My Scene
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My Scene is a line of fashion dolls introduced by Mattel in 2002. Produced to rival MGA's Bratz, the series has branched out into a popular ten-doll collection that is still in production today.
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[edit] Dolls
The doll series was first introduced in the Christmas season of 2002, to compete with the Bratz dolls. It included three dolls (Barbie, Madison, and Chelsea) with different ethnicities and personalities, and a collection of extra fashions for each character. By the beginning of 2003, two more lines were in production, introducing another female character, Nolee, and four male dolls. While the line originally had only three female characters, more dolls were slowly added to expand the line. There are now eleven My Scene friends:
Barbie - she is Euro-American and one of the original three characters, this time the blue-eyed blonde was recreated as a techno-fanatic. In 2006 she was removed from the line, supposedly moving to California. She was replaced by Kennedy who looks exactly like her. According to the official website, her look is "Original and Funky", Barbie's astrological sign is Libra, her fave hangout is at the spa, and she loves yoga, chatting with cute guys, going to the movies and going to parties with her friends . Her beverage is iced coffee and she can't live without her cell phone. Her pet is Yorkie.
Chelsea - she is Probably Hispanic, and she has reddish-brown hair and brown eyes. Chelsea is the artist of the group, and was one of the original dolls. She wants to be a fashion designer, and she is named after Chelsea District in New York City. Some Chelsea dolls are now sold with green eyes. According to the official website, her signature look is "original and funky", her astrological sign is Scorpio and loves retro clothing stores. Her prized possession is her notebook. She loves pets and her pet is Churro.
Madison - An African-American doll with blue eyes and long curly brown hair . She was one of the original three dolls. In Europe she is called Westley, but in the U.S. she is named after Madison Avenue. The official My Scene website states that she is an ultra uptown urbanite, she loves to travel in style, spends her time getting pedicures and manicures at her favourite spa and going shopping, her astrological sign is Leo, she lives with her dad and she can't go anywhere without her journal. Her pet is Bella.
Nolee - the first doll to be added to the My Scene line, she is Asian American. She has black hair and purple eyes (but in the films and The My Scene website her eyes are brown). She was originally the fortune-telling skater girl of the group and is one of three dolls who does not have a boyfriend. She is named after New York's Nolita. She is the best keeping secrets and the best friend to ask for advice and believes in good luck and karma. Her pet is Cookie.
Delancey - the second doll to be added to the My Scene line. She has red streaked blonde hair, green eyes and a spot in her cheek. She is from California and is often the hardcore skater and surfer chick. When she was first introduced she was in nearly every My Scene line, but hadn't appeared in any line until the recent "My Bling Bling Bikini" line where she was packaged in a spa giftset. She was named after Delancey Street in NYC, and is the Chelsea doll's cousin. The My Scene website say that she loves to hang out at the beach, her astrological sign is Taurus and her look is edgy, funky, and colorful. She has a sweet tooth, she is all about girl power and loves candy and hawaiin flowers. Her pet is Sugar.
Kenzie - a cross between special edition and regular character, Kenzie has only appeared four times since she was introduced in 2004. She has red hair and green eyes and is freckled. She is from Atlanta,Georgia, she works in the mall, her astrological sign is Cancer, she loves making people laugh and to bake tasty treats and her style is cute with a splash of southern sass. She and Nolee were very close.
Kennedy - Kennedy is the latest addition to the My Scene line, introduced in the "Fab Faces" line. She is identical to Barbie, with blond hair and blue eyes; this is noted in an online webisode where it is said the two "look like twin sisters". Kennedy is an Aquarius who is "a celebrity in training". She comes from Hollywood, California. She has completely replaced the character Barbie.
Bryant - The multi-cultural Bryant is the only My Scene doll to be officially discontinued. He was introduced in season two along with Hudson, and made his final appearance in season three. Originally created as a love interest for Chelsea, he was eventually marketed as Nolee's boyfriend. Because of his bushy brown hair, it is rumored he was created to look like American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini. He was named after New York's Bryant Park. Recently, a character who is identical to Bryant was featured in a webisode on Kennedy's homepage. He is not supposed to be Bryant, but a rock star who went to school with Kennedy in Hollywood.
Hudson - he is Euro-American and was one of the first male dolls to be introduced in the My Scene line. Her is a He is often romantically paired with Chelsea, but in other media the two appear as 'just friends'. Her fave is sport is soccer and her sign is capricorn. He is named after Hudson Park and Hudson River in New York.
