The Dolls of a Bratty generation

I grew up playing with Bratz dolls. I had an expansive collection that I managed to keep in near perfect condition. I kept the out fits and accessories of every doll I got new from the store and the dolls I got at yard sales or used I restored and even went as far as to have my mom make clothes for them. I was obsessed with Bratz, I loved their style and the variety of colors and personalities in the dolls.

Recently I decided my niece was ready to be bestowed with the honor of playing with my dolls and I gave her a couple of the more gently used ones. She's still a bit young and I didn't want her to destroy the ones that were in perfect condition. But I decided I would go ahead and buy her some brand new ones for Christmas to truly indoctrinate her. This is when I realized the saddest thing ever. 

Bratz are not on store shelves anymore. I was devastated. You can still find alot of them used online, and I will probably be buying them that way but gosh what a let down. 

Bratz came on the market in 2001 as a the "rebellious" "urban" fashion doll that appealed to preteens. They were some the first dolls to be vastly multi-ethnic and they steered away from the typical pink aesthetic of other dolls. They pushed the boundaries wearing trendy hip hop outfits and having big eyes and lips with arguably a lot of make up. They explored a multitude of styles from punk to preppy, to sporty to formal prom wear.

  

There was always controversy around the dolls however, a lot of parents perceived the dolls to be skimpy and promote bad attitudes. They were worried that because of their "provoking outfits" and "heavy make up" these dolls would promote the oversexualization of young girls and lead to negative body image issues. A lot of feminist organizations made statements against the dolls, which I find ironic because they are basically slut shaming dolls for being fashionable, but okay go off. 

Fortunately Bratz dolls went on largely unaffected by the hate for many years, eventually taking over 40% of the fashion doll market. The trouble started when Mattel, the manufacturer of  Barbie came out with MyScenes, the Barbie- washed version of Bratz. Side note, the girl that lived next door to me growing up had MyScenes and let me just say they were 'ight but definitely not as cool as Bratz. But MGA Entertainment the manufacturer of Bratz got upset at the attempt by Mattel to infringe on their look, so they sued them. That's when everything downhill. Mattel countersued, claiming that because Bratz creator was working for Mattel when he developed the Bratz doll they owned the rights to the doll. The courts first ruled in Mattel's favor and then reversed their decision, but the damage was done. 

Because of the draining lawsuits the quality of the Bratz doll fell. MGA entertainment simply could not afford to produce the dolls at the same amazing quality. It was around this time that mom bought me my least favorite version of Jazmine and this one doll named Vinessa. I still played with them but they were always minor backup characters in my plays. Retailors also weren't as willing to stock Bratz because of the sketchy rights lawsuit. 

Cheaply made "Vinessa" doll

After a while in 2010 Bratz tried to rebrand and make a comeback. But the comeback proved to be disappointing. MGA Entertainment took Bratz in a different directions making them more "family friendly" and they Barbie-washed the dolls. While this may have appeased soccer moms, it did not play out well with their actual audience, the kids that liked the dolls fashionable and urban aesthetic. By 2016 MGA Entertainment ceased the line production due to low sales. 

2010 Reboot Bratz, (I mean just look at those outfits... sheesh)

In 2018 Bratz released a limited time line of collector dolls which included the original 4 dolls, Jazmine, Jade, Sasha, and Chloe, and Cameron one of the boy dolls. These were sold exclusively on amazon and go for $50 each. They did a really good job at channeling the original style and feel of the 2000's Bratz. I am really temped to buy a Jade or Jazmine just for myself, but I am an adult now and I don't know how I feel about spending that much money just to look at a doll on my shelf. 

2018 Bratz Collection

There is no doll on the market that compares to the Bratz doll. I think now more than ever we should try to invest in kids toys because more and more kids are becoming technology zombies. It makes me really upset that girls now a days have so few options when it comes to dolls. I feel like all the dolls are either baby dolls or really Barbie-washed toys. I never liked Barbies, and now more than ever I resent them for pretty much killing Bratz dolls. 

What do you guys think about the current state of girls toys nowadays?

Names and stories

 My mom chose great names for all three of her daughters, Leslie Elida, Laura Areli, and me, Linda Aidee. I've always thought people's lives play out like books, and most end up being aptly named characters. Names unknowingly fulfil their legacy's, sometimes its a perfect fit, sometimes its a cynical hand of fate and sometimes boring names lead boring lives. 

Leslie means joy and Elida is 'small winged one'. Leslie was in part named after my grandmother who lived a life heavy with burden and hard work. They both have the same brown eyes and steady stare of someone who knows life through a bluer light than most. But Leslie has a smile that somehow never lost its youthfulness. A small winged joy, like a lovely bird on a thorned branch. 

Laura is derived from the latin name for the bay laurel plant, a plant used as a symbol of victory and honor. Areli means lion of God. Laura is the victorious lion of God. You just have to know her to know that her name suites her perfectly. Hers is story she's gracefully and courageously written for herself by herself. 

Linda means beautiful and Aidee is helper, a reward or present. My mom is always thanking her heavenly stars for being stubborn and having me. She was misdiagnosed in the midst of her pregnancy with cancer and the doctor told her she would have to chose weather to have me or to seek treatment. She chose me and a second opinion. Its weird to think of myself as a 'beautiful' helper, but the further I walk down my path the more its guided by the responsibility I feel to help others. 

If AP English has taught me anything is that you can find meaning and symbolism within anything and everything so maybe I can be lumped up with all the crazies that think blood types determine personality traits or star signs tell you how you're gunna feel that day. However the case, I am going to make sure I pick great and indominable names for my kids. And yes I will be continuing with 'L' names too. All my nieces and nephews have L names, Lucas, Leonidas, Luciana, Lauren.