Princess Barbie – A Traditional Barbie for a Young Girl
Written: Apr 23 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It's Barbie and my daughter loves her
Cons: Her shoes don't come off.
The Bottom Line: This is a nice first Barbie for a young girl.
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| jillmkk's Full Review: Mattel Princess Barbie - Brunette |
As I mentioned in my last review, my 3.5 year old daughter had been asking for her first Barbie and I had gotten her the Barbie Bend N Flex . I knew when I got her that doll, and was planning on using it on a car trip, that her younger sister would have to have one too. There was no way that my 2yo (just 17 month younger than her sister) was going to be happy if Hannah had a new doll and she didn’t. So, since the dolls were on sale, I had no problem buying 2 and chose the Brunette Princess Barbie for Abigail. She was very happy with my choice as her little face lit up and she yelled “Barbie!”
So, What about the Doll?
This doll is available in 3 versions: the “regular” Barbie version with long blond hair, the “Brunette” version, and the “African American” version. I chose to get the brunette doll, since the other Barbie I was buying was blond. My girls both have hair color similar to the Brunette doll (although a bit lighter) so I thought they would enjoy a brunette doll. Neither one has noticed or commented on it.
The doll is 11.5” tall, made of plastic and standing on her tiptoes (why do all Barbies stand on their tip toes anyway??). Her hair falls in big ringlets down to her waist, and strands from each side of her face are pulled up into a small ponytail at the top of her head. Her hair is REALLY thick. I am not sure how she is able to hold her head up. She also comes with a child-sized pink plastic brush for you to brush her hair with.
Her arms go around 360* as well as shoulder length up to the sides. Her legs also have full range of motion front to back, but do not move to the sides at all. Her head can also spin 360* as well as move up and down. She cannot stand buy herself, but if her legs are put up straight out, she can sit by herself, albeit in a very unladylike position. One thing I have noticed about her, is that she seems to have bad posture. When I stand her straight up, her shoulders seem hunched, and when I put her shoulders back straight, she seems to be leaning too far back. Maybe it is just me as no one else around here seems to notice it, but I think she is the demo model for Scoliosis Barbie.
So, what is she wearing?
Barbie is wearing a long pink gown. Although it is not my style, I think it is very pretty on her and appropriate for this doll. The bodice is gathered in the front to a fitted waist with a long full skirt. I believe it is made out of polyester, but is supposed to look like satin. The dress has short bubble sleeves, made out of pink tulle, and then more of the pink tulle in a double overlay on the skirt. There are also accents of a pink and silver ribbon. Even though Barbie is standing on her tiptoes, the dress still comes down a centimeter or so below her toes. She definitely isn’t prepared for walking anywhere. The dress has a Velcro closure up the back, and is easily removed and put back on.
For shoes, Barbie is wearing little pink ballet slippers that are attached to her feet. They cannot be removed, which could be a problem when we get other outfits for her, but right now doesn’t bother me at all. At least they aren’t getting lost.
Attached to her head by 2 little pieces of string is a little silver plastic tiara. The only way to remove the tiara is by snipping the string. However, if you do that, you might as well just throw it away as it cannot be put back on afterwards. The tiara is still on my doll, but after only a week it is getting quite loose. It will most likely fall off by itself in another week or 2.
She has a pink plastic stud earring in each ear, and a big gaudy pink plastic stone as a ring on her right hand. Nope, not on her left so she is still not married.
Her make-up is definitely on the gaudy side. She has pretty blue eyes, which she has ruined with blue eyeshadow and thick black eye-liner. She is also wearing bright pink lipstick. My advice – get thee to a make-up counter!
Finally I was glad to see that this doll at least has some semblance of underwear on. There is a Barbie-type engraved panty over that area. Since my daughter also has Barbie panties, she was very glad to see this!
Impressions of the Doll
Despite my joking about her appearance, both my girls are completely enamored with her. She is every little girl’ fantasy of a Barbie doll – a beautiful, glamorous princess. My daughters love to play with her, and for the price she was well worth it.
Mattel does recommend this doll for children over age 3. My 2yo is past the putting things in her mouth stage, but I am really not all the worried about it with this toy. The shoes are attached, and the jewelry also seems very securely attached. The only small part really, is the tiara which will need to be thrown away I think once it comes off anyway. If you were really worried about it, you could always just snip the string and remove it on your own. In my opinion, I think this is one of the safer Barbies to give an older toddler.
For these reasons, I think that this Barbie would make an excellent choice for any young fan.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 8
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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jillmkk
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Location: Massachusetts
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Empowering Families Through Education
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