River - Some sources say he is Hispanic, but no official My Scene media has said so. River is the most well-developed male character, most likely because he is Barbie doll's official boyfriend. Her look is total rocker , her sign is sagittarius and her fave music is Post-punk scene. He is presumably named after Hudson River.
Sutton - the only African-American male, Sutton is from England. His character is least developed of all My Scene males - the original doll came with art supplies, while later dolls came with musical and even computer accessories. He is sometimes romantically paired with Madison. He has an urban look, and her sign is aries. He is named after Sutton Park in New York.
Ellis - He is Euro-American and was created in the form of an updated version of Bryant, to the point that his introductory outfit is Bryant's second wave outfit in a different color. He is usually marketed as Delancey's boyfriend but he also appeared in a gift set with Barbie. Her sign is pisces and he loves going to movies. Ellis is named after Ellis Island and is often excluded from male lines.
Female dolls have the non-twisting belly-button body mold and share an all-new face mold that sports a small nose, wide cheekbones, and large, pouty lips. In some lines (beginning with "Night on the Town") dolls have rooted eyelashes. Like the Bratz, these dolls have large shoes that serve as feet, but they also have traditional Barbie feet and are able to wear regular Barbie shoes. Male dolls also share exclusive face molds, with body molds from previous male dolls. In 2004, new smiling face molds were produced for both male and female characters. These were only present for a short while on the female dolls, but male dolls were made with these molds until early 2005. Beginning with the "Club Birthday" line, their face molds were again changed to non-smiling molds that more closely resembled the "Bratz Boyz" line of dolls. Beginning with the "Swappin' Styles" line of 2006, two new face molds have been produced for female dolls -- one features a half-open smiling mouth, and another features a new, closed smirking mouth. This line also sees the return of the "Getting Ready" smiling face mold.
[edit] Lines
Dolls are generally sold in a line that contains Barbie, Chelsea, Madison and Nolee, and occasionally Delancey or the boys. With the exception of the first season, lines are always named according to the theme of the line.
2002
- Wave 1: Barbie, Madison and Chelsea.
2003
- "Spring Break": Barbie, Madison, Chelsea, Nolee (First Appearance), Hudson (First Appearance), and Bryant (First Appearance).
- "Back to School" Barbie, Madison, Chelsea, Nolee, Bryant (Last Appearance), Hudson, River (First Appearance) and Sutton (First Appearance).
- "Night on the Town" two-doll giftset: Barbie with River, Madison with Sutton and Chelsea with Hudson and Nolee with Bryant (Cancelled).
- "Night On The Town Sound Lounge" doll with Playset: Nolee.
- "Chillin' Out": Barbie, Madison, Chelsea and Nolee.
- "Vespa" giftset with Vespa scooter: Barbie, Madison and Chelsea.
- "Hanging Out": Barbie, Madison, Chelsea, Nolee, Delancey (First Appearance) Hudson, River, Sutton and Ellis (First Appearance).
- "Cruisin' in My Ride" two-doll giftset with convertible: Barbie with Ellis, Madison with Sutton and Delancey with Hudson.
- "A Ride in the Park" giftset with bicycle: Barbie, Madison and Nolee.
- "Tunin' In" giftset with radio (Target exclusive): Madison, Chelsea and Delancey.
2004
- "Jammin' in Jamaica" with DVD: Barbie,Madison, Chelsea, Nolee, Delancey, Hudson, River, Sutton and Ellis.
- "Jammin' in Jamaica: Surfrider" giftset with jetski: Madison, Chelsea and Tyson (Only Appearance).
- "Jammin' in Jamaica: Cruisin' the Boardwalk" two-doll giftset with tandem bicycle: Jai (Only Appearance) with Sutton, and Barbie with River
- "Getting Ready: My Room" giftset with closet: Barbie', Chelsea and Nolee.
- "Getting Ready: Out With the Girls" (all-male line): Hudson, River and Sutton.
- "Getting Ready: In My Tub" giftset with tub: Madison and Kenzie .
- "Getting Ready: Out and About" two-doll giftset: Madison with Sutton, Chelsea with Hudson and Delancey with Ellis.
- "Heartbreakers": Barbie and Madison.
- "Feelin' Flirty": Barbie, Madison, Chelsea and Delancey.
