Desert Fox
December 29th, 2005, 07:23 PM
The latest fad among young girls (8-12) is this 'Bratz' doll-line which is replacing the former popularity of Barbie. The significant trait about these dolls is that all of the young female dolls are visually non-White and have prominent negroid lips!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bratz
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/149384_dollwars27.html
http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=996
MOVE OVER BARBIE: The Changing Face of Dolls
By Dana Williams | Writer/Editor, Tolerance.org
May 19, 2004 -- Barbie hasn't gained a pound or wrinkle since she burst onto the scene as the queen of fashion dolls in 1959.
But it does appear the blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty is having a rough time lately.
Besides this year's very public split with longtime beau, Ken, she also is making fewer appearances in the homes and toy chests of America's young girls.
Toy industry giant Mattel reported last month a 15% dive in U.S. gross sales for the Barbie brand, contributing to a 73% drop in the company's first-quarter profit. The company reported even lower domestic Barbie sales at the end of 2003.
Some say the Barbie sales slump can be explained in one word: Bratz.
Bratz are the California-based MGA Entertainment's line of trendy fashionistas that have overtaken Barbie as the nation's top selling fashion doll.
Prior to MGA's 2001 introduction of the Bratz line, Mattel's Barbie accounted for more than 90% of US sales of fashion dolls. Today Mattel has about 70% and Bratz about 30% of the $1.7 billion fashion doll market.
More than their cutting edge sense of fashion, these dolls boast a multi-ethnic appeal their predecessor doesn't.
"A lot of Bratz's popularity is attributed to a multicultural reality around the world, not just America," said Isaac Larian, president and CEO of MGA Entertainment. "Not every girl is blonde, 6-foot-1 and has perfect measurements."
Decked out in hip-hugging jeans, platform shoes, fake fur vests and a multitude of accessories, the 10-inch Bratz dolls come in a wide array of multiracial skin tones, hair colors and textures.
Even many of their names (Sasha, Cloe, Yasmin and Jade) reflect diversity not apparent with the Barbie, Ken and Skipper crowd.
"There is definitely a draw in terms of the multicultural aspect of Bratz that just doesn't exist with Barbie," said Pamela Brill, senior managing editor of Playthings, a toy industry trade magazine. "Today's child has greatly evolved in terms of diversity in population, and Barbie doesn't reflect the average person a child knows or the average person a child might aspire to be like."
Bratz also feature oversized cartoonish heads with exaggerated features including full pouty lips and large doe eyes ý characteristics Brill says are another aspect of the dolls' appeal.
"The fact that there is this emphasis on the facial features, on that kind of detail, shows girls it's not a cookie-cutter world with cookie-cutter faces," she said.
"They are not specifically any one race or ethnicity," agreed Chris Byrne, an L.A.-based independent toy consultant and analyst. "Because they are so abstract, with this broad blend of tones and features, they can be whatever the girls want them to be in their imaginations ý that is really the essential nature of play."
'Reflection of a lifestyle'
Larian of MGA describes the dolls, which have won two Toy Industry Association Awards, as a "reflection of a lifestyle."
Brill agrees, adding that Bratz dolls and play sets seem to correlate to what kids in the 'tween market (ages 8 to 12) are doing now, as well as what they think they will be doing in a few years.
"It's simple," Brill said. "Barbie is hanging at the tiki bar and the Bratz are going to the prom."
According to Byrne, one of the reasons the dolls have been so successful is because they reflect an artistic, ethnic and fashion style girls can relate to.
"In the past, dolls have always reflected the culture that adults hoped girls would grow into. So with Barbie, there was always this sense that mom and grandmom are looking over your shoulder," he said. "Bratz have learned from the success of other manufacturers and expanded it to focus on the fashions that girls like ý not the fashions mom and grandmom want girls to like."
Mattel has tried to remain competitive with its "My Scene" and "Flavas" doll lines. Both new lines feature "friends of Barbie" who appear younger than Barbie, wear trendy, hip-hop inspired fashions and cover a variety of ethnic influences.
Even with its new competition, Byrne said Mattel's Barbie brand has not become irrelevant.
"Barbie of 1959 could not exist today, just as Barbie of 1995 could not exist today," he said. "We live in a dynamic culture and girls want something that resonates with them. Right now Mattel is going through a self-examination into how they are going to position Barbie in today's market."
Brill thinks that task of repositioning may be a difficult one.
"This view of Barbie as the classic California girl has been long embedded in our culture, and it's difficult to shake that persona," she said. "The more diverse our world becomes, the less relevant a doll with that kind of limited image becomes."
http://bratzworld.proboards21.com/index.cgi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Larian
CEO- JEW
Isaac Larian
Isaac Larian is the Chief Executive Officer of MGA Entertainment, the biggest privately owned toy company in the world. He was born in Iran to Jewish parents. He came to the US in 1971.
After graduating from CSULA in Civil Engineering, he and his brother Farhad started a business exporting electronic goods, and later (2000) expanded their company to include the creation, development and marketing of the Bratz doll.
