Bratz Series 2: A Lookin' Bratz Review!
Hey Angelz!
Bratz Series 2 Meygan, Kiana, Kumi, Nevra, and Dylan
Back in July, images of reproductions of XPress It! Meygan, Formal Funk Runway Disco Nevra, Wild Wild West Kiana, and Ooh La La Kumi were leaked in what would later become known as a collection titled Bratz Series 2. This collection was originally thought to be a reproduction of the second-ever Bratz collection, Flaunt It!, but was later changed to include other characters from the carousel of Bratz Pack members. This led to confusion for some fans, as well as excitement from those who wanted to recollect some of the characters that ended up getting produced. Months later, the dolls were finally released and I am excited to share that MGA Entertainment sent me the full collection prior to its release so I could give y’all the tea on what these dolls are all about! Keep reading for a detailed review on the Bratz Series 2 dolls, including tons of pictures plus details on the dolls’ hair, faces, accessories, and how they differ from the original releases!
the packaging
If you know classic Bratz, then you know that trapezoid-shaped packaging has been their gig since 2001 and the Series 2 dolls are no exception! Similar to the 20 Yearz dolls, which were reproductions of the original 2001 collection, the Series 2 dolls come in standard trapezoid packaging featuring holographic elements, character artwork, and character name and icon motifs. Each doll comes with two different outfits including a hat and second pair of shoes, a poster, and hairbrush; Dylan comes with a few extra accessories such as a necklace and sunglasses. The placement of outfits and shoes differs depending on how much space they take up in the box, while each poster is stored in the cardboard backing. The girl dolls—Meygan, Kiana, Kumi, and Nevra—have plastic shell packaging with cardboard inserts, while Dylan has a half-plastic/half-cardboard shell packaging.
This type of packaging is not uncommon for a doll like XPress It! Meygan or Boyz First Edition Dylan; however, this is the first time Wild Wild West Kiana, Ooh La La Kumi, and Formal Funk Runway Disco Nevra have received releases in this packaging. Kiana and Kumi were originally released in packaging designed for their respective collections. Nevra was originally released with the Formal Funk Super-Stylin’ Runway Disco playset. This series can be considered “scaled back” reproductions of dolls from themed lines, aside from Meygan and Dylan, as the dolls do not come with some accessories that came with the original dolls.
Along with new packaging for certain characters, there is new character artwork for Kiana, Kumi, and Nevra. Kiana and Kumi are 2001-ified versions of their 2005-style artwork, and Nevra is based off Passion4Bratz.com’s image of Formal Funk Runway Disco Nevra. Meygan, Nevra, and Dylan retain their original character icons. Kiana and Kumi, who previously did not have character icons, are given character icons to represent their “Outlaw Diva” and “Lucky Bug” nicknames, respectively. Kiana’s nickname was coined by Mar Cantos, a former Bratz content creator, who came up with the nickname for a social media post in 2020. Dylan’s artwork remains the same, but his release differs from Cameron’s 20 Yearz release as Dylan uses the 2002-style artwork and Cameron uses the 2003-style artwork.
The back of each box features solo character artwork similar to the Flaunt It! dolls, along with a bio, "I Come With” list of the box’s contents, and group character artwork at the bottom.
The Series 2 boxes are a cute update to the original boxes, and I must admit it is fun to see characters who did not originally come in this packaging style in them! This box style helps make Series 2 feel cohesive with and like a continuation of the 20 Yearz dolls from last year, plus they probably look amazing displayed next to them. Check the last picture in the gallery for barcodes!
the dolls, fashions, ‘n’ faces
Upon looking at each doll, I was really stunned by how closely they resembled their original counterparts from their faces to their clothing, yet feeling like they were brand-new dolls. There are some minor and major differences between some of the dolls, but that is to be expected with reproductions at this price point. One major difference I can point out is that none of the dolls have pierced ears, which most of them originally didn’t have to begin with except for Kiana and Kumi. Let’s get more in to what has remained the same and what has changed!
Meygan and Dylan are definitely the most faithful to their original dolls. The construction and feeling of Meygan’s clothing feels almost exactly the same as her original doll. Dylan, on the other hand, looks a lot like his original doll, but I have been told the fabric on his clothing do not feel quite the same. In what some may consider a major loss, Kiana does not have her blue hair beads or additional accessories. Kiana feels almost the same as her original doll, though I will note that her second top is not the most well-constructed and does not completely flatter her. Kumi does not come with any additional accessories, but does come with a new second pair of shoes as her original Ooh La La doll only came with one. Kumi’s dress feels different from her original, and the fabrics on her skirt and hat are different from the original doll. Kumi’s skirt feels bulkier compared to her original doll and the graphic on her shirt is bigger. Nevra is a unique circumstance because her Formal Funk Runway Disco doll did not come with a second outfit, but did come with a second pair of boots that are not featured in Series 2. Nevra’s second outfit is a rehash of her Secret Date outfit, which in turn was recycled from Girls Nite Out Jade—this is a neat way to release Jade’s “Casual-Cool Style” outfit since the Girls Nite Out 21st Birthday Edition dolls had to unfortunately cut them. However, Nevra comes with a recolored skin version GNO Jade’s sandal-type heels rather than the strappy heels or boots that Secret Date Nevra originally came with. Similar to the GNO 21st Birthday Edition dolls, I have noticed a lot of small plastic pieces being used to attach the dolls and clothing to the boxes. Make sure to use scissors or cuticle clippers to cut these ties out and don’t risk ripping any of the clothes by ripping the pieces out.
