Related Entry:
United States Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals Halts Transfer Of Bratz Franchise To Mattel, Inc. (12.10.2009):
http://cannellefraiche.bratzheaven.com/b2evolution/blog1.php?p=62

It has been very quiet in the Bratz universe for some time. January 21, 2010 was to have been the official "date of death" for the Bratz franchise. On that date, retailers in the United States and around the world were required to remove all Bratz merchandise entirely off store shelves. Furthermore, MGA Entertainment was to have handed over the Bratz franchise to Mattel, including its portfolio of trademarks and copyrights of the Bratz brand name. All this, resulting from a ruling on July 17, 2008, where a jury at the United States Ninth Circuit Federal Court in Riverside, California found that designer Carter Bryant had conceived the idea for Bratz while under contract with Mattel. The contract (known as an Inventions Agreement) gave Mattel the rights to anything Bryant created during his employment with the company.

However, just as Mattel was about ready to pop open the champagne and declare victory in vanquishing the Bratz empire, the United States Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals in Pasadena, California stepped in and crashed the party. On December 9, 2009, the Appellate Court suspended the order for MGA Entertainment to cease all development, manufacturing, and production of its Bratz line of consumer products and halted Mattel from taking over the Bratz franchise.

Since then, there has not been any other significant news about Bratz, whether it has to do with the ongoing litigation or information about any upcoming Bratz products and collections for Spring 2010. Everyone has seemed to move on from Bratz and return to their normal lives. Even I have returned to the normal life I was living before I was introduced to four girls named Yasmin, Cloe, Sasha, and Jade. But when I look at the very large Bratz collection that I own, there are times when I feel like I'm the only Bratz fan remaining in this mundane world we call Earth.

As much as I hate to admit it, Bratz is not a popular doll franchise anymore. The years of Bratz Funk Out!, Bratz Wild Life Safari, Bratz Tokyo A Go Go, Bratz Flashback Fever, Bratz Rock Angelz, Bratz Genie Magic, and Bratz Forever Diamondz are a long distant memory. It's difficult to experience the joy and excitement of being a Bratz fan when you visit any retailer anywhere in the United States or any country in the world and see no Bratz products on store shelves. Even when you do see any Bratz products in stock or anything with the Bratz brand name on them, they're just excess inventory (i.e., leftovers) that stores are hoping consumers will spend their money on, just so they can clear them out for good. I admit spending my money on a few of these leftover Bratz products, but they're really for a Bratz room project that I have been working on for the past ten months. And the majority of these leftover Bratz products are not dolls — they're items such as books, electronics, and home décor. Anything labeled Bratz, to show my continued support of this once phenomenally successful fashion doll empire.

Although I am trying very hard to keep abreast of the latest developments in the Bratz litigation saga between MGA Entertainment and Mattel, there really isn't any news about Bratz that's available to cover. The only news, if any, is that Mattel is preparing to launch its own version of the Bratz dolls.

Excuse me for just one moment, I have to go to the bathroom and vomit....

Okay, I'm back. Anyway, the mere fact that Mattel is planning to release its own version of Bratz is as despicable and cruel as date rape. It's the type of news that would have any ordinary human being wonder....how fucked up could this rotten toy company possibly be? Does Mattel really believe that releasing its version of Bratz will help the company reclaim all that market share it supposedly lost during 2003 through 2006, when the Bratz franchise was at its peak success? Does Mattel really believe that consumers would purchase its "Bratz" dolls? Does Mattel really believe that competition in the marketplace means putting other toy companies out of business by litigating them into bankruptcy and destruction? Does Mattel really have no shame?

Meanwhile, MGA Entertainment is at work developing and manufacturing the Bratz products and collections for Spring 2010. Both MGA Entertainment and Mattel have promised to have new Bratz dolls and other related products released as early as February. It has put retailers in an uncompromising position, as they determine which version of Bratz they are likely to sell.

Well, not all retailers: After demonstrating its complete and utter disregard toward the Bratz franchise throughout 2009 (including the fiasco involving Bratz Passion 4 Fashion Spring 2009 Sabina and Dresden), Target has given plenty of indications that it would refuse to sell any Bratz merchandise manufactured by MGA Entertainment. Target will, however, continue to sell MGA Entertainment's other fashion doll line that hardly anyone cares about, Mockery Moxie Girlz — although, I sometimes wonder if Target played a role in influencing MGA Entertainment to change the Moxie Girlz to be all kid-friendly, so that the dolls adhere to the retailer's brutally rigorous buying standards.

