Isaac Larian didn't dodge Dunn's blunt question. He answered straight up, "Yeah, it's true. The past few years, GA hasn't found a way to turn a profit. The company's been tanking, and my brother lost faith in the toy business. He sold off his shares and went looking for something else."
That lined up perfectly with Dunn's intel. GA Entertainment's HQ was in the San Fernando Valley, just a stone's throw from Hollywood—digging up dirt wasn't hard.
A few months back, Isaac Larian had bought out his brother's 45% stake for $9 million.
Now, GA Entertainment was fully his private gig.
"So what's your pitch? How do you convince me?" Dunn liked the guy's honesty—it was a solid starting point for a partnership.
Truth is, among regular folks, white people tend to have a higher baseline of competence. But at the elite level, people of color outshine them by a mile.
Why? Because people of color face bigger hurdles and tougher scrutiny on their way up. Their character, behavior, and habits get judged under a harsher microscope.
So an elite like Isaac Larian, a person of color, was way more trustworthy than your average white exec.
Facing Dunn's question, Isaac stayed cool and confident, his eyes wide. "Because of Barbie!"
Dunn chuckled. "Everyone knows I've got beef with Barbie's design."
"That's just one angle. I've done some deep digging on Barbie," Isaac said, clearly not wanting to get stuck in Dunn's orbit.
"Oh? Let's hear it." Dunn kept his tone calm.
Isaac sat up straight, cleared his throat, and got into it. "First off, we've gotta admit: in the world of girly dolls, Barbie's the undisputed champ. She's got a grip that's damn near unbreakable."
"Back in '91, Hasbro rolled out their curvy, blonde, blue-eyed Miss America doll line—huge hit. Mattel clapped back with their All-American Queen Barbie and crushed Hasbro. You can't even find a Miss America doll anymore."
"Then in '92, TY's mermaid dolls blew up. Barbie jumped in with a fishtail version and took TY down in six months flat. Even now, Disney's got their princess dolls, but they're still stuck in Barbie's shadow."
Dunn laughed. "Mr. Larian, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were Mattel's PR guy."
Isaac shook his head, dead serious. "Mr. Walker, GA's focus is girly dolls too. If we want a shot, Barbie's the hurdle we've got to clear. And to take her on, we need to know every single one of her strengths."
"Avoid her strong points?" Dunn raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly. Barbie's advantages? No new doll can touch those, or it's game over! We've got to go for something different—find the right moment to strike and claim our chunk of the market!" Isaac gave Dunn a deep look. "Thanks to your comments, Barbie's catching a lot of flak right now. To me, the perfect window's already here!"
Dunn's style was all about outmuscling the competition—I'm stronger, period.
Isaac's roundabout, dodge-their-strengths approach felt a little soft, but it was smart. It could crack the market open fast.
At least it wasn't like Dunn Films charging in headfirst, nearly getting flattened by the big dogs.
"Nicole, brew me a coffee!" Dunn hollered toward the door, then leaned back, mulling it over. "I'm with you on dodging their strengths. But how do you pull off that 'different' part? What's Barbie's weak spot? Don't tell me it's her figure!"
Isaac didn't miss a beat. "With TV, VHS, and the internet flooding kids with info, they're growing up faster these days. Call it 'compressed childhood.' A lot of eight- or nine-year-olds are thinking like thirteen- or fourteen-year-olds. Toys that feel too babyish? They're out."
"Back in the day, a twelve-year-old girl might still play with dolls. Now? Barbie's biggest fans are three- to five-year-olds. With how quick little girls' tastes change, Barbie's basically a toddler toy. Even six- and seven-year-olds are getting swayed by their big sisters, thinking Barbie's too childish."
"Check the numbers: in 1997, Barbie's global sales hit $1.8 billion. Last year? Down to $1.6 billion. It's trending down. As little girls' minds mature, they're chasing their own vibe, switching up what they like."
Dunn nodded. "True. Barbie's success came from the industrial age. Now we're in the digital era—culture's diversifying, tastes are diversifying. Barbie's glory days are fading in this new world."
Right then, Nicole Kidman walked in with a fresh cup of coffee. Hearing Dunn's take, she looked a little shocked and plopped down next to him.
Barbie was her childhood toy too. Was it… really getting phased out by the times?
Barbie's still the world's top-selling toy. Dunn's call felt a bit too bold, didn't it?
Dunn caught Nicole's skeptical vibe and grinned. "American culture's sprinting toward diverse racial identities and celebrating individuality. Pop culture trends flip fast too. Britney Spears' dance-pop? It's just new-age disco—hot for a few years, tops. Beyoncé's the future."
Nicole's confusion deepened—Dunn was getting wilder by the second. But Isaac's eyes lit up, totally on board. "Exactly, that's it!"
"Oh? What's clicking for you now?" Dunn smirked at him.
Isaac leaned in. "Britney's like a princess—perfect face, perfect body, perfect voice. She's the Barbie of music! Beyoncé's the other path: less flashy, a person of color, but she's all about grassroots culture, hippie vibes."
Dunn gave him a long look. "Sounds like you've got it all figured out. You're planning to launch a doll to take on Barbie, right?"
"Yep, that's the plan!"
Isaac hesitated, then pulled a doll prototype from his briefcase. It looked kinda like Barbie but less exaggerated—cartoonishly big head, and instead of Barbie's fancy elegance, the clothes were straight-up casual hip-hop style.
Seeing that doll, Dunn's heart skipped. His eyes narrowed to slits, a shiver running through him.
It was her!
"Wow!"
Nicole Kidman's eyes sparkled with delight at the new doll. "Sir, can… can I take a look?"
"Of course!"
Nicole grabbed the fashion doll, flipping it around, totally smitten. "She's gorgeous. Totally different vibe from Barbie, but… so cute too."
Dunn's lips curled up. "The key's her style—more personal, freer, closer to feminist vibes."
Nicole nodded, playing with it a bit longer before turning to Isaac. "Does she have a name?"
"Yeah, Bratz. This is the Bratz doll I'm planning to launch."
Isaac watched Nicole's obvious love for it, his confidence surging.
If a huge star like Nicole Kidman couldn't put it down, how could Bratz not have a bright future?
Dunn, meanwhile, was crystal clear inside.
It really was Bratz!
A few days ago, when he first saw GA's info and funding pitch, the first thing that popped into his head was the legendary Bratz doll!
Back in his past life, Bratz made waves—huge waves. But GA Entertainment botched their strategy, and it ended in disaster.
Just like Disney coming down hard on Dunn Films!
Mattel, the old-school toy titan, swooped in and crushed GA, snagging Bratz and securing Barbie's throne.
Would history repeat itself?
The biggest difference between this life and the last? Dunn Walker was here.
And right now, he was hashing things out with GA Entertainment's boss.
"Seriously jumping into the toy game?"
Dunn squinted, thinking back on the past few months—Mattel's nonstop arrogance, brushing him off like he was nothing. Teaching them a lesson? Not a bad idea!