One major downside to the Series 2 dolls is that none of them come with bags. Personally, I feel the bags would have truly made the dolls feel more complete. I am sure that rising costs for doll production played a role in the dolls losing their original bags, plus the face application method used on the dolls is more expensive. Perhaps one minor good thing (handbags) had to be compromised in order to fight one majorly bad thing (wonky faces).
On the topic of face application… just like the GNO 21st Birthday Edition dolls, the Series 2 dolls use the original 2001 head mold (with the exception of Dylan who uses the 2002 Boyz head) and spray method for their face application. And it very much shows! The dolls’ faces are gorgeous and I have zero complaints about any of them. I do recognize that my dolls are samples from the company, so mine may differ from some of the batches released to retailers; but, the dolls are gorgeous throughout all of the batches from what I have seen! Dare I say that I feel some of the reproductions look better than the originals face-wise. Some are disappointed that Kiana does not have painted teeth or real eyelashes like her original doll. Some fans have speculated that Kiana’s teeth not showing may be due to some Indigenous tribes, such as the Nez Percé tribe in particular, not showing their two front teeth as this is seen as a sign of aggression in their culture, but this remains unconfirmed; I should also note that Kiana’s Indigenous background is also unconfirmed, but MGA has hinted that she is intended to be Afro-Indigenous. Another change to note is that Nevra uses the open mouth sculpt rather than her original closed mouth sculpt; this is the first produced Nevra doll (sans Lil’ Bratz Fashion Mall Nevra) to use the open mouth sculpt as the only other known Nevra doll that would have used the sculpt (Play Sportz Surfing Nevra) did not get produced.
If you’ve already read my explanation on how Bratz faces are applied, feel free to skip to the next section! If not and you’re interested in learning more, keep on reading! Nearly every Bratz doll between 2001 and 2014, except for a select few, has a face screening that was painted using the “spray” method. The spray method ensures the eyes are elongated across the face for a classic, sultry Bratz look. Between 2015 and 2016 (except for the V Files x Bratz doll), and for the Bratz 20 Yearz Special Edition dolls released last year, the “sticker” method was used to apply the dolls’ faces. The sticker method is hit-or-miss as the 20 Yearz dolls looked beautiful (in most cases), while it played a huge role in the discontinuation of the brand in 2016. A new method was introduced to the Bratz brand with the Rock Angelz reproductions last year, which is UV printing. UV printing is a more cost-effective method to apply dolls’ faces as spraying seems to be less common in the doll industry these days. Holiday Felicia, the GCDS dolls, Sweet Heart Meygan, and the JimmyPaul dolls also use the UV printing method. However, the GNO 21st Birthday Edition dolls reintroduced the spray method to the brand ever since the 2018 Collector dolls. Hopefully, the spray method will be the continued standard for the Bratz brand moving forward.
THE HAIR
A burning question for many fans is: What type of hair do the Series 2 dolls use? All of the dolls featured in this collection originally used saran hair, which was the standard for Bratz dolls during their prime years. In short, the Series 2 dolls use premium nylon hair. Read below for an overview on hair types used on Bratz dolls!
Just like the face printing method section, feel free to skip this portion if you’ve already read my explanations on the differences between Bratz hair types! Nylon hair appears to be a new standard for the Bratz brand, as is the case for most MGA doll brands (except for Dream Ella who has been using polypropylene, sorry girl!) since 2019, which is something I fully support. For context on some of the different hair types used on Bratz, nylon has often been confused with polypropylene, which is a hair fiber that was used in a majority of lines between 2008-2013 and is known for being hard to manage and prone to degrading over time, because of a name mix-up over a decade ago. Saran—which has been used on most Bratz released between 2001-2007, 2015-2018, and on most of the Bratz 20 Yearz Special Edition dolls (except for some later variants which use nylon) released last year—is a great hair fiber that has always satisfied collectors, though it is prone to yellowing and degrading over time. Nylon is another premium hair type that can be easily restyled with heated hair tools and is less likely to degrade over time like saran and polypropylene can do. Saran hair is harder to come by in certain colors and is not as commonly used in modern doll productions, so nylon provides a way for consumers to have these hair colors without resorting to using low-grade polypropylene. Nylon also tends to feel really nice and oftentimes better than saran, so I hope this is something that stays for most—if not all—future Bratz doll releases.
