My Scene
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My Scene dolls Chelsea and Kennedy from the Foto Fabulous collection | |
| Type | Fashion doll |
|---|---|
| Company | Mattel |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | 2002–2011, 2016-present |
My Scene were an American series of fashion dolls created by Mattel in 2002. Mattel's Barbie character is one of the dolls in the My Scene line, and the My Scene dolls have slim bodies similar to earlier Barbie dolls, but with larger heads.[1] The New York Times described their features as "exaggerated lips and bulging, makeup-caked eyes."[2] My Scene were designed to appeal to the tween market and compete with the Bratz dolls from MGA Entertainment.[1][3] The series originally consisted of three female characters, but was expanded to eventually include ten different dolls.
Dolls
The My Scene series of dolls was first introduced in the fall season of 2002, before the 2002 Flavas, to compete with the Flava dolls.[1][3] It originally included three dolls: Barbie, Madison, and Chelsea, with different ethnicities and personalities, and 2 extra fashions for each character. The characters (except Barbie) were named after different locations in New York City. More dolls were eventually added to the series, starting with in 2003 with Nolee, and three male characters, Bryant, River, and Hudson. Delancey and Ellis premiered in the "Hanging Out" line, which debuted in late 2003. Kenzie debuted in the "Getting Ready Line" of 2004 and Nia debuted in 2008. There are seven characters in the My Scene series (Kennedy, Madison, Chelsea, Delancey, Nia, Hudson, and River), six discontinued characters (Barbie, Nolee, Kenzie, Bryant, Ellis, and Sutton) and four special edition dolls (Lindsay, Jai, Tyson and Ryan). Each of the My Scene girls (and three of the boys) own pets.
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 and glittery eyes. 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. In 2007, a somewhat controversial doll line was launched called, "Growing Up Glam", and by turning a key in the back of the doll, you can make her begin to grow taller and begin to grow breasts, similar to the infamous "Growing Up Skipper" Barbie doll. It was announced recently that My Scene will be making a comeback in 2016, more to come.
Bratz lawsuits
On April 13, 2005, Mattel's competing toy company, MGA Entertainment filed a lawsuit against My Scene, alleging duplication of its Bratz dolls, their multi-ethnic looks, fashions and packaging. The suit further 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."[4][5] Mattel had previously sued MGA Entertainment, alleging that Bratz creator Carter Bryant was working for Mattel when he developed the idea for Bratz in 2009,[6] and had taken the idea to MGA secretly. MGA developed the first-generation fashion dolls while obscuring Bryant’s involvement. The MGA toy makers sought 1 billion dollars in damages testifying that Mattel violated antitrust laws.[7]
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 Nickelodeon cable channel. The My Scene line features also features four special edition dolls who were only present in the My Scene movies. These include the African-Jamaican characters Jai and Tyson from Jammin' in Jamaica and Lindsay Lohan and Ryan Ridley from My Scene Goes Hollywood. Mattel received special rights to create the only likeness of Lindsay Lohan for the line. Ryan Ridley is a fictional character created for the movie.
My Scene: Jammin' in Jamaica was the first My Scene movie, released on DVD in early 2003 as part of the "Jammin' in Jamaica" line. It was directed by Eric Fogel. 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.
My Scene: Masquerade Madness was the second My Scene DVD, running 23 minutes long, 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 full-length movie. The film was directed by Eric Fogel and distributed by Miramax Family Films. It featured a voice-over by actress Lindsay Lohan, who plays herself in the movie. Kelly Sheridan of the Barbie film series takes over the role of Barbie. In order to see it up close, the My Scene girls pretend 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.
Characters
Kennedy is a white girl with blonde hair, light skin and blue eyes. She replaced Barbie in 2006, after Barbie moved to California. Kennedy is an Aquarius who is "...a celebrity in training" and came from Hollywood. She is named after John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and her pet is Yorkie a dog.
Barbie is "...cute but edgy", with pale skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. Her birthday is September 30 and her astrological sign is Libra. Her favorite place is the spa and she loves yoga, massage and pedicures, chatting with cute guys, and going to movies and parties with her friends. Her favorite beverage is iced coffee and she can't live without her cellphone. River is her boyfriend. She moved to California and was replaced by Kennedy.
Madison (Westley in Ireland and the UK) is Jamaican-American, with brown skin, light blue eyes and medium brown hair. She was one of the original three dolls and the 'shopper' of the gang. According to the official My Scene website, she is an urban girl, who enjoys traveling in style, spending her time getting manicures at her favorite spa and going shopping. She is romantically paired with Sutton. Her birthday is August 3 and her astrological sign is Leo. She lives with her father and can't go anywhere without her journal. In Europe she is called "Westley", for unknown reasons (perhaps to have the same final -ee syllable on her name as the other girls), but in the US she is named after Madison Avenue, a major shopping district. Her pet is Bella.
Chelsea has tan skin, brown eyes and auburn hair. Chelsea is an artist and was one of the original dolls. She wants to be a fashion designer and according to the official website, her signature look is "...original and funky." Her birthday is November 10 and her astrological sign is Scorpio. She loves retro clothing stores, her prized possession is her notebook and she loves pets. She is named after the Chelsea neighborhood in New York City and her pet alternates between Mambo and Churro.