And speaking of Target Corporation, this retail bureaucracy operates like the government of North Korea. What Target did to Bratz in 2009 was an eye-opener, and this retailer was very unapologetic about the unfair decisions it made in selling Bratz at all 1,700+ stores in the entire chain. From reducing shelf space, to stocking bad-quality Bratz dolls, to stocking specific Bratz characters at specific locations, to the outright cancellation of selling Bratz Passion 4 Fashion Spring 2009 Sabina and Dresden, Target was unforgiving in its vocal oppostion to Bratz. Target can argue that there were "bottom-line" business issues behind its malicious treatment of Bratz at its stores. As a Bratz fan and consumer, I perceived these issues as a reflection of how much this retailer hated Bratz — and how much more it hated Bratz after Mattel sabotaged the litigation against MGA Entertainment.

Of course, Target is not completely anti-Bratz. Target would sell Bratz for Spring 2010....on one condition: If the dolls were developed and manufactured by Mattel. All bets are off the table if MGA Entertainment develops and manufactures Bratz. Either it's Mattel's Bratz or no Bratz at all.

But hey, at least Target will sell those Mockery Girlz....oops, sorry, Freudian slip, I meant to say Moxie Girlz! Yeah, like anyone's going to care what or where this fashion doll line will be ten years from now....

(NOTE: This is the part where you go to your local Target store and purchase all the new Moxie Girlz products and collections for Spring 2010, such as I Am... and More2Me. Then you can tell all your friends, "I purchased the Moxie Girlz, because I am fed up with Robyn Barnette's bitching and bickering about the Moxie Girlz on her Bratz Heaven Blog, as well as her consistent bashing of Target....Enough is enough.")

Even though there has not been any news about Bratz since the Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals issued its stay of the recall of all Bratz merchandise, I have been busy with my new Bratz Photography Project devoted to my Bratz Dance Crewz Jade doll. This project is intended to replace an old project I did in November 2005 featuring my Bratz Treasures Jade doll, and I am determined to make this new project vastly superior than the old one. Obviously this doesn't really count as news, but at least it's something that's related to Bratz. And that's better than nothing.

Based on what I've been told by my contacts at MGA Entertainment, all we can hope for is an update to be made sometime "within the next couple of months." My contacts would not reveal anything more than that, but the speculation is that it's a big update — whether it be any new Bratz products or collections for Spring 2010, the final decision from the Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals regarding the rights and ownership of the Bratz franchise, or....well, anything that has to do with Bratz. It has been well over a month since the Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals halted the transfer of the Bratz franchise to Mattel, so we certainly can't be far away from an update now. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

(UPDATE 2/1/2010: As of February 8, 2010, Richard Dickson has resigned from his position as General Manager and Senior Vice President of Barbie brands at Mattel, Inc. Dickson is now President and CEO of branded businesses at clothing retailer Jones Apparel Group, Inc.)

Related entry:
Don't Be A Dick (i.e., Richard Dickson, GM & Senior VP, Barbie brands, Mattel, Inc.) (06.23.2009):
http://cannellefraiche.bratzheaven.com/b2evolution/blog1.php?p=34

Happy New Year!

Okay, the following is not really an interview that I conducted with Richard Dickson (General Manager and Senior Vice President for Barbie brands at Mattel, Inc.). This "interview" is actually based on another interview that I came across not too long ago, where the carnival sideshow freak himself explained to author Amy Johannes from Promo Magazine about Mattel's business initiatives in response to changes in the licensing industry. I decided to spoof the Promo Magazine interview by replacing Ms. Johannes' questions with the types of questions that....well, let's just say they are questions that would not elicit a single laugh from anyone at Mattel. Hardly a surprise anyway, since Mattel's employees have been known for being such dull, boring, monotonous morons. They make Disney World sound as exciting as a funeral procession.

At least the company can appreciate me for one thing: I did not change Mr. Dickson's answers from the original interview in Promo Magazine. The following is that original interview:

Mighty Mattel | Question & Answer with Richard Dickson, Mattel's head of global licensing:
http://www.promomagazine.com/retail/0701-mattels-richard-dickson/

And now, my "Interview" with Mr. Dickhead....er, Dickson:

BARNETTE: Thank you, Mr. Dickson, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this interview.

DICKSON: In the past, licensing was associated with a revenue play. But now it's about generating an emotional connection to the brand itself, as well as revenue. Over the last five years it's become more important for brands to extend themselves into relevant places where they can find consumers.

B: Hey! I wasn't ready! You're already discussing brand licensing without even acknowledging me for conducting this interview! Geez, you're more of a dickhead now than you were six months ago, when you were featured in that Dull News article! But since you're boring the hell out of me and everyone else about brand licensing, explain to the two or three people who purchase Mattel's shitty ass products how you are accomplishing this?

