Scholastic Pulls Plug on Bratz Dolls Books

Posted on September 18, 2008

Scholastic has decided to pull the plug on the Bratz dolls books, because of complaints from parents that the dolls are too sexy for young children and promote an inappropriate message. An anti-Bratz dolls campaign sent over 5,000 complaining emails to Scholastic.

The largest distributor of children's books to Canadian schools has decided to yank all Bratz books from its roster after parents and psychologists complained that the controversial dolls promoted "precocious sexuality."

Scholastic Inc. distributes its products through school-based book fairs and clubs, selling books to students and teachers at discounted prices. But after a persuasive North American campaign spearheaded by the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, the company has relented and pulled books and products featuring the popular Bratz dolls.

The company confirmed yesterday that its fall product line for schools no longer includes the Bratz brand -- a switch from last year, when Scholastic said the books appealed to "reluctant readers" and its job was to "offer materials that appeal to children where they are, not where we would like them to be."

The Bratz book line is a spinoff of MGA Entertainment Inc.'s top-selling fashion dolls, which have gained notoriety for their skimpy wardrobe of miniskirts, high-heel boots and feather boas. A New Yorker article about the powerhouse of marketing behind the brand described the appearance of the dolls as being akin to "kept girls," "pole dancers on their way to work at a gentlemen's club," and, most critically, wearing "the sly, dozy expression of a party girl after one too many mojitos."

We haven't run across the Bratz books, but we are certainly familiar with the dolls and other products. Many parents hate the dolls with a passion, so it's not surprising that this happened.

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