Editing America's Next Top Model (section)

===America's Next Top Model Dolls===

The '''America's Next Top Model Dolls''' were a short-lived fashion doll line released by [[MGA Entertainment]] as a promotional tie-in with the show of the same name. The dolls were designed by MGA doll designer Lui Domingo and released in the fall of 2008.

The dolls came as a result of the legal battle between [[Mattel]] and MGA over their fashion doll rivalry between [[Barbie]] and [[Bratz]]. When MGA temporarily lost the rights to the Bratz dolls to Mattel, the company scrambled to come up with an emergency release line to replace Bratz in the meantime.<ref>{{cite web|author=Orly Lobel |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40180099-you-don-t-own-me |title=You Don't Own Me: The Court Battles That Exposed Barbie's Dark Side by Orly Lobel |publisher=Goodreads.com |date= |accessdate=2022-03-01}}</ref> The America's Next Top Model Dolls were the result, as a form of competition with Mattel's Top Model Barbie line that was released a year prior, but had no affiliation with this show.<ref>{{cite magazine| url = https://ew.com/article/2008/02/12/top-model-dolls/| title = Can't wait for the new 'Top Model' season? Act it out with dolls! {{!}} EW.com| magazine = [[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> The concept art, sketches, and prototypes initially revealed 4 main characters, Sienna (a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian), Sydney (a brunette Asian), Paisley (a red-haired Caucasian), and Tascha (an African American). The Tascha prototype would not make it to production (but still be featured in all of the marketing), due to MGA's fears that the doll, being African American, would sell poorly, as black dolls have historically been known to be picked up in low quantities or not picked at all by stores and retailers if they believed they would not sell, especially if they're located in cities with a low black population. Resulting from the financial losses incurred from their legal battle with Mattel, the dolls would ultimately not feature the majority of the accessories that were advertised with them, likely a cost-cutting measure (which is also why Tascha was excluded from the doll line).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.coroflot.com/Lui_Domingo/Consumer-Products-Americas-Next-Top-Models-Fashion-Dolls |title=Consumer Products – America's Next Top Models Fashion Dolls by Lui Domingo at |website=Coroflot.com |date= |accessdate=2022-03-01}}</ref>

Only two waves would be released, Swimwear and Day-to-Night wear, all featuring only Sienna, Sydney, and Paisley. Four fashion packs were also released for the dolls, each featuring images of the four characters, including the never produced Tascha doll. The box for the dolls also made it clear under the logo that they were the only officially licensed dolls from the hit TV show, to differentiate them from Mattel's Top Model Barbie line. The boxes also featured before and after images of the dolls, in reference to the makeovers on the show, and the back of the box also included a backstory for each doll to show that they had multi-faceted personalities and dream careers besides modeling, to counter the accusations that the dolls would be poor role models for children. The dolls had proportions different to that of other MGA fashion dolls, with slightly smaller heads and more Barbie-esque bodies, with jointed torsos for posing and arms molded to be able to rest on their hips. The dolls also noticeably used leftovers from the Bratz line as part of their accessories, as the clothes were stitched from leftover Bratz clothing fabric, and the jewelry was simply repurposed from prior Bratz dolls.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mgae.com/press|title=MGA Press|website=Mgae.com|access-date=March 1, 2022}}</ref>

The dolls were a financial failure, selling very poorly in spite of their association with the show (which had been declining in ratings by the time the dolls debuted), and were promptly discontinued after only two waves of dolls.