Nolee is of Japanese-American descent, with black hair, pale skin and purple eyes. She was the fourth doll in the My Scene line and is a fortune-telling skater girl. Her birthday is May 24 and her astrological sign is Gemini. She dated Bryant until 2003, the year Bryant was dropped from the My Scene line. According to the official website, she is good at keeping secrets, believes in good luck and karma, and her look is sporty. She was discontinued in the shows. She is named after Nolita in New York and her pet is Cookie.
Delancey is of mixed Irish and Italian ancestry. This doll was originally produced with maroon-streaked platinum blonde hair, green eyes, pale skin and a beauty mark on her cheek. In 2007, she was produced with dark brown hair with blonde streaks and blue eyes. She is from California and is a skater and surfer. She is Chelsea's cousin. According to the My Scene website, she enjoys the beach. Ellis is her boyfriend. Her birthday is May 10 and her astrological sign is Taurus. Her look is edgy, funky, and colorful. She was named after Delancey Street in New York City. Her pet is named Sugar.
Kenzie has red hair, light freckled skin, and green eyes and is from Atlanta, Georgia. Kenzie has appeared four times since she was introduced in 2004. She and Nolee were very close and, according to the official website, Kenzie works in a shopping mall. Her birthday is June 25 and her astrological sign is Cancer. She likes to make people laugh, and her style is characterized as "cute." Her pet is unnamed, and was a repaint of Barbie's dog, Yorkie.
Nia has hazel eyes, tanned skin and light brown hair. The newest of the group, she was introduced in 2008. Born in Mexico City, she now lives in Miami. She is a DJ. The official website says that she likes to be loud, funny, and the life of any party. Her astrological sign is Libra and she loves reading romance books. Nia is often confused with Barbie due to the wrong listing of name on the Masquerade Madness Box. Nia almost always comes with green eyes, light brown hair, and a flower around her neck.
Boys
Bryant has green eyes and strawberry blonde hair. He was introduced in season two along with Hudson, and made his final appearance in season three. According to the official website, he is an Aquarius born on February 6, snacks on wasabi green peas, loves video cameras, likes to skateboard and would never watch a buddy cop movie. He is probably happiest when he's behind a camera, as he love documenting every moment. He was marketed as Nolee's boyfriend. It is rumored he was created to look like American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini. Recently, a character identical in appearance 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. Bryant was named after New York's Bryant Park. Bryant was discontinued in 2003.
Hudson is Euro-American with light-blue eyes, light skin, and blonde hair. He was one of the first male dolls to be introduced in the My Scene line and is often romantically paired with Chelsea. According to the official website, his favorite sport is soccer, he likes to hang out in Central Park, he gets around on foot, and cell phones are his pet peeve. He is named after the Hudson River in New York, and his sign is Capricorn due to his December 23 birthday.
River has dark hair, a light skin tone and brown eyes. He is Barbie's boyfriend. According to the official website, he is a rock musician, his birthday is on December 3 or 6 and his sign is Sagittarius. His favorite music is the post-punk genre, he snacks on tofu dogs, and likes girls with a great smile. He lives for music, as he feels it's the only way he can express himself, so he plays with a couple of different bands. He is also named after the Hudson River in New York.
Sutton is African-British with dark brown or black hair, dark skin and brown eyes, and he is from London. His character is less developed than those of Hudson and River; the original Sutton doll came with art supplies, while later dolls came variably with musical and computer accessories. He is sometimes romantically paired with Madison and, according to the official website, he has an urban look. He was born on April 17 and his sign is Aries. His favorite food is fries, although "[he] calls 'em "chips," he makes his own music, and looks for a girl who's "sweet... but can get sassy, too!" He really likes New York City. He is supposed to be a bit of a ladies' man, as well as a fantastic dancer. He is named after Sutton Place in New York.
Ellis is characterized as Euro-American, with brown hair, a light skin tone, and green eyes. He is Delancey's boyfriend. According to the official website, his birthday is March 1 and his sign is Pisces. His favorite food is New York pizza, he drinks chai tea, and takes acting lessons with the hope of one day being in movies, although he does not want to become a shallow LA movie star. He was somewhat scared of acting at first, but now he really enjoys it, saying "performing is such a rush". Ellis was the least produced of the My Scene boys, and was discontinued in 2009 after he moved. He is named after Ellis Island in New York.
References
- 1 2 3 "Barbie gets hipper, trendier to fight the competition". USA Today. November 22, 2002. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
- ↑ "A Makeover of a Romance". The New York Times. February 9, 2006. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
- 1 2 "Toys: Flavas Of The Week". Newsweek. August 4, 2003. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
- ↑ "Bratz Doll Maker Files Lawsuit Against Mattel". Promo. April 19, 2005.
- ↑ "MGA Entertainment Files Lawsuit Against Mattel". toys.about.com. April 14, 2005.
- ↑ Goddard, Jacqui (December 11, 2006). "Barbie takes on the Bratz for $500m". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
- ↑ Pettersson, Edvard. "Mattel Wins Dismissal of MGA Entertainment's $1 Billion Antitrust Lawsuit." Bloomberg. BLOOMBERG L.P., 22 Feb. 2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2012. <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-22/mattel-wins-dismissal-of-mga-entertainment-s-1-billion-antitrust-lawsuit.html>
External links
- MyScene U.S.
- MyScene UK
- My Scene Goes Hollywood at the Internet Movie Database
- My Scene Jammin' in Jamaica at the Internet Movie Database
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