265-267

Chapter 265: Planning Ahead with the Toy Industry

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!

Chapter 266: The Bratz Dolls

Over the past half-century, Barbie dolls have taken the world by storm, to the point where every little girl dreams of owning one. For decades, countless toy companies have tried to create new dolls to challenge Barbie’s dominance, but they’ve all failed miserably.

That is, until 2001, when a new doll hit the scene—Bratz dolls!

These street-style, down-to-earth dolls burst onto the market and took it by storm. In their first six months, sales soared past $20 million, starting to eat into Barbie’s territory. Mattel, Barbie’s parent company, scrambled to respond, launching a new line called the Yene dolls. But their stubborn, old-school approach—sticking to prim, perfect, and classic vibes—couldn’t touch the Bratz phenomenon.

By 2003, Bratz dolls had climbed to the top spot in the fashion doll market, with Barbie’s “Walk and Play” series trailing in second. (Barbie’s got tons of lines, by the way—mermaid, sports, princess, you name it.)

Fast forward to 2006, and Bratz dolls were commanding a whopping 40% of the market share, on the verge of overtaking Barbie altogether! That’s when Mattel finally woke up and realized Bratz wasn’t just another flash-in-the-pan competitor—this doll had serious staying power.

So, Mattel pulled out the big guns. They sued GA Entertainment, the company behind Bratz, claiming illegal copyright infringement of Barbie’s design. After all, Bratz and Barbie did share some striking similarities.

In August 2008, a California court ruled in Mattel’s favor. GA was found guilty of infringement and ordered to pay Mattel $100 million. On top of that, Bratz dolls were forced to cease production and sales. GA was also told to recall every Bratz product from the market and destroy all the tools used to make them—molds, templates, the works.

And just like that, Bratz dolls—which had taken the world by storm and even had a shot at dethroning Barbie as the top doll—vanished from existence. GA Entertainment’s hopes of going public went up in smoke too.

Did Bratz really rip off Barbie’s copyright? People have mixed opinions—it’s hard to say for sure. Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t.

But since GA Entertainment had brought Dunn onto their board of directors, he wasn’t about to sit back and let a potential disaster unfold. He’d plan ahead to stop this tragedy before it could even start.

Mattel had gone too far! Not only did they refuse to work with Dunn’s film company, but they also had the nerve to kiss up to Disney while stepping all over him. They were practically begging for trouble!

When Dunn heard Isaac Larian pitch the “Bratz dolls” concept, it clicked for him instantly. The toy industry? Yeah, he could play in that sandbox too! He’d already snagged a 10% stake in Hasbro, so joining GA Entertainment’s board felt like a natural next step.

“Mr. Larian, who designed this doll? The style’s pretty fresh,” Dunn asked casually, keeping his cool.

Isaac Larian beamed at the compliment, sensing a golden opportunity for funding. If GA could secure Dunn’s investment—and with him pushing feminist vibes and chipping away at Barbie’s influence—Bratz’s future would be limitless. Plus, Dunn was a Hollywood bigshot. If he put Bratz on the big screen, they’d skyrocket!

“The designer’s Bryant,” Larian said with a chuckle. “Funny story about this guy, actually.” He shook his head with a smirk. “He used to be a senior designer at Mattel. He thought Barbie was out of touch with the times, so he came up with the Bratz look to shake things up. But Mattel’s execs? Narrow-minded and stuck in the past. They thought Bratz were too ugly, too tacky—said they’d never sell.”

Dunn’s gut sank. Uh-oh. He’d suspected as much. If that was the case, Mattel’s lawsuit against GA might actually hold water. Bryant had dreamed up Bratz while still working at Mattel, which meant—unless his contract said otherwise—the copyright for anything he created there technically belonged to Mattel. It’s like how Marvel owns the rights to its comics, not the individual artists.

GA snagging the Bratz copyright this way was basically planting a ticking time bomb for future legal battles.

“Have you sorted out the copyright issues?” Dunn’s face hardened as he fixed Larian with a serious stare.

“Uh… copyright?” Larian blinked, caught off guard, then laughed it off. “Mr. Walker, here’s the deal—Mattel shot down Bryant’s idea, so he jumped ship to GA out of frustration.”

Dunn’s voice turned icy. “I’m asking you, is the copyright situation handled?”

Larian’s eyes flickered. Dunn’s stern tone finally sank in, and he started to realize how big this could be. “You mean… Bratz might infringe on something? But Bryant said it’s his creation—the copyright’s his!”

“Hmph. A designer who bails because his idea got rejected—do you really think a guy like that’s trustworthy?” Dunn snorted, clearly unimpressed.

“No way, right?” Larian wavered, doubt creeping into his mind.

Dunn shook his head. “Mr. Larian, do you know what I’m capable of?”

“I-I do!” Larian stammered. “One word from you could tank Barbie sales for half a month. Your name’s a household word—your influence stretches across North America!” He meant every bit of it.

