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Suzanne Harrison

THE BRATZ

MATTEL IS AGAIN on a winning streak this Christmas. Barbie as Rapunzel is doing a strong trade in Hong Kong and her gallant suitor Ken is just as desirable.

But could Barbie's reign as the supreme fashion doll and female icon soon be coming to an end?

Enter the Bratz pack. After riding a wave of global success, some new girls have descended on the SAR. And if their maker, privately-owned MGA Entertainment, has its way, children in Hong Kong will flock to make them their own.

Chief executive for MGA Isaac Larian said: 'In Singapore alone, we're the No 1 girls' doll, having sold US$6 million worth of Bratz . . . and that is in a population of about 2.5 million. So we have big expectations [for Hong Kong].'

Unsurprisingly, the Bratz  - Yasmin, Jade, Cloe, Meygan and Sasha with (so far) two boys Cameron and Dylan -  are made in China.

In Hong Kong and Taiwan, Hasbro has the exclusive rights to sell them. There are also more characters to come, including the Little Bratz, which are smaller than the originals and designed to appeal to a younger market.

The promotional blurb says the Bratz are funky, cutting-edge, 'fully articulated' fashion dolls that sport all the style and flair of today's hipsters. They are multi-cultural and come complete with interchangeable clothes and accessories. In a nutshell, they have 'attitude' and have arrived in the SAR in time for Christmas.

'We do have plans to get in to China, but it's always hard to penetrate the marketplace,' Mr Larian said from his Los Angeles base.

Born in Iran, Mr Larian intended to return to his home country to work in civil engineering, the career for which he had a degree.

'But then there was a little thing called a revolution.'

So he stayed in the US, working his way up from graduate to the founder of MGA Entertainment, originally a consumer electronics business. The company shifted gears when, in 1987, Mr Larian won the rights for Nintendo.

'When I got into toys, it became a sort of addiction.'

A healthy one too. The Bratz won the People's Choice Toy of the Year Award at the US Toy Fair in February. Furthermore, sales of about US$150 million for this year are expected to have been generated by Bratz. The team are sold across Europe and at US$14.99 each, they are selling like hot cakes.

But what about Barbie? Is the supremely talented blonde losing her appeal?

According to Mattel's Hong Kong manager, Velinda Cheng, the company does not think of Bratz as competition.

'We're appealing to girls in a different way . . . Kids still see Barbie as an important doll for them. We have a lot of support . . . Barbie has been in the market for a long time.'



Bratz pack in hunt for Barbie's Toytown crown