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Radiologist In Love With Bratz (Part I) By: Robyn Barnette
(Additional information provided by Xie "Cindy" Qing, The Shanghai Bund Pictorial) When I began Bratz Heaven in April 2005, I was expecting to create a simple Bratz fan website for one Bratz fan. However, in the two years since I unveiled Bratz Heaven, I never envisioned that it would mushroom into one of the most popular fan websites on the Internet. Indeed, as of January 2007, Bratz Heaven receives an average of 50,000 visitors and 3 million hits per month. And with many new and exciting projects planned for Bratz Heaven in 2007 and beyond, the website continues to grow in popularity. As you can imagine, I am truly humbled by the overwhelming success of Bratz Heaven — this after I was under the impression that Bratz Heaven was a total failure six months after I unveiled it! Sometimes I ask myself, "How in the world did I get myself into this mess?" But what a glorious mess it is. I am now grateful that Bratz Heaven has become a success, and I want to continue working hard and sharing my love of Bratz dolls in this Bratz universe that I created through Bratz Heaven. On January 10, 2007, Bratz Heaven attained one of many milestones when it was featured in The Shanghai Bund Pictorial, a magazine based out of Shanghai, China. I had the wonderful pleasure of speaking with Xie "Cindy" Qing, a reporter for The Shanghai Bund Pictorial who somehow came across my website when she was writing an article about Bratz for the magazine. And despite that the Bratz dolls themselves are manufactured in Shenzhen, China, most people in China have never heard of Bratz and Bratz is still a new thing to them. I am grateful to share with The Shanghai Bund Pictorial and the people of China the impression of Bratz from the other side of the world. The following is an interview that Ms. Qing conducted with me for The Shanghai Bund Pictorial. Although it is a short interview, it certainly speaks volumes about what Bratz has meant for me and what I hope it means for not only the poeple of China, but also for people around the world. Cindy: Are you an American? Where is your birthplace? Where do you live now? Robyn: I am an American citizen who was originally born in France, but who today lives in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Cindy: And the Wal-Mart store where you bought your first Bratz — where is it? Have you been there often? Robyn: The Wal-Mart store where I purchased my first two Bratz dolls was in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and I have been there many times to see if they have the latest Bratz doll collections and Bratz products. However, I don't just limit myself to that one store: I also go to other Wal-Mart stores — some as far away as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — to see if they, too, have the latest Bratz products. And it's not just Wal-Mart that I go to in order to purchase Bratz. I go to other retailers such as Target, Toys R Us, KB Toys, and K-Mart. I also go to outlet stores such as Big Lots and Dollar General, because there are those instances where they carry Bratz dolls and Bratz products that are no longer in production, and those products are valuable collector's items. Cindy: There are still many Barbie fans around the world — not only the kids, but also some young ladies. In your opinion, why are they attracted by Barbie dolls? How do think of them, and what kind of women do you believe would like Barbie dolls? Robyn: Barbie has always been a legend in the doll world, and that isn't going to go away. And I think the kids and young ladies have become accustomed to that image of Barbie being a legend, since Barbie has represented many things to many little girls for the past fifty years — things that have made Barbie an inspiration for children. Perhaps the little girls who like Barbie are those who find something inspiring about her, since they believe Barbie is an icon they can relate to and that she represents great values for them. Yet, not all little girls want to be like Barbie, and that's where the Bratz come in. I recently watched an interview on ABC News Nightline where the president and CEO of MGA Entertainment, Inc., Issac Larian, stated that he would like to see Barbie retired and that he would throw a retirement party for her. And I thought it was hilarious when he said that! Indeed, somewhere along the way, Mattel was failing to capitalize on the consumer demographic of little girls between six to twelve years of age that MGA Entertainment targeted when they introduced Bratz in 2001. They struggled to keep up with the latest trends that Bratz achieved in the collections that MGA Entertainment released. Part of the reason is that Barbie looks too "grown-up" and "old," and Mattel thought that they didn't need to change her looks or her appearance to cater to a younger audience. They stuck with that formula, because it was what made them successful. Meanwhile, MGA Entertainment created a product that was more about expression and attitude — something that the demographic can identify with and where little girls can be who they are and what they want to be. The Bratz look like teenage girls, whereas Barbie looks more like an adult. And despite Mattel's efforts to make Barbie younger through their My Scene product lines and collections, Bratz continues to outsell My Scene.
