Looks Like Mattel's Gonna Have A Few Less Bucks To Play With

[kingdom warrior]

Never saw the MONSTER HIGH figures til today... they kinda look like the BRATZ, eh?

Actually no, They look like their own My scene dolls reworked. My scenes were a far superior modern version of the Barbie doll.....Bratz look like trolls...

[Werewolf]

Actually no, They look like their own My scene dolls reworked. My scenes were a far superior modern version of the Barbie doll.....Bratz look like trolls...

Agreed. Bratz are short and squat with baboon butts for lips. Ugly, ugly dolls. MH have totally different proportions and style.

[Werewolf]

I forgot to mention, during the lawsuit MGA sold and marketed their line of Moxie Girlz which were basically toned down versions of their Bratz line. Same over all look and proportions but not as, you could say, sleazy looking. They also sold and developed their Moxie Teenz line which took the Bratz concept and made it closer in proportions and style to Mattel's My Scene dolls. So I think they, MGA, knew the market and tastes were already changing.

[Tothiro]

So J-lo is out, Twilight-clone Monster High is in? Long Live the new king. My youngest niece is a rabid MH fan.

[livnxxxl]

You won't catch me collecting them, but I'll shamelessly steal their clothes for customs. I have quite a collection stored away for my daughter. Their vehicles were hard to beat too.

Agreed. You are not alone. I like Bratz vehicles and clothing line much better as they fit Mego's much better than Barbies.

[livnxxxl]

i'm sure mattel will pass the cost of the lawsuit onto it's customers.

Then that is when the customers should start passing on Mattel.

[huedell]

Actually no, They look like their own My scene dolls reworked. My scenes were a far superior modern version of the Barbie doll.....Bratz look like trolls...

Agreed. Bratz are short and squat with baboon butts for lips. Ugly, ugly dolls. MH have totally different proportions and style.

Apparently I don't have an eye for these brands... oh well.

[BlackKnight]

All the Little Girls in the Knight's Castle love Bratz more than any other Female Dollie. There's some Easter Baskets filled with them this Year.

[MegoSteve]

My opinion is that Bratz was the first fashion doll line to really put a dent in Barbie's marketshare, and Mattel panicked and looked for any reason to sue, because Barbie at the time was starting to fade in the marketplace. The lawsuit more than anything affected MGA's ability to market the dolls, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them bounce back once they can focus on making toys and instead of spending $200 million on legal fees.

Barbie will be around a long time just by sheer momentum, but the line also seems hopelessly square. The real problem they face is that girls are growing up faster and ditching their dolls for clothes, fancy phones and boys a lot sooner than they used to.

[Werewolf]

My opinion is that Bratz was the first fashion doll line to really put a dent in Barbie's marketshare,

Ever hear of Jem?

and Mattel panicked and looked for any reason to sue,

Possibly, but they did, honestly, have a valid case. They had an employee that took a concept they were working on, while still under employment by Mattel, and sell it to a competitor.

Barbie will be around a long time just by sheer momentum, but the line also seems hopelessly square.

The one thing Bratz did well was tap into the urban contemporary fashions that were trendy at the time. Can the brand reinvent itself and be relevent again remains to be seen. The Barbie brand has had its ups and downs but always comes back because of its ability to reinvent itself.

The real problem they face is that girls are growing up faster and ditching their dolls for clothes, fancy phones and boys a lot sooner than they used to.

I would disagree with that. Mattel has had had great success recently targeting "tween" girls with lines like Monster High, Twilight and Barbie Basics.

[ODBJBG]

Apparently I don't have an eye for these brands... oh well.

Don't worry. Although we have a few experts here (and that's not knocking anyone) the majority of the people I know with kids think the Monster High dolls are made by the Bratz people. To them they look identical.

My opinion is that Bratz was the first fashion doll line to really put a dent in Barbie's marketshare, and Mattel panicked and looked for any reason to sue, because Barbie at the time was starting to fade in the marketplace. The lawsuit more than anything affected MGA's ability to market the dolls, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them bounce back once they can focus on making toys and instead of spending $200 million on legal fees.

Barbie will be around a long time just by sheer momentum, but the line also seems hopelessly square. The real problem they face is that girls are growing up faster and ditching their dolls for clothes, fancy phones and boys a lot sooner than they used to.

You pretty much nailed this right on the head. I don't feel that the "market is changing", so much as Bratz just pushed Barbie to try and be more hip and Mattel, terrified that it was experiancing real losses for the first time in the pink aisle, sought to take out MGA. Bratz appealed to girls more because it followed the trends (and perhaps help push them) of having girls dress, look and act a lot more, hmm, skanky at an early age.

