Judge Stephen Larson ordered Bratz owners MGA Entertainment to stop manufacturing the doll and to deliver Bratz merchandise to Mattel, Inc., the manufacturers of Barbie. A federal jury in August found that a Mattel designer had developed the Bratz doll while employed by the company and had secretly taken it to MGA. However, Larson stayed his ruling until a hearing set for February 11, 2009, which put on hold the removal of Bratz dolls from store shelves.
Bratz, which came on the market the summer of 2001, resulted in $1 billion in sales of the doll and other Bratz-licensed products in the first two years alone. While girls as young as 4 and 5 loved the sexy look and style of the Bratz dolls, moms hated what they felt was a 'trampy look.'
From online petitions asking MGA to change the style of the dolls to a decision by Scholastic Books to remove Bratz books from its school-sponsored book fairs and clubs, mothers have been vocal and active in their opposition to a doll many say looks like a hooker.
Although Bratz will still be on sale through the 2008 holiday shopping season, it appears 2009 will bring an end to the controversial doll.
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