The History of Bratz Dolls

Bratz dolls come dressed in sexualized clothing such as miniskirts, fishnet stockings, and feather boas. Although these dolls may present no more sexualization of girls or women than is seen in MTV videos, it is worrisome when dolls designed specifically for 4- to 8-year-olds are associated with an objectified adult sexuality.
– APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls, Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls. www.barbies.ws

The Bratz brand, which has remained number one in the UK market for 23 consecutive months focuses core values on friendship, hair play and a 'passion for fashion'.
– Bratz spokesman, The Daily Telegraph.

The photo of four primary bratz dolls - Cloe, Yasmin, Sasha and Jade. Barbies.ws

Bratz is a popular children's and teens doll franchise produced by MGA Entertainment. The 254mm (10 inch) dolls are characterized by large heads with wide eyes, full lips, very small noses, short torsos, and shoes that can be snapped on and off. The popularity of the four primary dolls - Cloe, Yasmin, Sasha and Jade - eventually encouraged development of additional friends, spin offs, feature films, games, music albums, and a successful television series. Barbies.ws

Bratz was created by toy designer Carter Bryant. In 2000, he met with Isaac Larian the CEO of Micro-Games America Entertainment (MGA Entertainment). There, Mr. Bryant presented his pictures to Mr. Larian, who found that the concept sketches enthralled his daughter, Jasmin, who was visiting the office at the time.

In June 1, 2001, the first four Bratz dolls, Yasmin, Cloe, Jade, and Sasha, were released to market, each attired in urban-styled fashions. The Bratz quickly gained strong popularity, becoming the number one doll brand in several countries like France, Spain, Israel and Italy, and the number two doll in the United Kingdom. The dolls won Family Fun's Toy of the Year award and TIA People's Choice Toy of the Year Award for 2001.

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Bratz Linez

Lil' Bratz
Lil' Bratz (2002–present): The miniature versions, were originally created for a cheaper solution to buying Bratz. They were very popular to begin with, simply being miniature versions of the original four characters. But, in 2005, the four characters were given new names and slightly different appearances (eye colour, etc.) Only a few lines were created. A final attempt to keep the brand was made. The line Funk House was popular because the dolls were designed to look more like their cartoon counterparts. The line was dropped shortly after the release of Funk House. Lil' Bratz also featured Lil' Boyz who were sold briefly as original and new characters like the girls. In 2007, they released a clothing line called Lil' Bratz Couture. They are coming out with an interactive dvd of Lil Bratz this spring 2008. Barbies.ws

Bratz Boyz
Bratz Boyz (2002–present): These are the male counterparts of the Bratz. They are less popular than the girls and have only a third of the amount of characters. The original Bratz Boyz were Cameron and Dylan, who became popular after the release and even attracted male fans. More characters were added which only made them more popular. But with the recent lack of new characters, the popularity of these dolls has declined. New releases were less frequent in the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2006 leading to an impression that the Boyz were no longer being designed. The first Quarter of 2007 is showing increased activity from MGAE with the long-awaited release of the Bratz Boyz Twiins, all-new character Wayne as part of the Rodeo line, a new Adventure Boyz Cameron, Bryce as part of the Hot Summer Dayz line, and Cade (now a blonde) as part of the Play Sportz line. More recently, Eitan was released as part of the Winter line, Bryce in the Movie line, and Cameron in the Play Sportz line. Dylan (part of the date night line) Cameron (part of the neon pop line) and Koby (part of the surfer cool line) are featured in the 2008 collections. www.barbies.ws

Bratz Babyz
Bratz Babyz (2004–present): The Babyz were originally released with molded hair, one outfit and infant accessories (bottle, blanket, soft toy and other items) At first the Bratz Babyz were not popular because of their "disproportioned heads (compared to normal Bratz) and especially the molded hair. They became more popular as fans warmed to them. When Bratz Babyz with long, "real" hair (Hair Flair) were released, the popularity grew. More characters from the regular Bratz are being added to The Bratz Babyz line making the Bratz Babyz grow in popularity to this day.

Bratz Big Babyz (2005–present): As its name says: a bigger version of the Bratz Babyz.

Bratz Lil' Angelz (2007) are the newborn, collectable version of Bratz Babyz. They are smaller than regular Bratz Babyz and come with their own newborn pets. Barbies.ws

Main article: Bratz Babyz

Bratz Petz
Bratz Petz (discontinued, 2004–2006): Bratz Petz are the plush toys that resemble foxes, cats and dogs. They were not for the dolls, they were the size of an average teddy bear, making them awkward in the Bratz universe. They came with bags, clothes and other accessories which made them fit into the Bratz fashion theme. They were not popular, and disappeared totally from the market in 2006. Bratz Petz have been re-released recently in Australia and the UK as completely different toys. They are plastic and come with bobble heads, and are sized to fit with the Big Bratz Babys. Each Petz comes with several accessories that are more appropriate than the old Bratz Petz. This new form of Bratz Petz are popular in Australia and the UK, months after their initial release.

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Bratz Kidz
Bratz Kidz (2006–present): Bratz Kidz are the child equivalent to the popular Bratz doll LINE . The dolls are 6 inches tall and are proportioned to be shorter than the normal Bratz. In the Fall 2007 season, Bratz Boyz Kidz were introduced, featuring the four main Boyz.Their first movie was released in JULY 2007 based on the sleepover adventure line.Their second movie is to be released in February and it has a fairy-tale storyline. No dolls have been released with the same theme. Barbies.ws

Be-Bratz
Be-Bratz (2007–present): Be-Bratz dolls are similar to regular Bratz dolls, but without their own individual names, as they are designed for the owner to name and customise themselves. They also come with a mini metallic pink USB mouse, a Be-Bratz mousepad, a Be-Bratz USB Key necklace, and a mini-pet. When the USB key is inserted into the PC, the owner can then take their Be-Bratz doll online, name it, and create an online social homepage for it. Games can be played with your Be-Bratz account to win more points, which can then be spent on clothing, furniture, and food for your online Be-Bratz doll.

In later articles, Barbies.ws will introduce "Every Bratz Girlz" and "Every Bratz Boyz".

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