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Bratz Kids dolls are not more appropriate for young girls than the older version Bratz dolls.

Bratz Kidz dolls are a brand extenstion intended aimed at the 3-6 year old girl. The marketing of the dolls is that these little ones will eventually grow up to the Bratz dolls aimed at the 6-10 year old. The dolls send a wrong message to tender little ones and it is just a big toy company's efforts to secure brand awareness for future sales.

The dolls, in either version, are inappropriate because of their overly sexual nature. They are also inappropriate for younger girls because of their focus on materialism. The dolls teach a questionable message aimed at increased consumerism of young girls.

My background is in marketing as a student, as a product manager, and as an adjunct professor and I have always questioned the ethics behind the companies toy and food choices aimed at young children. The Bratz dolls raised a level of concern for me as the mother of two young girls in their target market. I want my little girls to be little girls for as long as possible.

The Bratz Kidz are modeled off their older self with each of the pouty, skimpily clad, and soft-port posed Bratz dolls as models. The Bratz Kidz are supposed to portray what their older version looked like as prepubescent little girls. The underlying message is that sexiness begins at age 3!

There are many more appropriate, fashionable, and fun dolls for little girls in the 3-6 age range that can deliver positive messages, afford hours of fun play, and let their innocence remain. The Bratz Kidz are a brand manager's attempt to keep his/her market share in wake of parental disapproval over the Bratz dolls. This is just a line extension gone bad. Bratz Kidz need a time out!

The love of play and dress up will always be a part of little girls adventure and play. There are more appropriate dolls on the market that allow them to make-believe, play dress-up, and have friends. The Bratz dolls in any form - online, doll, kidz, stuffed, book, coloring book, etc - all promote a form of sexiness or worth defined by wardrobe. Some of my favorite dolls for little girls in the 3-6 age range include:

1. Only Hearts Club. These dolls can grow up with the toddler, have appropriate tween body types, have books, and have healthy storylines like playing soccer, riding horses, or playing with puppies.

2. American Girl Bitty Baby. These dolls are appropriately sized for little ones and are the first doll that each of my daughters received. They can still play dress up and make believe. These dolls have multiple ethnicities and are appropriate for cuddling at bedtime.

3. Friends 2B Made. This extension of the Build-A-Bear Workshop brand includes the larger dolls as well as the smaller ones. The larger dolls have many wardrobe choices as well as dolls in multi-ethnic racial groups. They are fun for little girls because they can pick out the doll, have her stuffed, put a heart in her, add a voice, name her, and pick out clothes. They larger size is perfect for the toddler and preschool because they still are great to cuddle with their soft, age-appropriate body type.

There are only so many years that little girls get to be little girls. I strive to give my two daughters, ages four and six, opportunities for creative play without exploiting a sexual message. The Bratz Kids are absolutely inappropriate for young girls and won't make it into this home. There are so many other choices for doll play that send a positive message.

Learn more about this author, Taye Foster Bradshaw.
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