The History of Bratz Dolls
By Hannah Schmidt-Rees
Whilst I wrote an article on Barbie first, my childhood self always preferred Bratz Dolls. So, you know what time it is – The History of Bratz Dolls.
Bratz were created by Carter Bryant, a former Mattel employee in 2001. Bryant was a clothing designer for Barbie, and came up with the concept for Bratz Dolls while working for Mattel. Two weeks before leaving Mattel, Bryant sold his idea to MGA Entertainment, and Bratz Dolls were born.
The first release of Bratz Dolls consisted of four different dolls; Yasmin, Jade, Cloe and Sasha (I’m putting Yasmin first because she was my favourite). In 2001, the fashion doll market was dominated by Barbie, holding almost 100% of the market share. Going off my Barbie article, the Mattel brand was predominantly fronted by a blonde, Caucasian and neat ‘all-American girl’. When Bratz launched with a racially inclusive quartet of dolls, this revolutionised the fashion doll market, with each doll featuring different skin tones, hair colours and facial features. It was also important to note that no character was the leader, unlike Barbie and her friends, each doll was equal.
Bratz Dolls were marketed as “the girls with the passion for fashion”. Each doll was stocked with different themes, outfits, accessories and aesthetics. The main characteristics of Bratz dolls were their large heads, slim bodies, unnatural facial proportions and heavy makeup. The first year of Bratz dolls was an immense success, grossing $97 million in global sales. Reaching $2 billion in 2005, Barbie finally had a major competitor, which was especially concerning for them since it was created by an ex-employee (yes, there was a slew of legal battles between Mattel and MGA Entertainment). By 2006, Bratz held 40% of the worldwide fashion doll market.
In 2002, Mattel released a line of ‘My Scene’ dolls and ‘Flavas’ dolls in 2003, aiming to compete with Bratz dolls, which just didn’t work. Allegedly, Mattel paid the American Psychological Association to release a report that stated that Bratz are unhealthy influences for children. Whilst Bratz were successful, there were not free from criticism. Many parents considered the dolls to be over-sexualised and unrealistic, especially compared to the ‘innocent, all-American Barbie’. On the other hand, many retailers were apprehensive to purchase the dolls as they were diverse and fashionably risqué. According to the CEO of MGA Entertainment, Cloe (the causcasian, blonde, blue-eyed doll) was the only doll some stores were interested in, with CEO Isaac Larian stating “They come together. You either buy them all, or none.”
The diversity within the core line of Bratz dolls was a major part of its success. Many children across the world could see themselves in any Bratz doll, giving them a place for self-representation and placing this in the mainstream. It took away focus from only perceiving Eurocentric features as ‘beautiful’ or something to promote and strive for.
“I don’t think an African American girl, or a Middle Eastern ethnic background girl, or a Latin girl… wants to buy necessarily a blonde doll. I think they want to buy something that basically resembles who they are.”
Bratz dolls were highly trend-based, focusing on Y2K fashion and ‘materialistic’ trends. Unlike Barbie, Bratz were barely career based, their themes focusing on fashion aesthetics rather than roles or jobs. Across the years, Bratz released mini dolls, ‘baby’ Bratz dolls, male Bratz dolls, CDs, films, TV shows and games. Bratz were a powerhouse in their time, and their impact didn’t go unseen. Bratz remained a big player in the fashion doll industry, slowing down from 2010 after a redesign. The lawsuits between Mattel and MGA Entertainment affected sales, as well as the general progression of the toy industry. In 2015, Bratz underwent a rebrand and decreased production, only releasing a small amount of dolls per year.
Whilst actual produced dolls are not as common as they used to be, the impact of Bratz dolls is intensely apparent. Bratz dolls are still popular on social media, from doll collectors and restylers, to fashion influencers and makeup artists. The #BratzChallenge swarmed the internet in 2019, focusing on the dolls nostalgia and iconic look. Bratz have become muses for current fashion designers, retailers and consumers, and collaborations with the Bratz brand are still popping up across different industries.
In my opinion, if Bratz dolls were released at the same scale now, as they were 20 years ago, they would be unstoppable. You can easily look at dolls released in the mid-2000s and find direct references to them in todays fashion and style. The resurgence of Y2K fashion plays a major part in this, and you can still see the influence of Bratz dolls on fashion and style today. Once you recognise it, you’ll see it everywhere. I could be biased with this (as Bratz dolls hold a special place in my childhood), but Bratz dolls were one of the most influential and fastest growing fashion doll lines in the world. It challenged the ideas of style, diversity and attitude within the doll industry, something that was dominated by a single concept until Bratz’s launch. And that’s commendable.
Who knew a ‘passion for fashion’ could create such big tidal waves in so many industries; toys, fashion, style and society in general.