Dunn nodded. “Then you should get what it’d mean if I threw my weight behind Bratz. Picture that.”

“Uh…” Larian hesitated, unsure how to respond.

Nicole Kidman, sitting nearby, chimed in with a smile. “It’d at least go toe-to-toe with Barbie, right?”

Dunn grinned and nodded. “Exactly. Mr. Larian, do you think Mattel’s just gonna sit back and let a doll steal their market share?”

That hit Larian like a ton of bricks. If Bratz blew up, Mattel would come at GA with everything they had—full-on war to crush them. So, before anything even kicked off, they had to neutralize the copyright threat.

“Mr. Walker, I get it now,” Larian said, sucking in a breath. Meeting Dunn today was a stroke of luck, no matter how this turned out. Even if they didn’t strike a deal, Dunn’s advice was like a lighthouse cutting through the fog for GA.

“Good,” Dunn replied. “The Bratz design’s solid, and it’s got market potential. All in all, this chat’s been a good one. Head back now and deal with the copyright mess. If you can sort that out clean, we’ll talk funding details.”

Larian’s face lit up. “Mr. Walker, I’ve bought out my brother’s shares—GA’s all mine now, a private company. If you’re in, I’d give up as much as 49% to you!”

Dunn smiled, pleased. Smart guy! A businessman with brains and people skills like that? Success wasn’t a fluke. In his past life, Larian’s downfall came from shaky groundwork—Mattel exploited the cracks and took him out in one blow. But now, with Dunn in the mix, the toy industry’s history was about to get a rewrite!

…

After Larian left, Nicole Kidman caught the sly grin Dunn couldn’t hide. She pouted. “You’re up to something sneaky, aren’t you?”

Dunn winked, laughed, and scooped her up in a princess carry. “Nicole, you’re too good at guessing!”

She huffed, flustered. “That’s not what I meant—put me down!”

He ignored her, heading for the bathroom. “How about a nice couple’s bath first?”

“Why are you always thinking about stuff like that? Don’t you ever get bored?”

“Bored?” Dunn chuckled. “How could you even think that? This is the most fun thing ever! Man, we’ve gotta thank the universe for this.”

Nicole gave up resisting, frowning slightly. “Don’t you think I’m getting old?”

“Old?” He shot her a puzzled look. “No way. You’re in your prime as far as I’m concerned!”

Her heart skipped a beat—sure, he was a jerk sometimes, but he knew how to make her feel good. Then he opened his mouth again, and she instantly wanted to kick him.

“Besides, a knockout like you? Gotta enjoy you while you’re still young—once you’re old, it’ll be too late!”

“Dunn, you… how can you be so shameless?”

“Shameless?” He smirked. “Alright then, today I’ll show you just how shameless I can get!”

Chapter 267: A New Proposal

By late October, the acquisition of Dick Clark Productions was pretty much wrapped up. Aside from some lingering paperwork with the exchange, everything else was in the bag.

Dunn Films shelled out $43 million to take the company private.

Dick Clark Productions isn’t huge, but it was born at just the right time. Back then, aside from the Oscars and Grammys, all the other big award shows were just getting off the ground and desperate for help.

Dick Clark swooped in and snagged the production rights for nearly every major North American award ceremony—except the Oscars and Grammys, of course!

Dunn, though, wasn’t a fan of the company’s name. Dick Clark? What a load of crap!

In his mind, only one name belonged in his empire: Dunn Walker!

But when he floated the idea of a rebrand, Bill Mechanic shot it down hard—no room for negotiation.

What a joke! Running a company isn’t child’s play—you can’t just mess around because of personal whims. You’ve got to respect the market!

Dick Clark Productions might be a subsidiary of Dunn Films now, but the man himself, Dick Clark, is still alive!

And this guy? He’s a titan in the TV world!

This year, he even kicked off a new gig: a massive New Year’s Eve bash in Times Square every year!

The Super Bowl might be America’s unofficial “Spring Festival Gala,” but this is the real deal!

And guess what? The production rights for that New Year’s concert? They’re locked up with Dick Clark Productions too.

Sure, the company’s long since cut ties with Dick Clark himself, but it was his baby back in the day. A big chunk of the staff? They’re his old crew.

If Dunn changed the name, it’d be like spitting in Dick Clark’s face!

After hearing Bill Mechanic’s breakdown, Dunn dropped the renaming idea.

With the acquisition done, Dunn was itching to whip up a big music reality show pronto. No way he could afford to piss off a legend like Dick Clark—he’d need his help.

It was late.

Dunn was still holed up in his study, tapping away on the custom encrypted Apple laptop Steve Jobs had gifted him, drafting up a proposal.

Nicole Kidman, wrapped in a robe, padded over. On nights when Natalie wasn’t around, she’d been crashing in Dunn’s presidential suite. Even when Natalie showed up, Nicole just bunked in the “lady’s room”—no way she was moving out.

