Flavas

Flavas was a line of dolls made by Mattel in 2003 to compete with the Bratz line by MGA Entertainment. The dolls were dressed in hip hop fashions and appeared to be designed as a way for Mattel to tap into the 'urban' market.

Dolls

The dolls - Kiyoni Brown, Happy D, Tika, Liam, Peebo, and Tre - wore hip-hop/urban-inspired clothing and came with accessories such as cell phones and soda cans. Unlike more traditional Barbie dolls, the Flavas dolls had more points of articulation including jointed elbows and waists, allowing them to strike presumably more 'urban' poses. Flavas ranged in height from 10.5 inches to 11 inches. All of the dolls featured at least two variations which were packaged with two outfits, two pairs of shoes, and stickers. The packaging that the dolls came in also doubled as a doll stand.

Criticism

Some aspects of the Flavas dolls were considered offensive and it has been suggested that, rather than embracing hip hop culture, the dolls were actually making fun of it. It has also been suggested that the dolls were racially offensive in that Mattel portrayed negative stereotypes of African-Americans, such as Kiyoni Brown, who wore a very short mini skirt and halter top, giving her the appearance of the standard "video hoochie".

It was also suggested that the Flavas were unsuitable role models for children as they encouraged children to engage in illegal activities such as graffiting. The dolls were not liked by rappers and hip-hoppers because they thought that the dolls were making fun of their culture.