- "Shopping Spree":
- Barbie: Levi's
- Madison: Aldo
- Chelsea: Trinkets
- Nolee: Sephora
- Delancey: Traget (Target Exclusive)
- Kenzie with playset: Mall Must-Haves
- "Masquerade Madness" with DVD:
- Barbie: Butterfly Punk
- Madison: City Kitty and City Kitty with Loft (UK Exclusive)
- Chelsea: Mermaid Diva
- Nolee: Rocker Girl
- Delancey: Dream Genie
- Kenzie: Disco Derby
- Hudson: Boxer
- River: Elvis
- Sutton: Vampire
- Ellis: Pirate (Cancelled)
- "Dressed to Impress" Special Edition: Barbie and Madison.
2005
- "Miami Getaway": Barbie, Madison, Chelsea and Nolee.
- "Miami Getaway Vespa" giftset with Vespa scooter: Delancey and Kenzie.
- "Miami Getaway Happenin' Hotel" doll with playset: Delancey.
- "Club Birthday": Barbie, Madison, Chelsea, Nolee, Hudson, River and Sutton.
- "Day and Nite": Barbie, Madison, Chelsea and Nolee.
- "Teen Tees": Barbie, Madison, Chelsea and Nolee.
- "My Design Scene" (Target exclusive):
- Barbie:
- Design Scene (Pink Tee) (Same as Hangin' Out)
- Design Scene (Spaghetti Strap) (Same as Wave 1)
- Design Scene Giftset (Pink Tee)
- Design Scene Gifset (Spaghetti Strap)
- Madison:
- Design Scene (Green Top) (Same as Hangin' Out)
- Design Scene (Striped Top) (Same as Spring Break)
- Design Scene Giftset (Green Top)
- Design Scene Gifset (Striped Top)
- Chelsea:
- Design Scene (Striped Top) (Same as Jammin' In Jamaica)
- Design Scene (Flower Top) (Same as Wave 1)
- Design Scene Giftset (Striped Top)
- Design Scene Gifset (Flower Top)
- Nolee:
- Design Scene (Monkey Tee) (Same as Shopping Spree)
- Design Scene (Spaghetti Strap) (Same as Spring Break)
- Design Scene Giftset (Monkey Tee)
- Design Scene Gifset (Spaghetti Strap)
- Barbie:
- "Swappin' Styles": Barbie, Madison, and Nolee.
- "Secret Locker" giftset with locker: Barbie, Madison, and Chelsea.
- "My Scene Goes Hollywood": Barbie, Madison, Chelsea , Nolee, Lindsay Lohan (Only Appearance), Hudson and Ryan Ridley (Only Appearance).
- "My Bling Bling": Barbie, Madison, Chelsea and Nolee.
2006
- "Project Runway" (specially designed Barbie by Nick Verreos)
- "Mall Maniacs":
- Barbie: Claire's, Trinkets (Walmart USA)
- Chelsea: Skechers
- Madison: Bath & Bubble Boutique
- Nolee: Mudd
- Hudson: Made in the Shade
- River: Sound Town
- "Year of Style": Barbie, Madison, Chelsea and Nolee.
- "Street Style" : Barbie (Last Appearance), Madison, Chelsea and Nolee.
- "Fab Faces": Kennedy (First Appearance), Madison, Chelsea and Nolee.
- "Let's Go Disco" two-doll giftset: Kennedy with Chelsea and Madison with Nolee.
- "Un-fur-gettable": Kennedy, Madison, Chelsea and Nolee(Canada and Mexico Only)(Same as Madison).
- "Swappin' Styles" (2nd Edition): Kennedy, Madison, Chelsea and Nolee(Canada and Mexico Only)(Same as Madison).
- "City Stars": Kennedy, Madison, Chelsea and Nolee.
- "My Bling Bling Bikini" : Kennedy, Madison, Chelsea and Nolee(Canada and Mexico Only)(Same as Madison)
- "My Bling Bling Spa" giftset with Spa: Delancey and Nolee (Cancelled).
2007 (please do not remove for checklist reasons only)
- "Sporty Style": Kennedy, Madison, Chelsea and Nolee(Canada and Mexico Only)(Same as Madison).
- "Sailor Sweeties": Kennedy and Chelsea.
- "I Love My Friends": Kennedy with Madison and Chelsea with Nolee.
- "Roller Girls": Kennedy, Madison, Chelsea and Nolee.
- "Juicy Bling": Kennedy, Madison, Chelsea and Nolee(Canada and Mexico Only)(Same as Madison).
- "Rebel Style": Kennedy, Madison, Chelsea and Nolee(Canada and Mexico Only)(Same as Madison).
- "Roller Girls Remote Control": Kennedy and Madison.
