Hold on to your Bratz dolls.

A rival to the more demure Barbie, and one of the more fashionable dolls in the market, the Bratz may not be on store shelves from early next year.

A California judge ruled late Wednesday that Bratz owner MGA Entertainment should stop selling the dolls and banned it from using the toy’s name, handing rival and Barbie maker Mattel Inc its biggest victory yet in a years-long legal fight over the Bratz dolls, which pushed Barbie out of the limelight soon after their launch in 2001.

The court battle was marked by testimonies from both Mattel CEO Bob Eckert and MGA CEO Isaac Larian, and more recently, the dismissal of one of the jurors who a judge found to have made racial remarks during deliberations about Larian, an Iranian Jewish immigrant.

For Mattel, the latest ruling is good news. But for MGA, which plans to appeal the ruling immediately, the future look bleak if it has to abandon the toy line, which rakes in more than $1 billion in annual sales according to Larian.

And for consumers — there is still hope that you will be able to own one of these dolls. The injunction issued to MGA has been stayed until after the holiday sales season.

So head out and bring Jade, Yasmin, Sasha or Cloe home. They may be valuable in a few years.

(Photo/Reuters)

If the holiday season is around the corner (or even a little farther away), then it is that time of the year again — major toy retailers, childrens’ magazines and guides announce “hot” lists, predicting which toys and games will likely fly off store shelves during the holiday shopping period.

According to Toy Wishes magazine, girls who are 6 years old or older are likely to go after the Bratz “Girls Really Rock” line of dolls this time around.

Top U.S. toy maker Mattel and smaller, privately held MGA Entertainment have been locked in a legal battle over the Bratz dolls. The chic, snazzily dressed dolls started stealing market share from Mattel’s iconic and more clean-cut Barbie since the Bratz were introduced in 2001. While it is still undecided as to who has the right to make the dolls. Mattel most recently said that it has filed a motion to stop MGA from making or selling Bratz. That could spell bad news for MGA, given toy companies make a lion’s share of their revenue during the holiday season.

Also on the Toy Wishes list: Spin Master’s action-figure warriors Bakugan, Playskool’s dinosaur “Kota the Triceratops,” and Crayola’s Glow Station. Interestingly, Crayola spokeswoman Stacy Gabrielle said at a Toy Wishes event in New York that Crayola is trying to attract thrifty parents with lower-priced items this holiday season. The Glow Station can be purchased for $29.99. 

Just as well. With high prices for fuel and food, the credit crunch, a prolonged housing slump and the financial meltdown, how many parents will readily shell out $179.99 for a toy dog (Hasbro’s Furreal Friends Biscuit, My Lovin’ Pup) or $189.99 for a 15-string Cherry Harp?

Time will tell.

(Photo: Reuters)