Type | Fashion doll, TV series, VHS, albums, video games, web series |
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Inventor | Carter Bryant |
Company | MGA Entertainment |
Country | United States |
Availability | 2001–present |
Slogan | The (only) girls with a passion for fashion (2001–2013) Unleash your passion (2013–2015) It's good to be a Bratz (2015–2016) |
Official website |
Bratz are an American product line of fashion dolls and merchandise manufactured by MGA Entertainment. Four original 10-inch dolls were released in 2001 —– Yasmin, Cloe, Jade, and Sasha, and in 2015, a fifth girl, Raya, was added as the fifth official Bratz. They featured almond-shaped eyes adorned with eyeshadow, and lush, glossy lips. Bratz reached great success and the original line of dolls was expanded with a number of spin-offs like Bratz Kidz and Bratz Babyz, as well as media featuring the Bratz characters, including a web series, movie, TV series, music albums, and video games. In 2005, global sales were two billion dollars, and by 2006, Bratz had about forty percent of the fashion-doll market.
Bratz dolls have provoked controversy in several areas. From the dolls' stylized proportions to fashion-forward clothing, the brand has always followed pop culture trends closely. For years, MGA Entertainment was involved in a lengthy legal dispute with Mattel over the rights to the Bratz design. In 2011, the dispute ended with MGA as the victors. Related litigation is ongoing in a lawsuit by MGA alleging Mattel's theft of trade secrets.
In early 2010, Bratz took a brief hiatus after Mattel's first lawsuit and returned later that year to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the franchise. In 2013, Bratz changed to have a taller body and an all-new logo and branding. MGA Entertainment made the decision to completely overhaul the Bratz brand throughout 2014, in an effort to return the brand to its roots. As a result, none of the Bratz 2014 product line was offered to North American retailers.
In July 2015, Bratz made a comeback and a set of new dolls were released, introducing a new main character called Raya to the lineup of Cloe, Jade, Yasmin, and Sasha as well as a new slogan and website design. The bodies were changed to be 10" tall again, but with a new body and head mold. A stop motion web series premiered in August 2015. The Bratz app was released in September 2015 to accompany the new dolls and web series.