Diva Starz

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Diva Starz was a series of fashion dolls created by Mattel Inc. during the Christmas shopping season of 2000. They are similar in design to the MGA Entertainment Bratz dolls released in 2001, and the Flavas dolls released by Mattel in 2003. Four dolls were offered in the original debut: Alexa, Tia, Summer, and Nikki.

The dolls all had "personalities" which were clearly defined on the now discontinued website, www.divastarz.com. (This site was replaced by http://divastarz.everythinggirl.com, which seems dead now ,after a few redirects! Added 2008) Alexa, the blonde hair, blue eyed doll, was known as an all-out fashionista," and identified herself as "your personal expert on style. She was the only girl who used a diary, and she was from France. Tia, a black doll with dark brown hair, was known as a "hip cool chick and a techno whiz." She enjoyed creating music. Summer, a redhead doll, ws known to "love the outdoors so much, that she'd bring it inside." Summer was a "model citizen" who would help out at shelters. Nikki, a brown haired doll, was a sporty girl who'd enjoy skateboarding and many other sports.

Each doll is approximately nine inches tall, with plastic clothing and combable hair. The owner can change the doll's outfits by snapping on different pieces of clothing. By using small metal contacts in the clothing and on the body, the doll "knows" which garment it is wearing, and will respond accordingly. Alexa, for example, replies with statements like "You have a great sense of style. I love my pink evening gown. Do you think it makes my eyes look bluer?"

After the success of the debut model, Mattel released the Diva Starz Fashion Dolls. While generally identical to the original line, these dolls have clothing made of fabric, and were thinner and had more accurate proportions. Also, the dolls will speak recorded phrases when a button on their backs is pushed. This collection of dolls did not include the Summer doll, but instead introduced the Miranda doll.

The Miranda doll was, like Alexa, a blonde girl but instead of blue, she has green eyes. She had pink streaks in her hair, and published a fashion magazine. On the website, her room gave several hints as to the fact that she was a fairly wealthy girl. According to the website, Tia, Alexa, and Nikki met Miranda at a rock concert while Summer was off on an Ocean Rescue Mission. They also met a black-haired girl that was 20 years old named Ashley, who didn't get to be produced as a doll.

With the introduction of the fashion doll, the robot dolls fell drastically in popularity, and Mattel discontinued them. After a few successful seasons with the fashion dolls, they to began to drop in popularity. In the end, Diva Starz soon became discontinued altogether, and Mattel went on to improving Barbie dolls and creating MyScene dolls.