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APThe West Australian MGA Entertainment is going to need to muster all the moxie it has for its latest launch. MGA is rolling out a new line of dolls called Moxie Girlz as Mattel plans to

take over MGA's former marquee product, the saucy Bratz dolls, following a four-year legal struggle. With more modest apparel and figures than Bratz, you can think of Moxie Girlz as

Bratz lite, and MGA is banking on the line to keep it afloat. MGA Entertainment began developing Moxie Girlz, targeted at girls aged six to 10, last year. The line was inspired by the

recession and the changes in families' lifestyles that came up in focus group discussions, according to Paula Garcia, vice-president of product design and development. "We wanted

to make the doll a reflection of the consumer herself, not lavish, expensive, material things," she said. "The fashion is 'everyday' fashion as opposed to very lavish

fashions." Early sales of Moxie Girlz, which started appearing in some Target and Wal-Mart stores on July 22 and will be available across the US on August 15, had been "very

good", MGA chief executive Isaac Larian said. A TV, print, radio and online ad campaign starts in September. The dolls have a subtler look than the pouty-lipped Bratz, who have drawn

fire for their skimpy clothing. And the new look was the key, BMO Capital Markets analyst Gerrick Johnson said. "I think they're adorable," Johnson said. "Barbie looks

like a model, Bratz look like tramps and Moxie Girlz look like girls." The success of the line is crucial to Los Angeles-based MGA. A US District Court ordered MGA to transition the

Bratz doll line to Barbie maker Mattel by spring, concluding a lawsuit in which California-based Mattel alleged Bratz designer Carter Bryant developed the concept while at Mattel. A jury

last year awarded Mattel $US100 million ($119.69 million) in damages for copyright infringement and breach of contract. MGA is appealing, and a mediator is working with the parties. Though

MGA also makes Little Tikes, Rescue Pets and Lil Angelz, among other toys, Bratz was by far its biggest seller. Johnson estimates sales of Bratz peaked in 2005 at $750 million and had fallen

since, perhaps below $200 million in 2009. The privately held company does not publish its revenue. Moxie Girlz come in different styles: "Jammaz" - in pyjamas - has a guitar and

a microphone; "Art-titude" has shoes and a bike you can draw on; and "Magic Hair" has two sets of hair. They cost between $17.99 and $29.99 each; accessories include a

car and a salon play set. The toy industry's doll segment has been in decline for a few years as more girls find entertainment online and in tech gadgets. Doll sales overall fell 10 per

cent to $2.68 billion in 2008, according to market research firm NPD Group. And sales of Barbie, the segment's leader, slipped 15 per cent in the second quarter compared with a year

earlier, though the decline was driven in part by the recession. New doll lines could boost the category, Johnson said. Besides Moxie Girlz, new entries include Liv dolls, which Spin Master

introduced recently. "There is tremendous opportunity in the girl segment for something new, interesting and compelling," Johnson said. "Kids can be fickle. This could be the

thing the girls' business needed." GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM THEWEST.COM.AU IN YOUR INBOX. Sign up for our emails