One of the popular dolls today is the Bratz dolls that were created by MGA Entertainment. The line of fashion dolls are characterized by its large heads and slim bodies. The first dolls that were released in May 2001 were Jade, Cloe, Yasmin, and Sasha. They are characterized as teenagers who have their own fashion taste. The dolls were also crafted with almond-shaped eyes and were designed to have plump glossy lips and softly applied make up.
Today’s Bratz dolls franchise now comes with different lines such as the Bratz Babyz and Bratz Kids. Although the sales in 2001 did not immediately pick up, the year after that was a different story and the sales went up. The doll franchise was even recorded to have reached huge sales in 2005 when the global revenue came up to 2 billion dollars.
However, the success was marred by some challenges and controversies. The dolls have been regarded by the American Psychological Association to be inappropriate to young kids as its skimpy and fashionable clothing connotes sexualization. The company had also been under a lot of criticisms wherein apparently some people claim that the dolls were manufactured in China with poor labor policies and working conditions. But the most controversial news regarding the Bratz dolls was the long legal battle with Mattel over the design. Mattel claimed that former Mattel employee, Carter Bryant, had designed the concept for the Bratz dolls when he was still employed by the company.
It was a long battle with both companies which tackled on stealing trade secrets and copying designs. But the recent decision made by the federal jury awarded MGA entertainment a verdict that orders Mattel to pay 310 million dollars to MGA. Yet during the years involved in the long dispute, MGA has continued to create different Bratz doll characters and new lines such as the Bratz Babyz, Bratz Kids, Bratz Lil’ Angelz, Itsy Bitsy Bratz, Bratz Boyz, Bratz Petz, Lil’ Bratz, and Be-Bratz.
Aside from the doll lines, the company also came up with music albums and films for the doll characters. More new characters were introduced in the TV series and movies although some of the characters introduced in it do not have its doll version. But kids will find more fun with the dolls and their playsets and accessories. The Bratz has really reached a huge success that it also came out with its kids clothing line in 2007 which was called the Lil’ Bratz Couture.
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