Mattel pounced. They were successful to an extent, because obviously they had a case... Sort of. But the fact that Mattel spent so much money on it, pretty much shows how serious they were in taking them out.

MGA will no doubt never take Barbie out, but I suspect they'll be back to a strong #2 very soon. Whether Mattel was able to win by not winning is really what's in question. They put a big dent in the Bratz market for a while, reducing their presence and eliminating them in most stores for quite some time.

I have no stake in the battle, could care less beyond I want Mattel to stop wasting their money on lawsuits and stop blaming that some wasted cash on why they have to keep raising prices.

[Werewolf]

The vibe I'm getting from doll collectors is Bratz time has past. It's been around ten years since the Bratz line's glory days and the little girls that collected it have moved on. Other than Bratz (which may or may not have been created by someone working at Mattel at the time) MGA doesn't exactly have the greatest track record in the fashion doll catagory.

Bratz look and style brilliantly tapped into early 2000 fashion trend and took the industry by surprise. But that time has past. Fashions and tastes change. Can the property reinvent itself enough to regain some of its former glory remains to be seen. I personally think the style and concept is too limiting and specific to fit into todays market. Not to mention the increased competition. There's also been rumblings of a new Jem line in the works potentially adding even more competition in the Pink Isle.

I personally don't see Bratz ever reclaiming their former market share which, I recall, at it's highest was around 35 percent or so of the fashion doll market. I can see it becoming a maybe niche market and then fading away until the nostagia hits its original collectors. But it will never be an evergreen property like Barbie or Hotwheels, in my opinion.

For me this is not a MGA vs Mattel thing. I didn't collect Bratz out of some loyalty to Mattel. I didn't collect them because I think they are damned ugly. I think some male collectors animosity towards Mattel on this issue is actually more over some real or percieved slight from this or that action figure line and not really the Barbie vs Bratz issue. Because unless they have daughters or wives that collect dolls their knowledge and interest of fashion dolls is more than likely extremely limited and many of them probably have never even set foot in the Pink Isle.

[AAAAA]

I'm glad mattel took it in the shorts,should of revamp Barbie to increase sales not litigate a profit.
I know Mattel in the past told small retailers, if you want carry barbie you can't carry , Tootise toy. or other unknown brands.
the one thing i like about bratz is not everything is pink and power blue!

[Werewolf]

the one thing i like about bratz is not everything is pink and power blue!

Barbie Basics Collection. No pink.

Model No. 14 Collection 002 | Barbie Collector

[kingdom warrior]

Bratz look and style brilliantly tapped into early 2000 fashion trend and took the industry by surprise. But that time has past. Fashions and tastes change. Can the property reinvent itself enough to regain some of its former glory remains to be seen. I personally think the style and concept is too limiting and specific to fit into todays market. Not to mention the increased competition. There's also been rumblings of a new Jem line in the works potentially adding even more competition in the Pink Isle.

I personally don't see Bratz ever reclaiming their former market share which, I recall, at it's highest was around 35 percent or so of the fashion doll market. I can see it becoming a maybe niche market and then fading away until the nostagia hits its original collectors. But it will never be an evergreen property like Barbie or Hotwheels, in my opinion.

For me this is not a MGA vs Mattel thing. I didn't collect Bratz out of some loyalty to Mattel. I didn't collect them because I think they are damned ugly. I think some male collectors animosity towards Mattel on this issue is actually more over some real or percieved slight from this or that action figure line and not really the Barbie vs Bratz issue. Because unless they have daughters or wives that collect dolls their knowledge and interest of fashion dolls is more than likely extremely limited and many of them probably have never even set foot in the Pink Isle.

Good post as someone who was raised by a Hardcore Barbie Collector like my mom..I was exposed to Babs and her up and downs as the Queen of dolls.
and as a former employee of TRUS and one who ran the Dollie section at my TRUS. I got first hand view of all the Barbie challengers and Bratz did give Barbie a run for her money as MGA did tap into Urban buyers pockets. The dolls had the look and various shades of colors that little girls wanted at the time...Bratz were hoochies as we called them at our store...

Mattel are the big boys and the heavyweight champions and they got a bit beat up like when Leon Spinks beat Ali......but Ali like a true champ bounced back and so did Mattel.

Mattel got they're wake up call and once again reinvented themselves. Look at the out put of dolls since updating Barbie's look and continuing to please their older collectors with their collector line. The Monster High line is a fabulous reimagining of classic Monsters....

Bratz IMO was a fad and their moment has past...I seriously doubt they'll ever give Barbie a run for her money ever again oh and Disney Princess's are IMO the number 2 line......little girls love those dolls.

Oh and as a Dad of a 4 year old little girl who inherited her Grandma's Barbie Collection she is already a very Hardcore and loyal Barbie Collector the tradition will continue in my household.....