Felicia steps out

When I was...oh gosh, I think it was spring of 2002 that Daddy asked me at dinnertime "Hey Moon, do you like those new Bratz dolls?"  Daddy was kinda a stickler for dressing modestly, so when he asked me about the scantily clad Bratz I was shocked and surprised.  I was even more shocked when he asked "Would you like one for Easter?"  After school the next day we went to Wal-Mart and I pointed out my favorite one.  I knew her as Jade, and Daddy knew her as "the black-haired doll in the funny-lookin' sock hat."  Easter came, Jade was nestled in my basket, and I was thrilled.  Jade and my What's Her Face doll Meredith were best friends for many years.  Pity that I didn't have a camera back then, because they were all over my room in various positions, some cute, some glamorous, and some silly (I posed Meredith in a headstand once).  Daddy laughed at that one.  That Christmas Cameron joined the club, and the three went everywhere together, just like Barbie, Ken, and Midge did in the sixties.  I should probably note, by the way, that that first wave of Bratz wasn't quite as scantily clad as later waves.  Sasha even mentions that she loves jean skirts.  LOL, I never noticed that until now!

Jade and Cameron were the only Bratz dolls I got during my teenage years, though Daddy offered to get me a couple more (Dynamite Nevra, Play Sportz Fianna, and Ooh La La Kumi were my favorites that got away).  Just looking at all the colors and styles and hair-and-eye combos was enuff for me.  After the Bratz went away trips to the toy isle were nowhere near as fun, so I can't tell y'all how tickled I was to see these trapezoidal boxes on store shelves again!  I'm even happier that they're reproductions of the dolls I had as a teenager, rather than a revamp of the blank-faced, spindly-legged 2015 Bratz.  Last week I saw Felicia, a doll that every Bratz collector seems to want, so I grabbed her.

Felicia is sort of an enigma among Bratz fans, as she originally was only around for a couple'a waves.  The standard fashion doll was part of the Campfire series and Sweet Dreamz (as both a doll and as a styling head).  She also was a Big Babyz for a spell, but oh Lordy, were those ridiculous!  Both lines were available in 2005 and 2006, which explains why I never saw Felicia in stores (problems at home and at school left my brain in a fog).  My doll is an obvious nod to the Campfire doll, but she's not an exact match.  The original doll had a hat, mittens, and a scarf that the Fourth Doctor wants back.  Oh well, I won't knock it.  In more recent times Felicia has appeared in a stunning yellow ballgown, and in a goofy-looking designer number that I didn't like too much.  To be fair, I didn't like Jade in that designer stuff either, and usually Jade can do no wrong in my eyes.  Nor do I really like ANY of the Bratz dolls in designer stuff.  It's all a bit too over-the-top for my taste.  Anyway, in addition to all that Felicia has popped in and out of social media over the years, probably to show fans that MGA didn't forget her.  Bratz have grown increasingly political recently, and in 2021 Felicia was shown on Instagram celebrating Black History Month with Sasha, Kiana, and Nevra.  Not that that's a bad thing, of course.  Indeed, I want my black friends (and my black dolls) to be proud of their heritage, just as I'm proud of mine.  I was happy to see Nevra's name listed, by the way, as she was a childhood favorite of mine.  Never did get her, but I liked her.  I sadly do not remember Kiana though.  <pauses to look>  No wonder I don't remember, because she was part of the Wild West wave, a line that I hated.  I used to play "Cowboy" when I was a little girl and I still like the occasional western movie, but cowboys aren't exactly the most stylish folks.  Hey, can't be worrying about style while wrangling cattle!  Just ask my sister; she can't even wear her wedding ring when she works with her cows, because it's potentially dangerous for both her and the cattle.  

Right!  Here's a last look at Felicia in situ.  I think she's ready to get out of there.

Patience is a virtue, Glam Gecko.  I wanna take a look at this box first.  Oh, this artwork takes me back; all of the boxes used to have art like this!

At first glance it looks like Yasmin, my old friend Jade, Dana, and Felicia, but the back of the box reveals their names.

I already knew Felicia, and I got Dana right, but "Yasmin" is really Fianna (another of my old favorites), and "Jade" is Tiana, who is drop-dead gorgeous in her promo pics.  I don't remember Tiana, but a little research showed that she was a geisha along with May Lin and Kumi.  Koby is also included.  Poor May Lin, she could've gone a long way if MGA had been more careful with naming her, and indeed there is some artwork that shows her "on ice" and in a lovely white getup.  I do wonder...if MGA released May Lin in street clothes could she have another chance at living the Bratz life with her friends?  That was the main problem with her, that she was Chinese but was wearing Japanese traditional wear.  I'd love to see MGA give her another chance, but I doubt that'd fly so I'll just shut up.  Anyway, Felicia's bio is on the back of the box in English, French, and Spanish, but this is what happened when I photographed it with a flash.

