ever came into fruition. Even I happen to wear some of the same sleazy clothing and makeup myself, and not because of my age, but becuase like the Bratz dolls themselves, they make me look and feel good. With MGA Entertainment having sold millions and millions of dollars worth of merchandise based on the Bratz dolls, I do not see how the Bratz will become yesterday's fad anytime soon. Just ask toy manufacturer Mattel, which introduced a doll line known as Flavas in July of 2003, to compete against the Bratz and to appeal to the same consumer base that the Bratz have catered to. It was obvious that the same company which introduced Barbie half a century ago was not having a profitable year and tried too hard to capitalize on the success of Bratz, that they had to make something as lame as Flavas. Mattel got everything wrong with Flavas, since the doll line was an unreal representation of black culture and did not come remotely close to truly and realistically reflecting the urban hip-hop environment it was trying to portray. Bratz is simply too big a franchise, and Mattel eventually realized that their Flavas doll line was not going to do well. The company discontinued Flavas in February 2004. I will agree with parents on one aspect about the Bratz dolls: They are cheap. When I went to the Wal-Mart at Northampton Crossings, the first Bratz dolls that I looked at were Jade and Dana, as part of the Bratz Funk Out! Collection. The dolls were dressed in skimpy outfits, and they each had a ton of makeup which made them look like two-dollar sluts. They were so cheap, in fact, that they were the first two Bratz dolls that I purchased. And they were on sale, too — $12.58 apiece. Yup, the Bratz dolls are cheap all right. They are the best dolls that money can buy. And ever since I made that investment in purchasing those first two Bratz dolls, my love for Bratz has erupted into something where the Bratz now represents an infrastructure to express my creative talents. However, the fundamental question that needs to be answered is, why me? Why am I interested in the Bratz dolls? I am 31 years of age....am I not a little too old for something such as Bratz? Those dolls are targeted toward little girls who are at least one-third my age. Yes, I admit that I am a little too old for Bratz, but there is still a little girl inside of me that loves dolls. I can remember the days when I was six years old and my parents used to buy me Barbie dolls for Christmas and for my birthday. And I can remember the days when I used to play with my Barbie dolls, dressing them up, styling her hair, and dreaming that I could be beautiful just like Barbie. Although those days are long gone, my love for dolls has not disappeared. And the primary reason for my interest in the Bratz dolls has to do with one of my favorite hobbies: Photography. It is a hobby that has enabled me to discover my creative talents. When I purchased my Kim Possible Fashion Doll last year, I began taking photos of this doll, and I expanded those creative talents into something challenging and exciting — something where my love for dolls is still there, but has now taken on a medium where I am able to express that love through photography. I had hoped that I would continue that medium with my Kim Possible Fashion Doll. Unfortunately, my interest in the world of Kim Possible has completely declined, and a substantial amount of that decline has to do with Disney itself. I still tune in to The Disney Channel now and then and devote a half-hour to an hour of my life watching the exciting and comedic adventures of a high school student who tackles the forces of evil and saves the world from total domination — all on a school night. But whereas MGA Entertainment has been enjoying tremendous success on one end of the spectrum, the other end of the spectrum has not been the happiest place on Earth for Disney. They have had a string of cinematic disappointments, they closed down several animated studios in Europe and Asia, and the company has laid off several of their employees (i.e., "cast members"). And why is this happening? Why do I find myself moving on from Kim Possible and jumping on the Bratz bandwagon? Two words: Michael Eisner. As CEO of The Walt Disney Company, Eisner's disasterous mismanagement with the happiest place on Earth and his constant raping of Kim Possible and other items related to Disney has gravely disappointed me. "Kim Possible" was my most favorite cartoon franchise from Disney. However, Disney has been having some serious financial problems. As a result, the company has been cutting back on a lot of things such as live-action movies and cartoons. One of the things they are cutting back on is Kim Possible, which some industry experts predicted would become one of Disney's most profitable and reputable cartoon franchises, resulting in toys, books, games, clothes, collectibles, music CDs, and a live-action movie. But the problems with Disney's support of "Kim Possible" trace back to the company's stupid policy that the cartoon is just another program on The Disney Channel that would be canceled after 65 episodes. They figure that by the time "Kim Possible" ends its run on television, fans such as myself would lose interest in Kim Possible