He was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" (Consumer Products category) by Ernst & Young in 2004.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bratz
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/149384_dollwars27.html
http://www.tolerance.org/news/article_tol.jsp?id=996
MOVE OVER BARBIE: The Changing Face of Dolls
By Dana Williams | Writer/Editor, Tolerance.org
May 19, 2004 -- Barbie hasn't gained a pound or wrinkle since she burst onto the scene as the queen of fashion dolls in 1959.
But it does appear the blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty is having a rough time lately.
Besides this year's very public split with longtime beau, Ken, she also is making fewer appearances in the homes and toy chests of America's young girls.
Toy industry giant Mattel reported last month a 15% dive in U.S. gross sales for the Barbie brand, contributing to a 73% drop in the company's first-quarter profit. The company reported even lower domestic Barbie sales at the end of 2003.
Some say the Barbie sales slump can be explained in one word: Bratz.
Bratz are the California-based MGA Entertainment's line of trendy fashionistas that have overtaken Barbie as the nation's top selling fashion doll.
Prior to MGA's 2001 introduction of the Bratz line, Mattel's Barbie accounted for more than 90% of US sales of fashion dolls. Today Mattel has about 70% and Bratz about 30% of the $1.7 billion fashion doll market.
More than their cutting edge sense of fashion, these dolls boast a multi-ethnic appeal their predecessor doesn't.
"A lot of Bratz's popularity is attributed to a multicultural reality around the world, not just America," said Isaac Larian, president and CEO of MGA Entertainment. "Not every girl is blonde, 6-foot-1 and has perfect measurements."
Decked out in hip-hugging jeans, platform shoes, fake fur vests and a multitude of accessories, the 10-inch Bratz dolls come in a wide array of multiracial skin tones, hair colors and textures.
Even many of their names (Sasha, Cloe, Yasmin and Jade) reflect diversity not apparent with the Barbie, Ken and Skipper crowd.
"There is definitely a draw in terms of the multicultural aspect of Bratz that just doesn't exist with Barbie," said Pamela Brill, senior managing editor of Playthings, a toy industry trade magazine. "Today's child has greatly evolved in terms of diversity in population, and Barbie doesn't reflect the average person a child knows or the average person a child might aspire to be like."
Bratz also feature oversized cartoonish heads with exaggerated features including full pouty lips and large doe eyes ý characteristics Brill says are another aspect of the dolls' appeal.
"The fact that there is this emphasis on the facial features, on that kind of detail, shows girls it's not a cookie-cutter world with cookie-cutter faces," she said.
"They are not specifically any one race or ethnicity," agreed Chris Byrne, an L.A.-based independent toy consultant and analyst. "Because they are so abstract, with this broad blend of tones and features, they can be whatever the girls want them to be in their imaginations ý that is really the essential nature of play."
'Reflection of a lifestyle'
Larian of MGA describes the dolls, which have won two Toy Industry Association Awards, as a "reflection of a lifestyle."
Brill agrees, adding that Bratz dolls and play sets seem to correlate to what kids in the 'tween market (ages 8 to 12) are doing now, as well as what they think they will be doing in a few years.
"It's simple," Brill said. "Barbie is hanging at the tiki bar and the Bratz are going to the prom."
According to Byrne, one of the reasons the dolls have been so successful is because they reflect an artistic, ethnic and fashion style girls can relate to.
"In the past, dolls have always reflected the culture that adults hoped girls would grow into. So with Barbie, there was always this sense that mom and grandmom are looking over your shoulder," he said. "Bratz have learned from the success of other manufacturers and expanded it to focus on the fashions that girls like ý not the fashions mom and grandmom want girls to like."
Mattel has tried to remain competitive with its "My Scene" and "Flavas" doll lines. Both new lines feature "friends of Barbie" who appear younger than Barbie, wear trendy, hip-hop inspired fashions and cover a variety of ethnic influences.
Even with its new competition, Byrne said Mattel's Barbie brand has not become irrelevant.
"Barbie of 1959 could not exist today, just as Barbie of 1995 could not exist today," he said. "We live in a dynamic culture and girls want something that resonates with them. Right now Mattel is going through a self-examination into how they are going to position Barbie in today's market."
Brill thinks that task of repositioning may be a difficult one.
"This view of Barbie as the classic California girl has been long embedded in our culture, and it's difficult to shake that persona," she said. "The more diverse our world becomes, the less relevant a doll with that kind of limited image becomes."
http://bratzworld.proboards21.com/index.cgi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Larian
CEO- JEW
Isaac Larian
Isaac Larian is the Chief Executive Officer of MGA Entertainment, the biggest privately owned toy company in the world. He was born in Iran to Jewish parents. He came to the US in 1971.
After graduating from CSULA in Civil Engineering, he and his brother Farhad started a business exporting electronic goods, and later (2000) expanded their company to include the creation, development and marketing of the Bratz doll.
He was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" (Consumer Products category) by Ernst & Young in 2004.