Bratz Sweet Heart Collector's Edition Meygan: A Lookin' Bratz Review!
Hey Angelz!
Who said it was too late to celebrate Valentine’s Day? While the holiday passed nearly two months ago, our love is still going strong for the latest Bratz Sweet Heart Meygan reproduction that came out back in February. The Bratz team at MGA Entertainment recently sent me a Sweet Heart Meygan, and I wanted to post a detailed review on her despite it being post-Valentine’s. If you want to learn more about this latest Bratz release, keep on reading!
THE PACKAGING
If you’ve been keeping up with Bratz news over the past year, you’ll know that three listings for Bratz reproductions surfaced over a year ago. These listings included details for reproductions of Holiday Trinity (who later became an entirely-new doll in the form of Holiday Felicia), Tokyo Kumi (whose reproduction has not yet been released), and—of course—Sweet Heart Meygan. Each listing included a description stating that all of their boxes would be heart-shaped, which did not end up being the case for Holiday Felicia and is subject to change for Tokyo Kumi; however, this is the case for the reproduction of Sweet Heart Meygan!
Unsurprisingly, the packaging is the same as the Pampered Pupz dolls from 2007; this is already a huge difference from the original trapezoid-shaped packaging for Sweet Heart Meygan from 2003. While the original packaging is great, I do prefer the heart-shaped box as it fits the theme better. When I heard that all three deluxe collector’s reproductions would have heart-shaped boxes, I did not see it making sense for Trinity/Felicia or Kumi. Meygan, however, deserves this packaging and—in my opinion—it enhances this reproduction.
As for what’s in the box, it includes just about everything from the original Sweet Heart Meygan. Even the accessory blister is the same as the OG! The branding on the box is slightly altered to fit the new box shape, but otherwise there are not many differences.
THE DOLL, FASHIONS, ‘N’ FACE
Analyzing how this reproduction of Sweet Heart Meygan compares to the original, I feel I cannot judge much because I have never owned the original. Despite this, I am impressed with the overall quality of the doll. One major difference between the reproduction and original are their bodies. The original Sweet Heart Meygan uses the standard 2001 body, while the reproduction uses a hybrid that was introduced in the Collector line in 2018. If you don’t know already, this body is a hybrid of the original 2001 torso and legs with arms from the Movie dolls from 2007 and hands from the 2013 bodies. This body seems to be a new standard for recent Bratz releases, having been used in the Holiday and GCDS releases from later last year.
As for the fashions in this release, they are pretty standard and true to the original doll! I do not have the original doll for comparison, but everything looks and feels great to me. I am very impressed with how well put-together the stoned top and jeans are. Rhinestones and studs can sometimes be tricky to implement in doll clothing, which can be learned from some previous Bratz releases, but MGA seems to have nailed it down in recent doll releases and it shows with this doll. I also love that angel wing purse, so I am happy to have it in my collection! The beading on the second purse is really impressive, too.
Now for the controversial aspect of this doll: her face. Since the Rock Angelz reproductions last year, MGA has implemented UV printing on all Bratz releases. This new printing method has not been well-received by fans and even led to the recall of the Rock Angelz line when fans expressed disappointment over how the faces looked for that release; in particular, Roxxi and Sasha were recalled and this has further delayed the release of this line. Much to some fans’ dismay, Sweet Heart Meygan’s face also uses the UV printing method.
To give some background on how faces are put on the dolls, nearly every Bratz doll between 2001 and 2014, except for a select few, has a face screening that was painted using the “spray” method. The spray method ensures the eyes are elongated across the face for a classic, sultry Bratz look. Between 2015 and 2016 (except for the V Files x Bratz doll), and for the Bratz 20 Yearz Special Edition dolls released last year, the “sticker” method was used to apply the dolls’ faces. The sticker method is hit-or-miss as the 20 Yearz dolls looked beautiful (in most cases), while it played a huge role in the discontinuation of the brand in 2016. A new method was introduced to the Bratz brand with the Rock Angelz reproductions, which is UV printing. UV printing is a more cost-effective method to apply dolls’ faces as spraying seems to be less common in the doll industry these days. Holiday Felicia, the GCDS dolls, and now Sweet Heart Meygan use the UV printing method as well, but they do not appear to have most of the same defects that Rock Angelz suffered. One of the downsides to UV printing is that the dolls’ printed facial features have a shine to them and tend to look grainy, and some features have a clear outline that looks sticker-like. I recognize that I was sent a Meygan with a near-perfect face, but she has had her share of bad printing quality from what I have seen on social media. The printing quality is more apparent in-person and is a bit bothersome, to be completely honest. I hope MGA switches Bratz back to the spray method, or at least improves the sticker method as the 20 Yearz dolls have mostly been great. It may not be noticeable in the pictures I am posting, but there is a bit of separation between Meygan’s lip liner and lipstick; this has also been a recurring issue with UV printing and I have seen a lot of worse cases.
