by Mary Moynihan
I’m a nostalgia obsessed bitch, so fashion dolls from the 2000s feel extra special to me. I long to experience unboxing a brand new Bratz doll as an 8 year old in 2004 again.
Bratz, MyScene and PollyPocket are some of the most memorable doll lines for me, so I’m going to take a look back at my favourite dolls from each.
Polly Pocket ’Fashion Polly’ (Mattel 1999-) 🦋
Polly Pocket is best known for the pocket-sized playsets popular in the 90s, but most 2000s kids will be more familiar with ‘Fashion Polly’, miniature fashion dolls with chewable ‘Polly Stretch’ clothes that replaced the original playsets altogether by 2002.
Polly Pocket: Club Groove Par-tay bus
Fashion Polly came in larger playsets too which were really extra reflecting Polly’s lavish lifestyle - The 2004 Polly Pocket Club Groove ‘Par-tay bus’ folded out to reveal “a dance floor and lounge area and cool DJ stand that transforms into smoothie bar and café” (Mattel).
Polly Pocket: Hip Stylin Stage (2002), Polly Pocket: Glitz & Glam Pets (2007)
Fashion Polly will be forever memorable to me for its many little pieces of cute stretchy clothing and accessories, and for its adorable clear backpack packaging.
MyScene (Mattel 2004-2011) 🦋
A reimagining of Barbie and her friends designed to compete with Bratz. Although I prefer Bratz outfits overall, MyScene also put out some iconic collections.
The mid-2000s ‘McBling’ era of fashion is memorialized in 2005’s My BlingBling line (above) which gives us rhinestones, crop tops and micro minis.
Club Birthday Madison, MyScene goes Hollywood Lindsay Lohan
2005’s Club Birthday captures the 2000s obsession with extravagant displays of wealth reflected by its celebrity culture and by the popularity of reality shows like My Super Sweet Sixteen. Nolee's birthday car was also sold for this line and each doll had a sparkly neck or ankle tattoo. 2005’s My Scene Goes to Hollywood line even featured a Lindsay Lohan doll which is iconic.
Still from 2008 MyScene Snow Glam commercial, MyScene Snow Glam Chelsea
Snow Glam (2008), a personal favourite, fits perfectly into the ‘Russian bimbo’ aesthetic recent micro-trend, and iconic duo Madison and Kennedy embody the 2000s boho craze in I ♥ My Friends (2007).
Bratz (MGA 2001-present) 🦋
The most fashionable and important doll line of the 2000s.
As a kid I liked that Bratz felt more reflective of current fashion trends rather than of an adult’s idea of what tweens should like. Their reemergence as 2000s nostalgia style icons makes total sense because they were aspirational to so many children living through the trends the first time.
Bratz’ ‘core 4’ characters with different hair colours and skin tones set them apart from earlier dolls that had a blonde main character. While Bratz are celebrated for representing girls of colour who were often excluded from preceding doll lines, they have also been criticised for exploiting race as an “accessory” (Guerro 2009). Guerro points out the paradox underlining Bratz' “representation of difference” that reinforces “naturalized notions of whiteness” and consequently others people of colour. While Bratz diversity is a reason I prefer it to Barbie, both lines are produced by billion dollar corporations so I’m careful not to overemphasise their potential for promoting social change.
In contrast to Barbie’s consistently feminine pink style, Bratz assumed fluid identities determined by their fashion. Their exploration of style identities are manifested in Bratz many memorable sub-lines such as as Winter Wonderland 2003 featuring layering, frosted makeup and faux fur, and Pretty N Punk which amazingly revived punk style in 2005.
Some personal Bratz highlights for me are:
- 2007 Fashion Pixiez’ mini skirt over bootcut jeans uniform (above)
- the satin camisoles and tiny perfume bottles in 2004’s Sweet Dreamz (below)
- all three outfits from 2005’s Midnight Dance (2005) (below)
Summary of what makes 2000s dolls special :
I see the 2000s as a characteristically extra era of dolls, informed by cultural obsession with aspirational wealth and fame reflected in the popular ‘McBling’ aesthetic. Bratz and MyScene churned out collections based on slumber parties, international holidays and ski trips, and Polly Pocket produced elaborate playsets of shopping malls and pool parties. I can understand criticism of Bratz for promoting materialistic values to children and for ‘naturalis[ing] an upper-middle-class vision of the world’ (Guerrero). There’s way more I could say about this but I recommend Lisa Guerro’s The Commodification of Difference in the Bratz Dolls (2008) if you’re interested.
The maximalist approach the dolls took to style reflects the prevalence of a distinct tween aesthetic in the 2000s aka ‘tweencore’. Heart and flower motifs on PollyPocket clothes, heavy use of pink and purple, glitter and fluffy handles on Bratz boxes reflect the popularity of what Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute terms ‘curly girly’, the “ornate, playful, silly & frilly aesthetics marketed at young girls'' in the 90s and 2000s.
Post 2000s - Now 🦋
The excessive glamor that made Bratz special was lost for a dark period in 2015 in place of a more basic style influenced by 2010s trends like wedge sneakers, skater skirts and emoji print. One line was called ‘Fierce Fitness’ which I find so depressing. The 2010s Bratz lines weren't successful and were discontinued a year later in 2016.
Polly Pocket dolls have been available again since 2018 but sadly their outfits are really boring. 🙁
instagram @gcdswear 2021
Bratz return to cultural relevance as 2000s nostalgia icons is supported by their official Instagram posts of the dolls styled as iconic popular culture moments, and has manifested in the exciting first edition replica dolls released this year for their 20th anniversary. I’m also excited to see more Bratz collaborations such as the Bratz x GCDS dolls (above) which, from what I’ve seen, give us new and different Bratz looks that still feel onbrand. I would be happy to see more 2000s dolls make a comeback too.
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