News
New front opens in doll battle
Ronnie Dungan Jul 24 2007, 10:30am
MGA responds to Barbie online launch with new Be-Bratz offering.
MGA and Mattel are taking their fashion doll battle online with the Bratz manufacturer responding to Mattel’s launch of its Barbiegirls.com site (which it says already has around three million users), with its Bratz equivalent Be-Bratz. It is described as an online social-networking site aimed at girls ages eight to 12.
The site will be accessible only after purchase of a special Bratz doll that comes with a USB key. Users will be able to choose a screen name and their own Bratz avatar, an online doll that can be dressed and tailored to their tastes.
It will be possible to pick a Bratz character such as Yasmin or Sasha, or design one from scratch. Customisable online rooms also feature, along with the capability to chat online with other users. Participants will be encouraged to buy clothes for their avatars in an online store, using virtual currency that can be earned by playing Bratz-branded games online. An online cinema will show promotional clips from the movie Bratz set for release in the US on August 3rd.
