Bratz (TV series)
| Bratz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Based on |
Bratz by Carter Bryant |
| Developed by | Peggy Nicoll |
| Written by | Peggy Nicoll |
| Directed by | Mucci Fassett |
| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer | Matthew Gerrard |
| Opening theme | "Bratz TV Theme" by Lauren Evans |
| Ending theme | "Bratz TV Theme" (instrumental) |
| Composer(s) | Matthew Gerrard |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 40 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Isaac Larian |
| Producer(s) | |
| Editor(s) | Michael Bradley |
| Running time | 21 minutes |
| Production company(s) | |
| Distributor | Lionsgate Television |
| Release | |
| Original network |
Cartoon Network 4Kids TV |
| Picture format | |
| Original release | September 10, 2005 – February 26, 2008 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Bratzillaz |
Bratz (also known as Bratz: The Series) is a computer animated television series based on a line of toy dolls of the same name. It is produced by Mike Young Productions, MGA Entertainment, and Lionsgate Television, and premiered on Cartoon Network and 4Kids TV. The show aired from September 10, 2005 to October 14, 2006. In 2008, the show was renewed for season 2. The show is about four adolescents who run their own teen magazine.
The voice actors are Olivia Hack, Soleil Moon Frye, Tia Mowry, Dionne Quan, Wendie Malick, Lacey Chabert, and Kaley Cuoco. In season 2, the voice actors are unique, Britt McKillip, Britt Irvin, Dorla Bell, Maryke Hendrikse, Ellie Harvie, Kelly Sheridan, and Ashleigh Ball. Other Bratz shows such as Bratzillaz and Bratz: C.I.Y. Shoppe Webseries have a different plot and they are reboots. Bratz also had a lot of films. Some of them had the Bratz Babyz and Bratz Kidz characters or the Bratz in their original style. They featured season one actors and season two actors. The show also spawned video games based on the films.
Plot
The show takes place in a fictional city called Stylesville. The show is about four adolescents (Cloe, Jade, Sasha, Yasmin) running their own teen magazine, Bratz, which was established after Jade was fired from an internship. They also go to school at Stiles High School (also known as Stiles High) where they take their favorite classes including a fashion course and becoming cheerleaders. Their rival magazine is Your Thing, owned and run by their business rival, Burdine Maxwell, who self-proclaims herself as "The Reigning Queen of Fashion", and the interns are mean twins Kirstee and Kaycee, who call themselves the Tweevils. The girls' adventures are exploited throughout the series, both in and outside of Stylesville.
Characters
Main characters
Bratz Magazine
Cloe (Angel) (voiced by Olivia Hack in season 1; Britt McKillip in season 2): Cloe is the leader of Bratz and in charge of the "Dear Cloe" column in the magazine. Cloe is also very dramatic about every situation (Sasha sometimes calls her "Drama Mama" because of this) and prone to outbursts. Nevertheless, Cloe is a very supportive friend. She's very outgoing and is a brilliant speaker therefore good at acting and debating. She is girly and wants to be swept of her feet by her Prince Charming and living in her own world most of the time. Although she has her passion for fashion, she dabbles in a tomboy side with skateboarding and rides a motor cycle. Her love interest is Cameron.
Sasha (Bunny Boo) (voiced by Tia Mowry in season 1; Dorla Bell in season 2): Sasha is the music editor of the group. She is an avid music lover and a talented hip hop dancer. Sasha is a perfectionist and can be quite controlling, this gets her into trouble. However, Sasha has a good heart and admits to her wrongs in the end. She is portrayed quite like a tomboy and often wears cargo. She is never afraid to show her opinion and will always stand up for what's right. She sometimes comes across as hotheaded but will do anything for her gal pals. She does not have a set love interest.
Jade (Kool Kat) (voiced by Soleil Moon Frye in season 1; Britt Irvin in season 2): Jade is the fashion editor of the group. Jade is generally very bubbly. She is a real fashionista with nothing to hide. She's also open and friendly. Jade can be sensitive also. When she got fired from her internship at "Your Thing" magazine by Burdine Maxwell, it was then the girls decided to make their own magazine. Jade is fierce and very flirty. She doesn't have a specific love interest because she is mostly dating and has quite a few different boyfriends and dates.
Yasmin (Pretty Princess) (voiced by Dionne Quan in season 1; Maryke Hendrikse in season 2): Yasmin is the soft and pretty one in the group. She also has a passion for literature and animals. She is the most sensitive and sweet. She is generally a friend orientated but a very intelligent individual. She is very smart and cares about others passion therefore owning her own animal shelter. She often helps the others with school work therefore indicating she has quite high standing marks out of all the girls. Her love interest is Eitan.
