Pet Dr Barbie - So just how did your kitten get a sock stuck there?
Written: Mar 10 '05 (Updated Mar 10 '05)
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Pros: EVERYTHING! This is priceless - I haven't stopped laughing for days
Cons: NONE! - except for the fact that PETA will get this pulled off shelves
The Bottom Line: Barbie's bottom line in showing 24/7 in her pet doctoring outfit - hopefully her chilly cheeks won't distract from pulling that sock out of the kitten!
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| ned1's Full Review: Mattel Pet Doctor Barbie |
You know, one might think if you've seen and owned one Pet Doctor Barbie, you've seen and owned them all - how wrong one would be. Several weeks ago I encountered the new Pet Doctor Barbie. I was scouring the buy one get one free bins at KayBee Toys when my youngest daughter held up the box. I looked from down the aisle, sneered and said, "Unless it's part of this sale, put it back." (I mean lets get real - I don't make that much IS to cover the cost of all the Barbies I need to own, I have to be a selective shopper).
I also incorrectly figured that if we owned one Pet Doctor Barbie, that was one more than we really needed to own - based on her lameness factor. As fate would have it Pet Doctor Barbie and I kept crossing paths - she always seemed to be located next to doll I was looking at. Every time I saw her, I thought puh-lease, like she could ever be smart enough to become a Vet.
As luck would have one Saturday I was in Target and I looked down at Pet Doctor Barbie and knew I had to buy her on the spot. The one I saw had a slight packaging issue that cracked me up - I looked down to see Doctor Barbie taking care of her puppy companion and all I could think was OMG how did she bollix up his treatment?
The puppy was supposed to have a small clear plastic cylinder over his snout to protect him in the box - only this puppy's cover had shifted and it appeared as if he was wearing an oxygen mask - all I could think is the poor little puppy came in for a routine physical and somehow thanks to the great care of Pet Doctor Barbie ended up on death's doorstep.
To be honest I was a bit ashamed to be spending $17.99 on a Barbie based solely on a packing error - considering I would be taking her out of the box and playing with her. That buyer's remorse quickly passed, once removed from her plastic prison I realized how priceless this Barbie is and how glad I was to have purchased her before PETA got her plastic @ss pulled off shelves.
There are so many great things about this doll; I don't even know where to start - so I guess I'll just pick the doll. Initially I was going to give snaps to Mattel for dressing this doll more professionally than the first one.
For those unfamiliar, the first Pet Doctor Barbie came dressed as if she was at the club, not at work - she had on a belly shirt, hooker heels and skin tight pants - her makeup was the typical Tammy Fae look we have all come to know and love.
Pet Doctor 2 looked as if she had learned the mistakes of 1 and made improvements - she has on a spiffy light blue lab coat - cutely decorated with pictures of puppies and kittens (it has no zippers, buttons or Velcro which makes it easy to get on and off). With the lab coat on, it seemed as if her choice of a white tank top (waist length) and her sensible jeans capris were a good fashion choice.
The minute the coat came off, my opinion changed. Her "just say no" to crack hip huggers are so tight that when she bends over her entire bottom comes out of the pants. I'm not sure when flashing fanny became fashionable at the office, but according to Mattel it's A-OK. As for that sensible white tank top - well lets just say sheer doesn't begin to describe it, it's like she's participating in a wet t-shirt contest 24/7. In my humble opinion, I think the only Nip you should see at the Vet's office is in the Cosmic Kitten container.
I was also hopeful about her shoes, that lasted all of 3 seconds. Yes, snaps to Barbie for dropping the hooker heels for a pair of sensible sneakers - the only problem being on her naturally pointed toes, semi-flat shoes don't fit very well. The shoes constantly slide off the feet, so now she is the barefoot practitioner.
Pet Doctor Barbie comes with several doctoring accessories - a generic container of medicine, an ear scope and a reflex hammer (yes I said reflex hammer). Maybe it's just my Vet, but my little kittens have never had their reflexes checked. I get the feeling that Barbie initially wanted to include an eye chart, and Mattel battled her down to the reflex hammer.