[edit] Styles Heads
- "Styles Heads"(First Edition)): Madison, Chelsea, Nolee and Delancey.
- "My Bling Bling Styling Heads": Barbie and Madison.
- "Juicy Bling Styling Heads": Kennedy and Madison.
[edit] Playsets
- "My Café"
- "My Boutique"
- "My Club"
- "So Chic Salon"
- "Makeup Counter"
- "The Sound Lounge"
- "The Daily Dish Café"
- "Guava Gulch Tiki Lounge"
- "My Dressing Room"
- "Party Pad Loft" (based off of Madison's loft apartment)
- "Miami Getaway Happenin' Hotel"
- "Claire's accessory store"
- "Skechers shoe store"
- "My Bling Bling Spa"
[edit] Criticism
[edit] Company Infringement Lawsuit
In April 13, 2005, Mattel's competiting toy company, MGA Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against My Scene, alleging duplication of its popular doll line, Bratz property's multi-ethnic looks, fashions and packaging and accuses Mattel of engaging in acts of unfair competition and intellectual property infringement intended to damage its market share, confuse consumers and trade on the company's goodwill.
The lawsuit claims Mattel altered "My Scene" to look more like the multi-ethnic Bratz dolls, according to news reports. The lawsuit alleges MGA gave Mattel major competition with its Bratz property and My Scene was failing to attract young consumers, so it copied the Bratz product. [1][2]
Similarities between My Scene and Bratz dolls by characters:
- Madison - Sasha (by ethnicity)
- Barbie (later Kennedy) - Cloe
- Chelsea - Yasmin, and/or Meygan
- Nolee - Jade
- Hudson - Cameron
- River - Eitan
[edit] Movies
Beginning in 2003 with the "Hanging Out" line, dolls began to be packaged with DVDs that contained short video clips, music, and activities. This started a trend that sparked three My Scene movies, all of which have been aired on the TV station Nickelodeon.
Jammin' in Jamaica was the first My Scene movie, released on DVD in early 2004 as part of the "Jammin' in Jamaica" line. Madison is manager of a band called Urban Desire, which is made up of the four male characters. When the band wins a contest, they make a trip to Jamaica for the finals, but Barbie, Nolee, and Chelsea must raise the money to travel to Jamaica. After all the characters arrive in Jamaica, Barbie feels left out as her boyfriend, the lead guitarist, begins spending more time with Madison. This causes a rift between the friends but is eventually resolved.
Masquerade Madness was the second My Scene DVD, running 23 minutes long which was only half the length of Jammin' in Jamaica. This movie is centered around the Masquerade Madness fashion show, a fundraiser for the local animal shelter. Chelsea designs the fashions for the show all on her own, causing strain on her schoolwork. Failing in geometry and too embarrassed to tell her friends, she calls on Hudson's help in tutoring. As a result, her friends begin to think they are secretly dating. By the end, Chelsea has aced her geometry test and coordinated a successful fashion show.
My Scene Goes Hollywood was the first DVD movie to be sold apart from the dolls and the only one that was full-length. The film was distributed by Miramax Family Films. It featured a voice-over by actress Lindsay Lohan, who plays herself in the movie. The My Scene girls have received the chance to be extras in an action movie being filmed in New York. When one of the actresses is injured, Madison is called upon to take her place. She begins spending less and less time with her friends and develops a crush on the leading actor, Ryan Ridley. Madison ends up fighting with her friends because they embarrass her. In the end, Lindsay Lohan convinces Madison that friends are the most important thing to have, and the girls make up. Although the title suggests a trip to Hollywood, California, the whole movie actually takes place in New York.
The My Scene line features also features four special edition dolls who were only present in the My Scene movies. These included:
Tyson - He is American Native and supposedly a love interest for Chelsea, Tyson was sold with a doll-sized jetski in the "Jammin' in Jamaica: Surfrider" line.
Jai - dark-skinned and an American Native. She is from Jamaica and was sold in a giftset with Sutton in the "Jammin' in Jamaica: Bicycle Built for Two" line.
Lindsay Lohan - Mattel received special rights to create the only likeness of Lindsay Lohan for their "My Scene Goes to Hollywood" line.
Ryan Ridley - unlike Lindsay Lohan, he was a fictional character and his dark coloration in the My Scene Goes to Hollywood movie was different when produced as a doll.
[edit] References
- ^ >"Bratz Doll Maker Files Lawsuit Against Mattel", Promo, April 19, 2005.
- ^ >"MGA Entertainment Files Lawsuit Against Mattel", toys.about.com, April 14, 2005.