It's basically up to the little girls to decide which product they want to choose. If they want to choose Barbie, that's great. If they want to choose Bratz, that's great, too. I can't make the decisions for them. It depends on their interests and what attributes about the products that appeal to them. I chose Bratz, because MGA Entertainment has provided their consumer base with not just a quality product, but with an infrastructure where I can expand my creative talents to something challenging and exciting. And, because I personally think the Bratz are beautiful. Cindy: In Shanghai, there is a Chinese anchorwoman who is about the same age as you, and she is very crazy about Barbie dolls. If you could meet her, what would you like to say? Robyn: I would ask her what she finds fascinating about Barbie, so that I can gain an understanding of why she likes Barbie. I know that I'm not going to change her views about Barbie or inspire her to abandon Barbie for Bratz. And I don't intend to. Again, if she likes Barbie, that's great. I'm not in the business of converting Barbie fans into Bratz fans. Cindy: What do your friends think of your passion for Bratz? Is there someone who is like you? Robyn: I will admit that when I first heard of Bratz, I didn't like them. However, when I purchased my first two Bratz dolls in July 2004, I could see what it was about Bratz that made them so popular and why they became part of the mainstream — not just with little girls, but with children of all ages. I sometimes wonder if I am a little too old for something such as Bratz, since the dolls are targeted toward a demographic that's 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. Those days are long gone, but 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 most favorite hobbies: Photography. It is a hobby that has enabled me to discover my creative talents, but with the photography of my Bratz dolls, I have elevated my talents to a level 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. Bratz has more personal value to me than any amount of money they're worth. When I told a few of my friends that I capture photos of my dolls in realistic backgrounds and settings, they thought I was crazy. Yes, the idea of taking a picture of a doll outdoors is insane. Then my friends viewed my photos of my Bratz dolls, and suddenly everything made sense to them. They soon appeciated me and praised me for the outstanding work I did, and it made me feel a sense of accomplishment, motivating me to go above and beyond my abilities to capture more beautiful photography of my Bratz dolls. I remember when I did a Bratz Photography Project devoted to Bratz Feelin' Pretty Dana, a woman approached me and asked me where she could purchase her. I told her which retailer to go to if she would like to purchase Bratz Feelin' Pretty Dana, and if I can do that, if my photography can inspire anyone to purchase a Bratz doll that I captured a photo of, I know that I did my job. I run a Bratz group (http://group.bratzheaven.com/) and fan website (http://www.bratzheaven.com/) called Bratz Heaven, and we have fans from around the world who join our group and engage themselves in daily discussions about Bratz dolls, Bratz products, what we want to see as far as future Bratz products go, and anything else in this crazy Bratz universe that MGA Entertainment created. I also provide our members news and updates regarding Bratz products and collections, such as new characters added to existing collections or Bratz Heaven website updates. It's all part of the celebration of Bratz doll collecting. Among our members is an individual who shares the same passion for Bratz as I do, and that individual's name is Victoria. Her nickname is Lady Yuna, and she owns a large Bratz collection. She also runs a Bratz group called Lady Yuna's Bratz Group (http://www.bratzfanz.com/), of which I am a member and of which we discuss the same topics and issues about Bratz as my group does. Like Lady Yuna's Bratz Group, the members of my Bratz Heaven group are as diverse as the dolls they collect, but we are all ambassadors in what we do to express our love and passion for Bratz. | ||
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