My knee jerk reaction to MGA Bratz The Movie Movie Making Set with Sharidan was, “Oh God, here we go again, pushing hypersexual celebrityhood on girls.” But when I watched the little demo video on Amazon I discovered that is this is kinda a cool tool. The movie camera actually works, enabling kids to make stop motion animation. Now, I agree with my grandfather, who was an arts educator and painter, that coloring books are a bad thing because it’s better to free your creativity and not to be confined by boundaries. In a sense this Bratz toy is also like a coloring book: it allows the child to “fill” specific perimeters, such as the gender-specific starlet archetype, which ultimately is unhealthy. But maybe out there is some artsy girl (or boy as some gender-bender parents may have gifted) that will discover the world of animation from this little toy. When I was a kid I played with GI Joe and was able to construct alternate worlds with my “doll” that did not conform to the usual stereotypes.
But… I have to admit that once I saw the price tag and the Movie Mansion accessory (see below), my draw dropped. Are toys really that expensive now? Who can afford this crap? I think money would be better spent on a Flip camera instead, coloring books be damned!
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