Flavas

Flavas was a line of dolls made by Mattel in 2003. The dolls were dressed in hip hop fashions and came with other accessories. Two of the dolls looked eerily similar to Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake. Christina Aguilera promoted the line during her and Timberlake's Justified/Stripped Tour. The line failed to sell and was discontinued in 2005.

The Flavas line appeared to be designed as a way for Mattel to tap into the 'urban' market and to reclaim sales ground lost to the more ethnic and trendy Bratz line. The dolls-Kiyoni Brown, Happy D, Tika, Liam, Peebo, and Tre-work hip hop/urban-inspired clothing and came with accessories such as cell phones and soda cans. Unlike more traditional Barbie dolls, the Flavas dolls had more points of articulation including jointed elbows and waists, allowing them to strike presumably more 'urban' poses. All of the dolls featured at least two variations which were packaged with two outfits and two pairs of shoes.

Unfortunately, Mattel appeared unclear of how to market the dolls. Everything about Flavas was different from Mattel's usual product. The dolls were clearly more ethnic-looking with more variation in the facial sculpts. The dolls also appeared designed to be edgier and more attitudinal that the usual Barbie. These dolls didn't go to the park with their little sisters or go on camping adventures. They were hip, wearing baggy jeans and initial necklaces. They also, apparently, had very little to do.

Unlike other Barbie dolls and her trendy but safe friends, the Flavas dolls had no backstory. They had no careers, did not appear to attend school, and seemed to do nothing more than 'hang'. Their packages were designed to provide them with an urban backdrop-a wall-against which to hang. Some of the accessories included with the dolls such as karaoke machines suggest that the characters were involved in the music business but this premise was never fully explored.

Some aspects of the Flavas dolls were considered offensive and it has been suggested that, rather than embracing hip hop culture, the dolls were actually making fun of it. On the website, the flavas talked in such a ridiculous way that any hip-hop dancer would be easily annoyed. It has also been suggested that the dolls were racially offensive in that Mattel portrayed negative sterotypes of African-Americans. The African-American male doll, Tre, had blond hair and, like the other dolls, apparently did nothing but hang. One version of the Kiyoni Brown doll, oddly named in that she had a surname, featured long blonde, streaked hair and frosted lipstick. The doll also wore a very short mini skirt and halter top, giving her the appearance of the standard "video hoochie".

Tellingly, Mattel failed to promote the dolls. The dolls premiered with little fanfare and there were few supporting products. While Flavas dolls could wear the standard Barbie and 12" fashion doll clothing, their feet (larger and flatter) could not fit into the small, arched shoes included with these outfits.

Just prior to the release of Flavas, Mattel released the My Scene Barbie line. These dolls were clearly designed to be similar to Bratz, including having removable feet, and were more in line with traditional Barbie products. The dolls were promoted as fun, fashionable, and hip but without the edge. Though the My Scene dolls were multi-ethnic, the skin tones were noticeably lighter and the details more subtle. While My Scene dolls were uptown hipsters, Flavas lived in the hood. Flavas were the dolls the My Scene dolls might have gone to buy some weed. Flavas were soon found only in mark down bins.

On a more positive note, Kiyoni Brown, the African-American doll, was one of the few standard-release African-American Mattel dolls to have much darker skin and more ethnic features.