Stick with the Barbie BasicsNov 07 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Barbie may have everything, but she doesn't need everything, and neither does my daughter.
I just turned 30 so I grew up with Barbie during her "glam" days and now have two little girls. My oldest just turned five and is slowly graduating starting to play with more Barbie, then Kelly (Barbie's little toddler sister). My youngest who is just about 9 months old loves Barbies too - but not for play as she'd rather chew on Barbie's hands and feet, but she'll be playing Barbie like her older sister soon enough. A while back I started to collect Barbie. I needed to bring back that fantasy from my childhood. After a while, it was getting insane. I was spending too much on Barbie collectibles and terrified to bring them out the box. Eventually, my childhood fantasy had lost it's magic. When I was a kid, there were no such Barbie collectibles. No rule that said if you take her out of the box, she'll be worthless someday. Barbies were meant to be played with so that ended my short Barbie collecting career. I now concentrate on buying Barbie for my five year old daughter for her to PLAY with. Now the point to my review is that Mattel is getting evil. There is everything for Barbie now! Every new car on the market, Barbie is getting in her size. I find myself wanting to get my daughter everything Mattel puts out for Barbie, for xmas, birthdays and honestly, my daughter doesn't really want it all, nor will she play with it all and frankly, I just can't afford it all anymore! The madness has to stop and so I have to put my foot down and just stick to Barbie basics. I have since scratched off Barbie lime green VW Beetle off the xmas list. My daughter didn't ask for it for xmas, she already has a barbie corvette her grandmother picked up at a yard sale and is happy as a clam with that. You see, I thought it was cool, I wish I had a lime green beetle in real life and I wanted to re-live my childhood through my daughter. But it really isn't necessary to spend another $50 so Barbie can have another car, which she dosen't need anyway? So what does Barbie really need? What makes a nice basic Barbie world for my daughter. I want toys that my daughter will play with over and over again. Not a one or two time novelty Barbie that she'll play with a couple of times, then ignore it and go back to her old favorites. My daughter already has a few Barbies already (they came from my old collection). So does my daughter really need another Barbie doll just because it is wearing a pair of fantastic sparkly pants? Why buy spend more on another Barbie for the pants, when it would be better to spend the money on a set of 10 piece fashions. This would certainly go a lot further. So, what makes a nice starter Barbie set up that will played with and not end up ignored at the bottom of the toybox? From looking back at my childhood and watching what my daughter reaches for and plays with these past few years I've come to a few conclusions. I've compiled my own list of the Barbie starter basics for those who have girls who are just getting into Barbie, but not sure which is the best way to go. I don't know about you, but going down that pink isle, everything looks cute, every Barbie item seems like a must have! Now please this is my own personal opinion. It is ultimately your decision and of course, your daughter will certainly help make it! After all she is the one who will be playing with her Barbies ... or maybe you will too! So here is my list of the basics: A house - Barbie needs a house. Sure you can use rolled up face cloths to make furniture and use a cardboard box, but the house with all the accessories is just much more fun and seems more realistic. Houses are expensive I will admit. The best ones I find are the ones that have the most rooms, a lot of accessories to enhance imaginary play, folds up for storage, is lightweight so my 5 year old can carry it wherever she goes. The best house I've seen to fit this bill is the Barbie Radio House. It has all the rooms, folds up for storage, accessories and my daughter could actually carry this one outside and take it on trips with her. A bonus perk - it plays music and a couple of the accessories make realistic sounds. Unfortunately I made the mistake and bought the bigger Beach bungalow House (cool house that it is!), but my daughter is dissappointed that she can't bring it outside everyday to play with her friends, because it is too big and awkward. So this xmas, mommy has to spend another $50 for another smaller Barbie house! (see how my house is getting cramped?) A comprise to the house would be a Barbie mobile home. You get your house, but it has wheels so you get your vehicle for Barbie all in one. Unfortunately, the campers don't have a carry handle and would be harder to take on trips. A vehicle - Barbie needs wheels. The best one I have found is the Barbie Pop out Picnic SUV. It can fit more than the standard 4 Barbies. Has a neat pull out picnic table in the back, plus accessories. Or you could splurge this one time and get that awesome lime green VW beetle. Well Barbie has to have a car right? The Beetle does have a roomy trunk and neat accessories. The doll itself - the best all around are the dolls that include a lot of fashions to go with it. That way, I don't find myself having to buy more dolls just to get the fashions. Better value for the money. It is nice though to start with two Barbies - preferably making the second Barbie with different colour hair (a brunette perhaps? or an ethnic Barbie) so Barbie can have a friend to chat with. The Barbie, Kelly sets are great - two dolls and they usually come with a cute playset and lots of accessories. One nice example is the Barbie doctor and Kelly set or the Barbie McDonald's and Kelly set. This way, Barbie and Kelly get in their SUV (or VW Beetle), leave their house and have a place to go in the imaginary city of Barbie. There is also a baby Chrissy which is really nice addition too. Those little girls with baby sisters or those who like to play mommy Barbie, a baby Chrissy, with either a crib or layette is lovely. For those with pets in the home, a Barbie pet is another great accessory. Kitty fun Barbie comes to mind. You get a barbie doll (another friend or sister for Barbie), plus a cat and playset. Bottom line is, buying Barbie is an absolute blast for sure, and there is nothing wrong with splurging on an extra fun toy for Barbie every once in a while. As a mom who grew up with Barbie, I can't help it sometimes! But I have found, particularly with my daughter, the less she has, the more she will play with those toys she has. It is so easy spend easy $100 more than I intended ... and as much as I try to trim the xmas list to bare minimums, it'll still be a pink xmas this year. There are still all those wonderful Barbie electronics and software to play with too!  |
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