Back to School: It's a Fashion Scene!
Written: May 10 '05 (Updated May 10 '05)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Overall, Barbie's ensemble a pleasing "Southwestern" color combination of browns and turquoise.
Cons: Nothing remarkable about any particular item of clothing, except turquoise boots; shirts hard to fit.
The Bottom Line: An attractive My Scene doll whose outfit may border on too trendy, but not too tacky.
|
|
|
| indigospot's Full Review: Mattel My Scene Barbie - Wave 3 |
It's very interesting that accompanying the release of the 2005 My Scene dolls is a new, unusually age-specific slogan: "It's a Teen Thing!"
While it's true that Barbie was originally dubbed a "Teenage Fashion Model" when she debuted in 1959, the fact is that her age (and that of her friends), seems to slide up or down a few years with each new release! Barbie of International High (from the much-missed "Generation Girl" line) is definitely not of the over-18 crowd.
But many other incarnations of Ms. Roberts have performed roles only an adult could fulfill--fireman, Armed Forces officer, airline pilot, to name a few careers. It seems this ambiguity works to Mattel's (and Barbie's)advantage; even though the "My Scene" girls obviously are on the younger end, I'm not sure whether locking the bunch into their teenage years was the wisest decision on Mattel's part.
But nearly 3 years (and several collections!) ago, I was puzzled about whether My Scene Back to School (hereafter BTS) Barbie and pals (Madison, Chelsea and Nolee--no Delancey or Kenzie yet!) were returning to college or high school! In my review of BTS Madison (see my list of reviews, thanks), I surmised that perhaps the most important course for our friends is "Shopping 101!" With the possible exception of Nolee, I still think the ladies are a tad bit overdressed (or under) for high school, if not university. Then again, seeing what's come down the fashion pike since then, the all the BTS dolls look rather modest these days...
especially compared to their rivals, MGA's Bratz! You know by now that the surprise success of those big headed, pouty mouthed girls are the "inspiration" for My Scene. The Bratz pack managed to ensnare the "tweens" market of adolescent girls, which Mattel had previously attempted to capture with the unsuccessful "Generation Girl" and "Mystery Squad" lines. The "if you can't beat them, join them" strategy apparently worked, thus the line managed to make it to its third collection, BTS, in late summer, 2002. As with Generation Girl, Barbie isn't the leader of the clique, just one member of an ensemble, so to speak...
And what of BTS Barbie's ensemble? Its strongest point is its overall southwestern color scheme, a range of browns tied together with turquoise accents. That's not to say I necessarily liked the choice of design for each piece. Strangest for me were the boot-cut (everybody over 30 say "bellbottoms!") jeans; the sides of each leg were inserted with some ugly panel of brown, blue and turquoise colored horizontal stripes. What's wrong with solid jeans, or just a nice decorative motif up the leg? The alternate short skirt is covered with a series of tiny dark brown squares set against a solid light beige background.
Barbie's tops are both light brown, and equally difficult for my adult hands to put on the doll! One is a tank-top that has to be tied on, the other is a sleeveless blouse with neck tie, held together by a strip of Velcro that easily comes undone. Whatever happened to those snaps?
BTS' tiny (of course) belt is of a faux leather design with an inset "turquoise" buckle.
Barbie comes with two pairs of boots, one a low heeled, buckled affair; and my favorite, mid-length high-heeled (the flat edged type that were popular at the time) turquoise boots. The latter pair are very useful in tying together all the possible outfit combinations, as is the corduroy blazer.
Finally, BTS comes with display stand (I suggest pulling down her footwear slightly so they touch the base), brush and purse (exactly the same design and brown color as that of BTS Madison, except Barbie's is painted with turquoise accents). Small pieces such as the purse and boots make this doll a no-no for very small children.
BTS Barbie is a case in which the whole is better than the sum of its parts, its very small, unwieldy parts!
The BTS line hasn't been in major retail outlets for a while, although they were in many KB Toy Stores as late as Christmas 2003. Checking out ebay or a retailer who specializes in older Barbies will probably be your best bet for locating them
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 9.99
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: 9 Years or Older
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
indigospot
|
|
Location: Oakland, CA
Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Artist, avid reader, comic book fan, toy collector, and obsessed Barbie doll collector since 1998
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.