I personally enjoy nylon hair and prefer it in some cases. Some fans may be hesitant to accept nylon as the new standard for Bratz dolls because it tends to “poof” up on their heads (for example, the Rock Angelz 20 Yearz Special Edition dolls are often referred to as having “helmet heads”), but it seems that the rooting technique for this season’s Bratz dolls has significantly improved. If you are having trouble getting the factory product out of your dolls’ hair that makes it feel “crunchy”, I recommend washing it once (maybe twice depending on how much product is used) with dish soap then following up with a conditioner rinse; a boil wash is not necessary for nylon hair and can sometimes damage it, but a flat iron and other heated hairstyling tools may work better for styling their hair after it has been washed and dried.
Bratz Series 2 Underwear Details
the bodies
Unsurprisingly, the Series 2 dolls use the original 2001 bodies with the exception of Dylan who uses the 2003 Boyz body. While I am not the biggest fan of the original bodies and would like an upgrade in the future, the body keeps in line with the reproductions being mostly faithful to the original dolls. Similar to the GNO 21st Birthday Edition dolls, the body’s plastic is closer to the plastic on the original bodies and is less “matte” like other reproductions released in the past year. A fun detail I noticed is that the girls come with different colored underwear that matches their outfits!
other features
As I mentioned earlier in the article, all of the dolls come with a poster featuring character art. All of the girls come with a poster similar to the 20 Yearz dolls that featured character art of the Series 2 girls, while Dylan comes with a poster that features only his artwork. Again, the poster can be found in between the cardboard backing of the box.
where to buy
If you’re wondering where you can buy the Series 2 dolls, they are currently available online at Amazon (U.S. and international) and LOLSurprise.com (U.S. and international), and online and in-stores at Macy’s (U.S.). The dolls are expected to hit more retailers starting in January 2023, but I do not know which stores exactly (I am expecting Target to be one of them) and recommend staying tuned to the official Bratz social media channels for that info!
I am not sure where the Series 2 dolls will be sold outside of the United States nor will I be able to post about it, but my best advice is to contact local retailers to see if they’ll be selling them, especially if those retailers sold the 20 Yearz dolls last year! International fans also have the option of checking the retailers listed on MGA Entertainment’s Where To Buy webpage or contacting their international offices for more info. The dolls retail for $26.99 USD and seem to be going on sale pretty often; please ignore prices that are higher than this on websites like Amazon and Walmart—these websites allow third-party sellers to sell on their platforms and any prices higher than the retail price are from these sellers, not from the companies.
I want to mention this because I know a lot of fans may worry about the dolls being sold out at some retailers. I need to reiterate this: do not worry! The dolls will likely be restocked. As to when restocks will happen, you will have to keep up with that on your own as there are never set dates for restocks. More than enough dolls have been produced for people to purchase, so be patient and make sure to not give in to reseller prices!
Below is a list of links of some places you can purchase the Series 2 dolls!
Bratz Series 2 Meygan: Amazon, MGA Website, Macy’s, Walmart
Bratz Series 2 Kiana: Amazon, MGA Website, Macy’s, Walmart
Bratz Series 2 Kumi: Amazon, MGA Website, Macy’s, Walmart
Bratz Series 2 Nevra: Amazon, MGA Website, Macy’s, Walmart
Bratz Boyz Series 2 Dylan: Amazon, MGA Website, Macy’s, Walmart
overall thoughtz
Overall, I am impressed with the Series 2 dolls! Was this lineup random and do all of the characters look like they are going to different places? Definitely! But, each Bratz character is meant to have a unique personality and that shines through in this line. I do wish MGA would consider producing new playline concepts for Bratz, but this collection is a nice way for collectors both new and old alike to become acquainted with more of the brand’s secondary characters. I, of course, am incredibly happy that Kiana has made a comeback after seventeen years; she was my very-first Bratz doll and I am ecstatic to have her back in my collection! Not only does this collection give collectors and fans the chance to recollect some iconic Bratz dolls, but also pave the way for more characters to re-join the brand. I do hope that, if we don’t get new playline in the next year, we at least get a Series 3 set featuring more secondary characters! Which characters would you want to see in a potential Series 3 collection? Let me know in the comments.
On another note, I do think many fans—including myself—are wondering why MGA chose this set of characters for this collection. I wrote a theory on Twitter a few months ago when the dolls first leaked, so I’ll give a brief explanation of it here. In short, I think that MGA is looking to familiarize fans with secondary characters so they can bridge them into new media, such as the Flaunt Your Fashion game and the potential new series. There are definitely more secondary characters being featured in the video game, so it only makes sense to produce dolls of them to meet fan demand. And what better way to reintroduce these characters than in their original introduction looks? Aside from Kumi, whose first release was in the Tokyo A Go-Go Collector’s Edition line, of course. Regardless, I hope fans get to enjoy this batch of dolls and take advantage of being able to get them at affordable prices! At this point, anything is possible for the Bratz brand and I am intrigued to see what the future holds…
Thank you again to MGA Entertainment for gifting me this set of Series 2 dolls, and thank YOU for reading this article about the dolls!
I hope you keep checkin’ out Lookin’ Bratz for more news and reviews in the future! Make sure to check out my YouTube unboxing video for another look at the dolls and subscribe for more Bratz videos.
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Curious about what else the Bratz brand has in store? Keep up with everything we know about the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 doll releases on the Bratz 2022 Masterpost!
xoxo