Trippy!  Flash off, and we learn why Felicia is called "Glam Gecko."  She likes the outdoors, but also loves to dress up.  I like this kid!  I liked to play outside too when I was young, but I also liked to dress up as long as I didn't have to wear pantyhose.  My favorite little dress had sunflowers on it.

That's enuff about packaging.  In 2002 I needed Daddy's help unboxing my Jade, and even he had trouble.  "This company did NOT want you to have this doll!" he joked as he rassled with a jillion plastic tacks.  I don't have Daddy to help me anymore, but I do have these.  They're your classic scissors, but I call them "the murder weapon."

I was sixteen when Grandma got those scissors, and every time I used 'em Mama still warned me to be careful.  Indeed, these scissors are a handful to deal with...but then so are plastic tacks.  There were THREE of those in Felicia's head!

Cutting Felicia free was a fiddly ordeal, but I got it done with no bloodshed, no damage to the doll, and no naughty words.  Here she is, free and kickin' back on Uncle Man-Child's couch.

This doll really takes me back, back to the days when I had only my mother's living room and a digital camera, and I made do with what I had.  This picture I took of Shania is a good example; she's perched on the plank of wood that I used as my computer board, with naught but Mama's beat-up carpet beneath her.  But she still retains her style.

Then there are these pictures I took of a nylon-haired Meygan, after I cut her hair.  I was a bit more well-prepared for these, but I was still just working with what I had.  The nylon hair period was not MGA's best, but Meygan and I made it work.

Same story with Felicia.  I almost never use backdrops as it is, and all I had for photography was the back of Uncle Man-Child's couch and the very shiny paneling behind that, but I made it work.  See what pretty eyes Felicia has?  They're amber like Shania's.

I've already shared a few pictures of Felicia on Failbook, and most of my friends like her furry boots.  I too like furry boots!  They give off a bit of a Yeti vibe, but they do have their place in the world, especially when it's cold outside.

One thing I don't love is the tight sleeves on Felicia's jacket.  I always had a hard time getting tight sleeves over Bratz hands, but these were mega-hard.  It didn't help that Felicia's left sleeve was...y'all ready for this?  It was held shut with A PLASTIC TACK!!!  I thought I'd cut 'em all, but this one pulled a sneak attack on me!  These @$#?! things are EVIL!!!

EXTERMINATE!!!  I cut that stupid tack and was finally able to wrestle Felicia's hand into place.  She's now all bundled up and ready to face the fall weather.  First I insisted on taking another picture.

There's just one teeny-weeny problem with that heavy getup.  I took this screenshot last Friday, but not much has changed since then.  That nighttime low SAYS sixty-five degrees, but we're lucky if it gets that low.

Ay, there's the rub.  God gave the signal for the leaves to start turning, but He hasn't turned down the thermostat yet.  No worries, Felicia has another outfit...but it's kinda a Charlie Foxtrot.  AND very predictable for a Bratz doll, with plenty of bare skin showing.

The girls with the passion for fashion, indeed!  Pity that I don't have Meygan's stock boots on hand, because they'd match that skimpy outfit a lot better than those pink heels.  I didn't learn until after I'd undressed her that the coat is apparently supposed to be worn with this outfit...

...but it STILL doesn't match!  Felicia's online bio says she loves to layer, so I won't knock the look too much.  Hey, it's not me wearing that coat in this heat!  The coat was also much easier to put on when Felicia is bare-armed, though I still had to beware of catching her thumbs on the sleeves.

Unfortunately my other Bratz dolls are where I can't get at them ('cause that's how I roll), but Felicia's body is shaped like those of my childhood friends.  Thus when I do finally dig Jade, Meygan, and Sasha out of Storage Hell they should be able to share and trade clothes.  Some of Jade's shoes will even work, because they don't have any skin-colored parts.

Jade will always be my all-time favorite Bratz doll, but I'm stoked to finally have Felicia in my Bratzpack.  I'm sad to admit that she's only my second black Bratz doll (my first was/is the one and only Sasha, from the Birthday Bash line).  I plan on changing that, as Dynamite Nevra and a red-haired Sasha are calling my name from eBay.  LOL, I loved it when Sasha had red hair; she reminded me of Tyra Banks.  I'll also admit to liking Myra, from the nylon-haired Style It! wave (indeed, I kinda liked ALL the Style It! dolls despite their fish lips and wiry hair).  But Felicia is a step in the right direction for my collection.

Love,

RagingMoon1987