She also has a stethoscope - for all the times she needs to listen the beating hearts of the plastic pooches that come to her office. What slays me is that Barbie is so scattered brained that Mattel has actually sewn the stethoscope onto her lab coat - I mean lets think about this, Barbie is so dimwitted she can't keep track of her stethoscope, yet she is competent enough to treat animals, I think NOT!
As for the hair and makeup - I'll just say while far from perfect, it is toned down and far better than what we have seen in the past.
Barbie comes with two victims; oops I meant to say patients. A tiny plastic puppy and kitten - each about two inches long. The puppy is tan and cream with a blue collar and kitten is gray and white with a pink collar. We have affectionately named them Help and Me.
They both come in a side stance - I have two theories why. Theory one is that they are running away from Barbie and trying to a real Vet. Theory number two, well lets just say if I saw that much Nip and tail at the Vet, I'd be probably be really horny too.
Pet Doctor Barbie also comes with the best accessory EVER -a working X-ray machine (light bulb (1.2W) and 2 AA batteries included). The while plastic table is 4.5" wide, 5" high and depth is 1.75". The top of the table has a built on blue plastic mat. The table is wide enough to accommodate both animals. At the bottom is a faux blue cabinet. It might have been nice if it opened to store the little stuff that comes with the set, but it can't as the battery case is housed above it. In the center if the top is the clear case you drop the X-rays into, to the left is the button you press to view the X-ray.
Four X-rays are included in the set - two of the puppy and two of the kitten, and they have to be the single best part of the set. Each X-ray is approximately 2" x 2.5" and has a clear plastic tab at the top (which makes it easy for tiny hands to place it in and out of the slot). For each X-ray you see the animal on the front - it's not until you press the button that the fun begins.
Puppy number one (one the pink background) seems happy enough until you turn on the light- his ailment; he has swallowed a hamburger whole, including the bun and lettuce. Heck, I was sold at the first X-ray and didn't think it could get any better than that - again, I was wrong.
Puppy number two (on the blue background) seems to be suffering as well - he has swallowed two glazed doughnuts and one of them is very close to the back door.
Kitty number one (on the purple background) is in worse shape than the pups - seems Barbie is a junk food fiend and she has swallowed a super sized order of fries, but wait it gets better - not only has she swallowed the fries, but also the cardboard container they come in. It's bad enough the cat ate fries, but that fact that she also at the container mystifies me.
Kitty number two (on the green background) is in the worst shape of all. I have no idea how many bottles of beer, which grade of catnip and what bet was involved - that's between Blaine, Ken, the cat, PETA and possibly the local authorities - because kitty number 2 has a pink and gray sock stuck up her bum. I'm not talking about some little kid sock, I'm talking full-sized adult tube sock.
I don't think I have ever laughed so hard about a Barbie product - I mean all I need to do is think about that sock and I start rolling. I mean do you call the Vet and say - my cat has a sock stuck up her @rse, or do you wait until you get to the Vet and make the surprised face when she shows you your sock, and do you actually ask for it back.
You know I thought PETA would be up in arms about the fact that Barbie feeds her pets junk and fast food, but when I saw that sock, I knew that eventually they would flip their raspberry over this toy - because there is no reasonable explanation how the kitty got itself into that sticky situation.
Like I said, I LOVE this set - it has to be one of the best ones I own. It cracks me up every time I see it and provides hours of fun for my kids - the all fight over the X-ray machine and love to make up stories about the cat and the sock. I'm not sure that they'll get bored of this toy easily - most likely they'll play with it until the light bulb burns outs.
I guess as I close I should add the standard warnings - suggested for ages 3 and up - doll does not stand, save pets lives or remove socks alone.
PS - special thanks to MT for adding this so quickly
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 17.99
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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Epinions.com ID:
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Member: Nancy
Location: in the Barbie aisle
Reviews written: 894
Trusted by: 347 members
About Me:
Off to Basel (1/21) - in search of Swiss Miss Barbie - back (1/26)
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