Sugar and Spice and Everything...Huh?
Written: Dec 17 '03 (Updated Dec 19 '03)
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Pros: Very cute Hispanic "Bratz Packer" with attitude and clothes to match
Cons: Snap-on shoes easily lost; the overall Bratz attitude and risque outfits
The Bottom Line: The third Bratz collection, 2002's "Xpress It!," is where the dolls really began wearing the outlandish, risque, borderline sleazy clothes that's become their trademark. Here's a case in point.
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| indigospot's Full Review: MGA Entertainment Bratz Dolls 2002: Yasmin |
It's true what they say, the third time is a charm! As a die-hard Barbie collector, I had neither the interest or money to obtain other dolls outside the realm of the "Plastic Princess." So it was that when MGA Entertainment debuted their line of "Bratz" fashion dolls in 2001, I mildly noted their presence on the shelves of my local Target, but didn't have the urge to buy them. The second collection, "Flaunt It!," came and went, but I still didn't bite.
When the third and fourth collections--"Xpress It!" and "Funk 'n' Glow," respectively--were released concurrently in late 2002, I started picking up the transparent trapezoidal packages and looking at the girls of the "Bratz Pack"--Cloe, Meygan, Sasha, Jade, and Yasmin. At that point, I was still sitting on the fence about purchasing one of the girls when I learned Mattel would release their answer to Bratz, "My Scene." My curiosity became insatiable, and I proceeded to the nearest Target to buy my first Bratz Packer, Xpress It! Yasmin.
If you've read my Barbie reviews, you shouldn't be surprised about my choice. Like my favorite Barbie doll, Teresa, Yasmin's (presumably) a Hispanic character. Having said that, she and all her friends share the same face mold, with obvious variations in skin, hair and eye color. In this instance, Yasmin's features are essentially different shades of brown.
Yasmin's oversized head is barely poseable. It can rotate easily enough, but it can only pivot up and down at a very limited range. Likewise, her tiny body features the same sort of restricted movement endemic in current Barbie dolls: no bendable or twisting waist, swiveling arms that dont bend at the elbow, and knees that can't bend to a full 90 degrees.
Initially, the Bratz Packers were presented in the unisex, extra large clothes characteristic of Hip Hoppers. But with the "Xpres It!" line, the girls are mostly dressed in tighter, more feminine and more revealing outfits. Accordingly, Yasmin comes with a tiny, midriff-revealing orange blouse; a blue gauze-like long-sleeved gathered blouse; denim shorts and bellbottom jeans (I know, they're called "boot cut" these days, but bellbottoms by any other name are still...).
And those boots! Yasmin comes with two pairs of brown "Snap on (more on that feature later)" platforms. The more interesting of the two comprises a strange fusion of wedge and heel which roughly form an "L" shape. Finally a purse (AKA "Bratz Bag") and star-shaped comb round out the set.
What's not to like about Xpress "It" Yasmin? Well, I have a couple of concerns. I don't care much for the "Snap On Shoes" concept. You may already know that the Bratz' legs are essentially feet-deprived stumps without them. I can easily see a child losing the shoes while playing. I suggest you buy a "Struttin' Style!" pack of shoes, with skin tones that match Yasmin's skin color. On a positive note, the shoes are large enough to enable her owner to stand Yasmin on her own two feet. The Bratz's outfits are hopelessly tiny for adult hands, putting them on and taking them off an be a chore!
Finally, Yasmin's facial expression, similar to that of all her friends, seems to me an expression of aggressive indifference, as if she's blissfully ignorant of anything outside her narrow world of shopping and (argueably) questionable taste in clothing. Is she smiling or sneering? Maybe I'm just reading too much into it...Because of the small size of Yasmin's accessories, keep "Xpress It!" Yasmin out of the reach of very young children.
Despite my reservations, I still like Yasmin overall. She's very cute! Although I'm an adult collector, I can understand the reluctance of some parents to buy the sometimes scantly clad girls. Use your own discretion! Otherwise, "Xpress It!" Yasmin is an excellent introduction to the Bratz experience.
Although Xpress It! Yasmin is no longer available at most major retail outlets as of this writing, I strongly recommend that you scour your local Toys 'R' Us, or KB Toys for the odd one or two remaining dolls that may remain in stock. Failing that, check out eBay--at the moment, you have the option of bidding on her at a reasonable price.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 12.95
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: 9 Years or Older
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Epinions.com ID:
indigospot
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Location: Oakland, CA
Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Artist, avid reader, comic book fan, toy collector, and obsessed Barbie doll collector since 1998
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