If you do receive a doll with defects that you cannot accept, consider returning or exchanging the doll to the retailer you bought it from or contact MGA’s Customer Service to see if they can assist you.
THE HAIR
Sweet Heart Meygan’s hair is very similar to her original counterpart, though her hair type and style are different. Meygan’s hair is made of premium nylon, and is styled in an updo with curls hanging in front of her face and around the back of her head. Nylon hair appears to be a new standard for the Bratz brand, as is the case for most MGA doll brands (except for Dream Ella whose been using polypropylene, sorry girl!) since 2019, which is something I fully support. For some context on some of the different hair types used on Bratz, nylon has often been confused with polypropylene, which is a hair fiber that was used in a majority of lines between 2008-2013 and is known for being hard to manage and prone to degrading over time, because of a name mix-up over a decade ago. Saran—which has been used on most Bratz released between 2001-2007, 2015-2018, and on the Bratz 20 Yearz Special Edition dolls (except for some later variants which use nylon) released last year—is a great hair fiber that has always satisfied collectors, though it is prone to yellowing and degrading over time. Nylon is another premium hair type can be easily restyled with heated hair tools and is less likely to degrade over time like saran and polypropylene can do. Saran hair is harder to come by in certain colors, so nylon provides a way for consumers to have these hair colors without resorting to using low-grade polypropylene. Nylon also tends to feel really nice and oftentimes better than saran, so I hope this is something that stays for future Bratz doll releases. As for Meygan’s hairstyle, I am a bit disappointed that it isn’t super-close to her original hair. While her promotional pictures show her with a style very close to her original, the reproduction’s hair is more bun-like and doesn’t look that nice out of the box. I tried to restyle her hair as best as I could, which was a bit difficult as her hair is not very long, her rooting is a bit thin, and there is no thatching in the back of her head to prevent bald spots from showing. I am pretty happy with the outcome, though!
other features
Sweet Heart Meygan comes with all of her original accessories and charm, as well as an 11-inch by 17-inch poster that is not mentioned on the box or in any product descriptions. I could not grab a proper photo or scan of her poster, but you can check the gallery to get a closer look at her red-hot accessories!
WHERE TO BUY AND RELEASE DATE
If you’re wondering when Sweet Heart Meygan is going to be released and where to buy her, then you’re in luck because she’s already been released and has been widely available since February! Unlike the uncertain releases that plagued the brand in 2021, this release has been pretty clear-cut with minor hiccups. You can buy Meygan from Amazon, Target, or Walmart if you’re in the U.S. I do not have much information on international releases nor will I be posting about them, but I have noticed some fans finding her at shops like Myer in Australia and GameStop/EB Games in Canada. My best advice is to contact local retailers to see if they’ll be selling Meygan, especially if those retailers sold the 20 Yearz dolls last year!
International fans also have the option of checking the retailers listed on MGA Entertainment’s Where To Buy webpage or contacting their international offices for more info.
OVERALL THOUGHTZ
Overall, I feel like Sweet Heart Meygan is a great reproduction doll despite some flaws. I feel like there is not much to write about Meygan aside from the fact that she feels similar to the original and has great quality aside from her face printing. It is also great to see Meygan again since her last appearance in 2016!
Thank you to the Bratz team at MGA Entertainment for sending me Sweet Heart Meygan! I hope to provide more in-depth reviews on new Bratz products in the future.
Thank you for taking the time to read this detailed review of Sweet Heart Meygan and I hope you keep checkin’ out Lookin’ Bratz for more news and reviews in the future! Keep lookin’ out because I have a review for the Bratz x GCDS dolls on the way!
Stay tuned to LookinBratz.com for more news on the Girls with a Passion for Fashion, and make sure to check out Lookin’ Bratz on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok for more scorchin’ Bratz content and news!
xoxo
