Isaac Larian

Born March 28, 1954 in Kashan, Iran. Creator of the enormously successful Bratz Dolls, whose edgy looks and clothing sent Barbie to her grave. The 51-year-old Iranian immigrant has done what no one else in the $20 billion toy industry has been able to: generate explosive growth in a tough category while also sending Barbie — a 46-year-old American icon — scampering to the salon for a makeover. Since their introduction in June, 2001, the Bratz dolls, with their big eyes and skimpy clothes, have grown into a billion-dollar franchise. Although Mattel has designed new, edgier dolls that are intended, as Bratz are, for older girls, Barbie sales have fallen, and the company's stock price has moved sideways. After emigrating to Los Angeles at age 17 with $750 in his pocket, he found a job washing dishes at a diner and eventually earned a civil engineering degree from the California State University at Los Angeles. Just after college, Larian started the company that morphed into MGA. He imported consumer electronics and in 1987 scored big with a line of handheld games featuring characters licensed from Nintendo Corp. (NTDOY ) Ten years later he sold his first doll, Singing Bouncing Baby.