Out of the Box: The Bratz Boyz

Back: Bratz Boyz Cade and Eitan
Front: Lil' Bratz Deavon, Mikko, Colin and Lakin

When people ask me why I collect dolls and figures, I usually say something about art and/or nostalgia.  Unless they're asking about my collection of Bratz Boyz, in which case I say "I don't know; I just like the things!"

These dolls aren't particularly poseable (having only 5 simple joints), and are limited in their clothes sharing because of their sculpted shoes (which are attached with pegs).  And yet there's something about their disproportionate heads and cartoonish features that I find incredibly appealing.

Dylan and Western Cade

I picked up an original Dylan in 2010 after finding him in a clearance bin at Winners after having heard hearing that his clothing would the right size to share with Secretdoll Binu.  But after taking him out of the box I realized that he was an appealing doll in his own right, and instead of being looted for his clothes, he ended up living on my desk.


Fast forward about a year, and I found a Cowboy edition Cade in the same shop for a similarly low price.  This time, it was the hat that I wanted to pass along to another doll, and yet once again I found myself fond enough of the doll that he ended up as part of my permanent collection.

Despite being fond of them, these two didn't make the cut when I moved, and so went off to storage.  At which point I realized that I missed having their exaggerated features around - so when a low-priced Eitan showed up on ebay, and different version of Cade appeared on Amazon, my collection was restarted.

Cade and Eitan

And having bought one, other Bratz Boyz started showing up on my recommendations lists on both sites, which is how I discovered the smaller Lil Bratz line, and brought home the "Nighttime Style" set of four.  Like their larger counterparts, these dolls have simple joints, sculpted shoes and cartoonish faces.  And like their larger counterparts, I think they're fabulous.

Deavon and Mikko