She slid in beside him, her voice soft. “It’s late. Time to rest.”

Around Dunn, she always felt this weird mix of emotions.

The guy was young, but he’d already pulled off earth-shaking stuff in his career—a Forbes-list billionaire.

Even so, his work ethic never let up. He was juggling Dunn Films, fielding endless funding pitches from Dunn Capital, and still sticking to his roots—directing a movie every year!

And that’s not all. While shooting, he was swamped—tons to handle, even writing new scripts on the side.

A guy this driven, this exceptional… even with a few flaws, as a woman, how could you hold it against him?

Maybe…

That’s why Natalie Portman put up with him?

Hearing her voice, Dunn glanced at the clock. “Oh, it’s midnight already!”

Nicole smiled gently. “Yeah. Work’s important, but you’ve got to rest too. Tomorrow’s the weekend—didn’t you say you’re flying back to LA for some big stuff?”

A man deep in his work? That’s when he’s hottest.

Right now, Nicole Kidman was all sweet and wifely, like a total softie.

Dunn stretched lazily. “Yep. The Chronicles of Narnia wrapped up, and the crew’s already back in LA.”

“You’re not listed as a producer on that one, though?” Nicole’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Dunn shrugged. “I’m not worried about Narnia—Warner’s got it covered, no issues there! I’m mainly meeting David Heyman. He’s a partner at Dunn Films and the producer on Narnia.”

Nicole bit her lip. “Can I know what’s up?”

Dunn laughed at her cute expression, cupping her gorgeous face and planting a kiss on her lips. “Of course you can—you’re not some outsider. You know how Harry Potter’s been blowing up? I’m greenlighting the movie project.”

“Harry Potter?”

Nicole’s eyes lit up. That was a massive deal!

More than that, the books were huge right now—dominating the New York Times bestseller list’s top ten for three straight months.

Dunn shook his head. “Don’t even think about it. When we bought the rights, the deal was locked in: only British actors. That author? Total nutcase.”

Now that he’d squared things with Warner Bros., Dunn could finally go full steam ahead on Harry Potter.

His timeline? Start casting now, spend eight or nine months on prep, then kick off shooting next summer during the kids’ break.

In his past life, Harry Potter started casting in 1999 and hit theaters worldwide for Christmas 2001.

Thanks to Warner, Dunn delayed the project by a whole year. The original kid actors? Their fates might’ve shifted.

Emma Watson, especially—would she still climb to A-list status in Hollywood?

Who knows.

She’s crazy talented, though—one of the few Hollywood stars with sharp logic who could hold her own at academic conferences. Even without acting, she’d probably shine somewhere else.

“Oh.” Nicole’s face stayed calm. She glanced at Dunn’s laptop. “So… you’re writing the Harry Potter script?”

Dunn cracked up. “With a book this hot, I don’t need to get involved. I’ll slap my name on as producer and let them handle it.”

“No script? Then what are you writing?” Nicole raised an eyebrow, smirking as rumors popped into her head. “Don’t tell me you’re writing that?”

“What? I don’t have the energy for that!” Dunn rolled his eyes, yawning. “It’s a pitch for a reality show.”

“A reality show?”

Nicole’s jaw dropped.

Dunn grinned. “Yep, a reality show! Hey, keep it under wraps, okay? This is gonna be the world’s first talent competition reality show. I’m calling it—American Idol!”

The real OG talent show was the UK’s Pop Idol in 2001, which took Europe and the US by storm.

The Americans saw it, ripped it off, and dropped American Idol the next year—slicker production, tighter schedule. It shot straight to the top as the world’s biggest reality show, influencing the globe.

After that, talent show fever swept every country.

At its peak, American Idol was pulling what kind of numbers?

41 million household viewers—beating the Grammys, rivaling the Oscars!

With Dunn Films just sealing the Dick Clark Productions deal, all those wild ideas in Dunn’s head finally had a playground.

And the timing? Perfect. Strike now, and they’d own the reality show market!

Nicole didn’t get talent shows, but she knew Dunn thought big. Shaking her head, she gave a wry smile. “Dunn, you’re unreal! At your age, I was stumbling into Hollywood, clueless, scraping for a break. And here you are, killing it in every field…”

Dunn flicked her nose, laughing. “Why compare yourself to me? I’m a guy, you’re a woman—totally different!”

Nicole frowned. “How’s it different?”

Dunn snapped his laptop shut, scooped her up by the waist, and strode toward the bedroom. “Heh, for women, the big career break? It’s a man.”

Nicole clung to his neck, sighing softly. “Yeah, feminism? Ugh, only someone who’s lived it gets it—this world’s still run by men.”

Dunn perked up, surprised. “You’ve figured that out? Then why do you keep pushing back on me?”

“When have I ever pushed back?”

“So I can invite another lady friend to join us?”

“In your dreams!”

Nicole bit his chest in a huff. “That’s the line!”