Barbie wins smackdown against "bratty" rivals!

I don't like Bratz dolls. If you know me, this probably isn't news. As the mother of two little girls I think they send a horrible message to young kids. If you're unfamiliar with these diva dollies they have exaggeratedly large hips & lips, heavily made-up eyes and tend to sport provocative clothing that usually includes belly tops and mini-skirts (and really, I'm no prude). Whoever thought that it's healthy for five year olds to idealize little hoochie mammas with attitude needs a slap. The really sad part is people have bought into it. They are wildly popular with the line now including games, clothing, bedding, movies, Bratz Boyz and even Bratz Petz. Admittedly even we have one, though she is a sport version, tastefully dressed in soccer shorts and tee-shirt (it was a shameful, though highly successful bribe aimed at motivating our oldest to get over her fear of "getting kicked" during soccer).

Well after the holidays it seems that the these vinyl vixens will be disappearing from the market. Toy giant Mattel, maker of Barbie, the Bratz biggest rival, has recently won a copyright infringement lawsuit against MGA, the company that manufactures Bratz. The court case found that the designer of Bratz was still under contract with Mattel when the concept for the dolls was conceived. To that end, the judge ruled after the holidays all remaining Bratz must be recalled from retailers and MGA's moulds and other equipment for fabricating the dolls must be destroyed. Mattel has also been awarded 100 million dollars for breach of contract and copyright infringement.

While I would have preferred that Bratz were disappearing for more noble reasons I'll celebrate their demise regardless. No more will I have to endure hours of begging every birthday, Christmas, and shopping opportunity in between. I have explained for the last time why they are "inappropriate". Hallelujah!

Now if we could only get Barbie to work on that unhealthy body image ...