lovebarbies
Mamè & Maisha
I just got the new #90 Fashionista! She is beautiful, but I'm morally conflicted about her.
I already think it was a bad idea to add new lighter & darker skintones when they already ignore the darker & paler skintones they already have. Are we really going to see articulated bodies with these complexions anytime soon? My real issue is that 2 of the new Fashionistas seem to be "inspired" by Malaville Toys. I don't care what anyone says, I am SURE that the new "albino" Fashionista is a copy of Alexa from Malaville Toys. Malaville Toys is a doll company based in South Africa, created by Mala Bryan. Alexa came out in September of last year, but was originally supposed be released in May. There was a lot of positive press around Alexa, and Mala shared plenty of pictures of her newest dolls leading up to the release. One of the characters in the Malaville debut line (Maisha) got a lot of attention when someone criticized the doll as being "too dark" and said that it was probably the least popular and suggested getting rid of her and keeping the other three. Mala Bryan defended her dark skinned doll, who was actually the second best selling in the line, and even made another character with the same skin tone named Viv.
Mattel is a huge company and they definitely keep tabs on all of the possible competition. With all of the recent attention Mala Bryan and her dolls have been getting it seems like Mattel has taken noticed and "borrowed" some of her ideas. Mamè has the same skintone as Maisha, and I see other similarities between them. While they don't look exactly alike, the two new Fashionistas are too similar to be a coincidence. I adore Mala Bryan & her dolls, and it's upsetting that a big company like Mattel would step on the heels of a smaller companie's success. While it's great to have more diversity in the doll world, Alexa hasn't even been out for a year and Barbie already has their own version of her. Hasn't Mattel gone after other doll lines for doing something similar?
The whole thing just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Mala Bryan puts so much love and effort into her dolls. She did her research on Albinism when creating Alexa and wanted to create conversation. Barbie will always be my top doll, but I can't get behind stealing ideas from a creator who put so much effort into building her brand. Sorry for the long rant.
Mamè & Maisha
I just got the new #90 Fashionista! She is beautiful, but I'm morally conflicted about her.
I already think it was a bad idea to add new lighter & darker skintones when they already ignore the darker & paler skintones they already have. Are we really going to see articulated bodies with these complexions anytime soon? My real issue is that 2 of the new Fashionistas seem to be "inspired" by Malaville Toys. I don't care what anyone says, I am SURE that the new "albino" Fashionista is a copy of Alexa from Malaville Toys. Malaville Toys is a doll company based in South Africa, created by Mala Bryan. Alexa came out in September of last year, but was originally supposed be released in May. There was a lot of positive press around Alexa, and Mala shared plenty of pictures of her newest dolls leading up to the release. One of the characters in the Malaville debut line (Maisha) got a lot of attention when someone criticized the doll as being "too dark" and said that it was probably the least popular and suggested getting rid of her and keeping the other three. Mala Bryan defended her dark skinned doll, who was actually the second best selling in the line, and even made another character with the same skin tone named Viv.
Mattel is a huge company and they definitely keep tabs on all of the possible competition. With all of the recent attention Mala Bryan and her dolls have been getting it seems like Mattel has taken noticed and "borrowed" some of her ideas. Mamè has the same skintone as Maisha, and I see other similarities between them. While they don't look exactly alike, the two new Fashionistas are too similar to be a coincidence. I adore Mala Bryan & her dolls, and it's upsetting that a big company like Mattel would step on the heels of a smaller companie's success. While it's great to have more diversity in the doll world, Alexa hasn't even been out for a year and Barbie already has their own version of her. Hasn't Mattel gone after other doll lines for doing something similar?
The whole thing just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Mala Bryan puts so much love and effort into her dolls. She did her research on Albinism when creating Alexa and wanted to create conversation. Barbie will always be my top doll, but I can't get behind stealing ideas from a creator who put so much effort into building her brand. Sorry for the long rant.