D: One way is by tapping into consumer insights and cultural trends. We ask: ‘How should our brand react to this trend?’ Barbie B Cause (an accessory line that repurposes excess Barbie fabric and trimmings) is a good example of the green trend and sustainability.

B: Fascinating. Anyway, Mr. Dicksuck, as you are perhaps no doubt aware, professional golfer Tiger Woods has established himself as a sports icon for millions of children around the world, as well as the fifty women he allegedly had extra-marital affairs with — some of whom he abused, including his wife Elin. In what ways is Mattel using Tiger Woods to manufacture future Barbie lines that promote domestic violence?

D: There's the cultural trend of kids having healthier lifestyles and being active. In two years we've expanded the category into sporting goods and outdoor play. With Barbie we have a successful business with bikes. We also extended the brand into golf. We introduced golf in authentic ways and teamed up with the LPGA to [spread the word about] the equipment we have.

B: So when you say equipment, you're talking about whips, chains, knives, pitchforks, baseball bats — basically, any weapon that a man can use on his wife or girlfriend if he suspects that the bitch ass ho is cheating on him during the relationship. That, or some other type of infidelity. And Mattel teamed up with the LPGA on this? How do you market such equipment if Mattel is a designated licensor?

D: The licensing business is incorporated into the overall brand marketing. We do a tremendous amount of omnibus advertising where we take 20 different categories and fit them into one message. We do inserts in doll boxes. We have television advertising. We have hangtags on sleepwear that bounce people back to discounts in particular categories. We've gotten much better at cross-marketing — at talking to consumers about all Mattel products.

B: Mm-hmm, I see. I'm not really sure what one message you're conveying here, but I don't think any woman or child would find it inspiring. On a somewhat related note, there's this new product that Mattel manufactured called the Barbie Home Pregnancy Test. According to what I was informed, this product displays a pink checkmark, verifying in less than 30 seconds that a little friend is on the way. Can you elaborate on Mattel's support in its efforts to promote this new product?

D: A lot of in-store marketing will coincide with merchandising displays. There'll be some print advertising and lots of retailer marketing concentrated around Wal-Mart vehicles and advertising on Barbie.com.

B: What are Mattel's strategic objectives for establishing partnerships with companies, if its core product Barbie is considered the world's biggest slut who does anything for money? After all, she always wants men (and sometimes women) to "smack her fruity booty," but only if they pay her a dollar.

D: Successful partnerships allow for co-creation. You recognize that you can't do it alone. We've partnered with the best-known brands: Adidas, Mac Cosmetics and Patricia Field. It's not about label slapping — that's a misstep. We've had our missteps, but we've had more hits than misses. In any business model, if you can say you have more hits than misses, you're on the right path.

B: You certainly have a point there, Mr. Dickhead! It is not about label slapping — it's more like ho slapping. Talk about another misstep by Mattel! Anyway, I've read on many websites that a "dilly-dally" can stimulate the excitement in a relationship. They come in a variety of fruit flavors, and sometimes they're shiny and powered by Duracell batteries. Mattel has manfactured many related products like pull toys, Finger Sports, and other crappy shit that nobody would waste his or her money on. How is the company addressing the needs for women, especially soccer moms, in this regard when they want to enhance their sex lives?

D: Relationships continue long after people have had their toy experience. When we introduce a brand to an older audience, the relationship and connection are undeniable if we execute it right. That translates to moms as well. It's about having fun with the brand.

B: Finally, with all the upfront work that Mattel performs in the development and manufacturing of new consumer products, how does a product like the Penis Pump happen and then not do well? Is it because men suffer from erectile dysfunction when they fantasize about having sex with Barbie? Is it because men don't understand how to beat on meat? Is it because Ken was based on the son of the founder of Mattel, who turned out to be gay? Or....what?

D: The United States hasn't been as growth-oriented as the rest of the world for a variety of reasons. We have mature markets in Europe, like the United Kingdom, Spain, France and Italy, that continue to grow by double digits. We also have developing markets like Brazil growing by leaps and bounds. China and India are fast-growing markets, and Russia is a new market for us. We've had an easier time navigating challenges in international markets.

Well, there you have it! I must admit, this "interview" was....interesting. It seemed like Mr. Dickson said whatever the hell came across his mind without really understanding the question. I mean, it was like asking someone, "What color is Miley Cyrus' hair?" and then getting a response such as, "Fuzzy." I know, it's a dumb question, but sometimes you have to ask.

In any event, I hope you enjoyed reading the "interview." And once again....Happy New Year!