Bratz' boss sees sales up on film, rebuffs critics

By Justin Grant

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The reputation of MGA Entertainment's Bratz dolls for sass and sexiness is undeserved, Chief Executive Isaac Larian told Reuters, and "Bratz: The Movie" will cast them in a "wholesome" light through themes like friendship and education.

Bratz, launched in 2001, is a line of skinny, big-headed dolls that sometimes wear belly shirts, short skirts and fishnet stockings.

In less than a decade, the dolls have become popular enough to engage Mattel's Co.'s (MAT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) 48-year-old Barbie in a fierce battle for young girls' loyalties -- along with their parents' money.

Privately held MGA says it has sold more than 150 million of the dolls so far, and Larian said he sees the movie -- which premieres on August 3 -- boosting demand, sending yearly sales up from anywhere between 50 and 100 percent.

Bratz is currently seeing "double-digit" sales growth, Larian told Reuters in an interview.

But the dolls have frequently been mentioned as a culprit in recent campaigns to limit young girls' exposure to sexual imagery.

Earlier this year, the American Psychological Association cited Bratz for "sexualized clothing" in its report on the effect inappropriate marketing has on the minds of young girls.

And last year, a survey of more than 1,000 mothers with daughters aged 4 to 9 commissioned by AG Properties -- which owns the Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears and Holly Hobby properties -- found that 80 percent thought today's dolls are too provocative for young girls.