Steve Madden, Bratz and Mattel

In 2011, the photographer of the iconic “big head” Steve Madden ads tried to sue Bratz manufacturer MGA for copying the ads with their dolls. The legal challenge came while MGA had been in a legal battle with Mattel. Mattel claimed that Bratz designer Carter Bryant had come up with the dolls when he was still working for Mattel, selling the designs to MGA weeks before leaving Mattel. They argued that the dolls were originally designed for Mattel, and since they had been designed while Bryant was working for them, those designs belonged to them. While testifying, Bryant stated that he had been inspired by the Steve Madden ads to design what would eventually become Bratz, specifically an ad featured in Seventeen magazine depicting an angel and devil in the ad’s signature style: big heads, small waists, and long limbs. 

Photographer Bernard “Butch” Belair created the ad, along with the other “big head” ads. This imagery was incredibly synonymous with the Steve Madden brand (so much so that years later the brand called back to it in 2022). As Bryant had openly admitted to finding inspiration in Belair’s photography while designing sculpts for the dolls, he argued that his intellectual property had been infringed upon by MGA, and in turn, Mattel, who was still arguing for legal ownership over Bratz.

Final Verdict?

The influence was quite clear, and judges agreed. However, they also determined that the final product of Bratz dolls did not infringe on Belair’s intellectual property, as they were made distinct through their hair, outfits, and paint-jobs. The case was thrown out, with it being concluded that Belair’s cartoonish proportions, while distinct, where too broad for him to have a legal monopoly over.