(by 6 people)
If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle then you would have heard of Bratz.. If not, well where have you been hiding? :)
The Bratz phenomenon has swept the world in the last few years.
The Bratz gang now have their own clothing label, record deal, movie deals, deals with Target and Disney and they are getting bigger & better every year.
Which means most parents with young girls have at least one article of bratz merchandise in their house?
A dvd, shoes, swimmers,beach towel,make-up or clothing or a bratz bed..
So what makes them so popular? Is it there passion for fashion? There angelina esque lips? flawless hair and fashion skills? Or their cool names and street appeal, funky boyfriends or ability to accessorise?
What ever it is, one thing is certain, Barbie's crown has slipped as the doll all little girls ever wanted.
In an attempt to retain her young audience Barbie has made some expected and some unexpected changes.
Barbie is now available as a "single parent" barbie, complete with divorce papers, there's also the disabled barbie and muslim barbie complete with burka.
Whether you love them or hate them, Bratz are here to stay... Well depending on how deep your pockets go. :D
Bratz links
All Bratzed out at Amazon
Bratz: Babyz - The Movie
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 10/10/2008)
Bratz Boyz 3 Fashion Giftset
Amazon Price: (as of 10/10/2008)
Accessory to the Crime: Clued In! #4 (Bratz)
Amazon Price: (as of 10/10/2008)
All things Bratz at eBay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
The Beginning of the Passion for Fashion
Bratz dolls are characterized by an oversized head, with wide eyes, full lips, a small nose, a short body, and shoes that snap on and off (without shoes they have no feet).The original four characters were Yasmin (based on CEO Isaac Larian's own daughter, Jasmin) Sasha, Cloe and Jade.
Since the release of the Bratz it became to symbolize "Girl Power" on doll lines.
Every year, they won numerous awards and for that, the Bratz is the #1 fashion doll line today.
From the beginning to the end of 2005 more than 200 million Bratz dolls have been sold worldwide, with 125 million in 2005 alone.
Controversy
Bratz Values
Consumers have criticized the Bratz for being "unrealistic" and claim they promote materialism and consumerism.
They also criticize the commercials for showing young girls, even babies, wearing revealing clothes and lots of makeup.
Others have claimed that each of the Bratz seem to have very shallow personalities of their own, with only superficial things such as clothes differentiating one from another
(though the dolls were not officially given personalities until their first movie).
Recently, the Bratz Kidz have come out with their motto being "The Kidz with a passion for fun!" and in the United Kingdom they have supposedly come out with Adventure Girlz Bratz, the bottom of the box saying they have a "passion for explorin'!"
Dads And Daughters
The parental group Dads and Daughters was outraged by the release of the Bratz Secret Date collection.
The dolls were packaged with a Bratz and matched with a mystery Boyz doll behind the door on the left.
A window showing the doll's feet would provide a clue to which Boyz doll it was, especially important in the quest for the rare Bryce doll, available in only 1 of every 24 boxes.
The group complained that the dolls sent a negative message, said they were forcing young girls to grow up too soon, and allegedly promoting the idea of sneaking out of the house to go on blind dates with complete strangers.
They also took issue with accessories that appeared to be champagne bottles and glasses, and called for MGA to remove the dolls from the market.
MGA claims to have the bottles as sparkling cider. MGA held fast, and the Secret Date collection (later renamed Blind Date) continued to sell.
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