and move on to something else. Furthermore, Disney has not expressed any confidence in "Kim Possible" becoming a profitable franchise and is relinquishing a golden investment opportunity that could have elevated the company to something spectacular — something where Disney would once again restore the magic it had once been renowned for and restore its image as a place where anyone's dreams can come true. In hindsight, the company is correct, because I lost interest in "Kim Possible." But I lost interest in "Kim Possible" because of Eisner's mismanagement with Disney and the deep morale that exists within the company. Yes, Eisner has done some great things with Disney, having spent twenty years transforming the company from an ordinary theme park and studio into a media conglomerate worth $60 billion. But in doing so, he has buried Walt Disney's established name into the ground just so he can make a quick buck. And no matter how hard I or the fans try in saving our beloved high school female superhero with the orange hair and grappler gun, Eisner is standing behind his decision about "Kim Possible" and will not allow the series to continue after 65 episodes. Because of this, my Kim Possible Fashion Doll is being retired and packaged away in favor of the Bratz. Mr. Eisner, I am glad that you are resigning as CEO of Disney in September of 2005. Good riddance. The Bratz dolls have grown in overwhelming popularity since MGA Entertainment introduced them three years ago. At the time they introduced them, there were only four characters. MGA Entertainment has since added seven characters to bring the total number to eleven. In 2005, the company is expanding that number to nineteen when they introduce eight new characters. The current line up of Bratz dolls are Cloe, Jade, Sasha, Yasmin, Dana, Meygan, Nevra, Fianna, Roxxi, Phoebe, and Tiana. In addition to the regular Bratz female dolls, there are six male dolls, the Bratz Boyz: Dylan, Cameron, Eitan, Koby, Bryce, and Cade. As much as I enjoy owning and collecting these Bratz dolls, I do have a few major complaints about the dolls. The first complaint: The clothes. No, not the types of clothes that these Bratz dolls wear, but that the clothes are difficult and miserably frustrating to put on! With the latest advancements in technology, I would expect MGA Entertainment to utilize those advancements and make the dolls much easier to handle and play with. Perhaps they utilized them too much. When I purchased Dana as part of the Funk Out! Collection, I spent at least a half hour trying to put her wrist cuffs on and about ten minutes putting on her white skirt. The dolls are too rubbery, and I had a hard time getting the clothes on. I did, however, have a much easier time putting on and taking off the feet, which snaps into the bottom of the doll's legs very nicely. And a unique feature about the feet, and perhaps what makes the Bratz dolls different compared to other dolls, are that the feet allow the dolls to stand. My second major complaint that I have about the Bratz dolls is the jewelry. They are way too small and can get lost very easily, particularly with the earrings. Because of this, I have stored all the Bratz clothing and jewelry in a small box. I even stored some of the jewelry in the little purses that come with the dolls. Third complaint, and perhaps the most legendary complaint about the Bratz dolls: The packaging. Quite simply the most frustrating and aggravating experience I have ever endured with these dolls. I do not know how MGA Entertainment packaged the Bratz dolls like this. Fortunately, I developed a method on how to free the dolls from all that complicated packaging. The method I developed has made unpackaging the dolls easier, but it still is frustrating and aggravating experience. Despite these complaints, I think MGA Entertainment has done an outstanding job manufacturing the Bratz dolls. These dolls are a lot of fun not only to play with, but also to capture photos of as well. I cannot predict what the future holds for Cloe, Dana, Jade, and the rest of the Bratz gang, but if this franchise continues at the phenomenal level they are at right now, the Bratz will be the most invincible force to reckon with. As for Kim Possible, it will still be considered one of my favorite cartoons, but I cannot see how it can be salvaged any longer. A few years ago, Kim Possible was the most popular thing to emerge from Disney, but it is a shame that Disney has not supported Kim Possible like they used to and it is a shame that I have lost interest in it. The legacy of Kim Possible will exist through reruns on The Disney Channel and on home video and DVD, as well as through photos I took of my Kim Possible Fashion Doll. And unlike Disney, I will continue to support Kim Possible despite whatever circumstances this cartoon franchise endures from now until its inevitable termination. However, I will truly miss the wonderful adventures of Kim, Ron, Shego, and Dr. Drakken. It is time for me to bid farewell to Kim Possible and make room for the Bratz, but if I ever happen to generate any interest in Kim Possible again, I will know when to call her, beep her, if I want to reach her. | ||
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