Invented by toy designer Robert Jeffway Jr. and launched by Mattel in October 2000, Diva Starz were released in response to the virtual pet craze, which peaked in the late '90s thanks to successful interactive toys such as Furby and Tamagotchi. The brand initially featured four characters: Alexa, Nikki, Summer, and Tia, who each had diverse ethnicities and personalities. Each doll stood at approximately tall and came with plastic clothes and accessories, which were interactive. The owner could change the doll's outfits by snapping on different pieces of clothing. By using small metal sensors in the clothing and on the body, the doll "knows" which outfit it is wearing and will respond accordingly. Alexa, for example, replies with statements like "You have a great sense of style. I love my pink evening gown. Do you think it makes my eyes look bluer?". This is also the case with the doll's accessories, which usually include items such as a cell phone, CD player, laptop, diary, and pet. These also utilized small metal sensors and were meant to be placed on the doll's hand. Along with this, the dolls also used an infrared (IR) sensor, which was implemented in the dolls' shoes so that they could communicate with each other and carry on conversations. Each doll took 4 AA alkaline batteries.