Your Thing Magazine
Burdine Maxwell (voiced by Wendie Malick in season 1; Ellie Harvie in season 2): Burdine Maxwell is the head of Your Thing Magazine who is unintentionally responsible for Jade and her friends creating Bratz Magazine, since she was the one who fired Jade in the first place. She is quick to anger, impatient, and bossy. She does not show towards her pet Miniature Pinscher Royale. A running gag in the show is that whenever a person says something that Burdine finds insulting, she will say "Do you know who I am? I am Burdine Maxwell: the founder, president, and editor-in-chief of Your Thing Magazine, and the reigning Queen of Fashion!" and "Mother of Pink!" The Tweevils have a tendency to call their boss Birdface among other names, but only when Burdine is not around. Like the Tweevils, Burdine is also a twin and has an almost identical sister named Burnice.
Kirstee (voiced by Kaley Cuoco in season 1; Ashleigh Ball in season 2): Kirstee is one of two twin sisters called the Tweevils. She is the oldest of the Tweevils.
Kaycee (voiced by Lacey Chabert in season 1; Kelly Sheridan in season 2): Kaycee is the other twin in the duo. She appears to be slightly unintelligent compared to Kirstee who often calls her dumbsicle. The two do not get along very well, often getting into short fights. Kaycee wears an adhesive bandage on her nose. According to Sasha, this was a results of three nose jobs following accidents involving it. The nose is commonly used in a running gag where if Kaycee something (or someone) hits her nose, Kaycee will say "Ow, my nose!".
Supporting characters
Cameron (voiced by Charlie Schlatter in season 1; Ian James Corlett in season 2): Cameron is a good friend to the Bratz. He's in love with Cloe and her main love interest.
Dylan (voiced by Ogie Banks in season 1; Adrian Holmes in season 2): Dylan is another boy who has a habit of annoying the Bratz, usually resulting them in saying "Goodbye Dylan!".
Eitan (voiced by Josh Keaton in season 1; Trevor Devall in season 2): Eitan is a boy who works at a smoothie bar in the mall area of Stylesville. He does not appear as often as Cameron or Dylan do. He is in love with Yasmin and in one episode ("Crush in a Rush"), Eitan agreed to ask Yasmin out on a date while in turn, the others would make a magazine article based on it. However, Yasmin learns this from the Tweevils and rejects Eitan in anger, although they later reconcile near the episode's end.
Byron Powell (voiced by Greg Ellis in season 1; Alistair Abell in season 2): Byron is a man from London, England whom the Bratz (along with Cameron and Dylan) first met in Bratz: Rock Angelz. He appears to be a parody of Simon Cowell.
Aloncé (voiced by Cree Summer and singing vocals by Lauren Evans): Aloncé is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Parody of Beyoncé, she only appears in "Sasha's Big Interview" and cutscenes of the video game Bratz: The Movie and she was mentioned in the episode "Not So Hot For Teacher". Her number-one songs are "Everything", "My Attitude", and "Shining Like Real Diamondz". She won lots of Grammy Awards, has a crescent tattoo on the back of her hand and has two platinum compact discs. Once, Aloncé went to London, England to have an interview with Sasha. The Bratz performed a show for her and said "she loved the show". Cree Summer (best known for her role as Winifred "Freddie" Brooks in A Different World) voices Aloncé. Cree Summer also voices Mandy in Bratz: Passion 4 Fashion Diamondz while Lauren Evans does Aloncé's singing voice.
London Boy and London Girl (voiced by Yuri Lowenthal and Lacey Chabert): London Boy and London Girl only appear in the Bratz: The Movie video game. Their given names aren't revealed, but referred as "London Boy" and "London Girl". They live in London and are friends with Bratz. They also appear in the Bratz: Rock Angelz video game, but have no given names and are voiced by different actors (London Boy was voiced by Greg Ellis and London Girl was voiced by Hope Levy). Yuri Lowenthal and Lacey Chabert did English accents to voice the characters as they were American.
Episodes
Reception
Despite extremely positive reviews from fans, Bratz earned negative reviews from conservative groups. Common Sense Media gave the show a 1 star rating, saying that the show might be a bad influence towards kids. Saying "Bratz are the modern-day Barbie dolls whose vampy appearance has upset many parents seeking healthy role models for their daughters."
Ratings
The first season had very good ratings despite some criticism. However, the second season had low ratings due to most of the original voice actors not returning, which led to the show's cancellation in 2008. The TV series was shown in the United Kingdom where it was popular with young girls, and had a peak of 51,000 viewers.[1]