Flavas

American line of fashion dolls

Flavas is an American line of fashion dolls created by Mattel in 2003. They are multi ethnic and have an urban, hip hop style with "bling bling" jewellery and stick on tattoos, described as "ghetto fabulous" by Newsweek. They were designed to appeal to tweens (8 to 12 year olds) and compete with the widely successful Bratz dolls. They were marketed as "reality based" and "authentic" and have more points of articulation than traditional fashion dolls for more expressive posing. Upon release, Flavas were poorly received and were criticized for being stereotypical, bad role models, and a misrepresentation of hip hop culture. Their multiculturalism was described as positive, and British analysts expected their "risqué nature" to translate to high sales. However, following sales that were described as "disastrous", they were discontinued within a year.

The six Flavas dolls, Kiyoni Brown, Happy D, Tika, Liam, P. Bo, and Tre, are ethnically diverse and portray Hispanic, black and white people. They have an urban sensibility and are dressed in hip hop fashions. Their accessories include ghetto blasters, cell phones, "bling bling" jewellery and stick on tattoos. The packaging, which doubles as a doll stand, is designed as a wall painted with graffiti. Instructions on the box say: "Pull my street stand from the box, so I have a spot to hang out." allowing for a wider range of posing and, according to Mattel, the expression of more "attitude".

By the late 1990s Mattel had dominated the fashion doll market since the 1959 release of their Barbie doll. Meanwhile, the market for Barbie grew younger. By 2003 the main market was 3 to 6 year olds and Barbie's share of the fashion doll market had dropped to about 70%. Coinciding with the US release, the Flavas brand sponsored Christina Aguilera's 2003 summer tour. Toy industry analyst Sean McGowan said that they look like "hip hop as designed by committee." Raquel Wilson, editor in chief of hip hop e zine Verbalisms said: "They completely misrepresent the culture." Several British toy industry analysts expected the Flavas dolls to sell well, one of them saying that "the risqué nature of these dolls would guarantee their success." According to the Associated Press, some analysts believed Flavas were just "too edgy." Businessweek said that the "clunky jewelry and graffiti on the packaging[ ] scared away mothers and left kids cold." The dolls ended up being taken off the market after less than a year. Moe Tkacik of Slate described Flavas as "ridiculous, but in a cute way" and questioned if their hasty withdrawal had been premature, suggesting they could have found a niche market.