The Picture Pocket Barbie was a gift from my ex husband and his fiance' to my daughter who will soon be their flowergirl ...

Skye loves the Barbie, as she does all Barbies. She doesn't really care that much one way or the other about all the 'extras' ... if they're fun, great, if they aren't, so what, she'll just play with the Barbie. It was a great gift, and thoughtfully chosen since they love to buy her Barbie stuff ... and I'm guessing the large glossy Barbie Gift Bag and sparkly pink tissue paper probably just about doubled the final cost of the gift ... so I'm certainly not meaning to be ungrateful or looking a gift horse in the mouth.

But with all this said, my 'rating' on this review will be more from my own 'mommy' level disappointment with this particular Barbie.

How long did your child seem interested in the toy?

A month after receiving the Picture Pocket Barbie my daughter is STILL playing with her, dressing her, changing her clothes, putting her in the bath tub, etc. The clothes and shoes routinely make the rounds of the entire Barbie population. However, the heart shaped 'picture punch' has long since found it's way to the bottom of the Barbie accessory pile. I run across it every now and then, and I've even considered trowing it out from time to time (less clutter and all) ... but I just never do it.

Why would I throw it out? Well it just isn't useful. You *CAN* punch shapes out with it, but you can't always get the image you want in the center of the shape, and each Barbie comes with ONE shape punch, whereas the outfit has several shapes (heart, square, round, etc.) ... so unless you purchase several sets, you can only use the punch for one particular pocket shape.

The set came with two cardboard 'film strip' looking sets of images that could be used in the picture pockets. The 'up' side? They are prepunched to fit perfectly in the square pockets. The 'down' side? The cardboard is MUCH too thick to be punched with the shaped punch ... unless you have a 300 lb. man around who can easily squeeze the punch in his massive fist ... or if mom is willing to place the punch on the stone hearth and put all her weight down on the punch and wiggle around a bit to be sure that it punches all the way through and not just on one side. BUT!!! Even then, there is the matter of the fact that the images do NOT line up in the center of the press no matter what you try ... short of getting out your scissors and trimming the edges off each strip. I tried every angle imaginable, I even tried punching out the square and then trying to put each image in the punch individually, but you CANNOT hold onto the image and get it far enough into the punch to center it.

What did you/your child like about this toy?

Again, she's Barbie ... that's all it takes! *lol* But I did also notice that this one has particularly silky long hair, perhaps a bit lighter colored and softer than some versions.

Barbie's outfit is a hip looking top and longer length skirt in white and hot pink with pink 'picture pockets' on the front of each piece. Both pieces have velcro closures and are reasonably easy for a 4 or 5 year old to put on and take off of Barbie.

Would you recommend Picture Pocket Barbie to a friend?

Well like any other 'run of the mill' Barbie, she's a nice gift for a Barbie fanatic. But she isn't anything 'special'. If you happen to find her in the 'clearance' section of your local toy store, or if you find her at Big Lots or another close out store (as I've recently seen it), then sure ... go ahead, she's well worth the $4.99 sales price tag. But I personally wouldn't pay 'full retail' for this doll. Then I would open the box, give my child the Barbie and her hair brush, immediately throw away the silly cardboard image strips, and use the punch to quickly punch out several pictures from patterned gift wrap, old gift bags, catalogs, etc. that had small designs and not images that actually needed to be centered in the shape. The punch would probably soon find it's way into my 'junk drawer' or craft box or anywhere that it would be forgotten and no longer associated with Barbie.

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Do you have a Barbie freak in your house or on your holiday shopping list too? Then you might enjoy these additional reviews -

McDonald's Barbie And Kelly - http://www.epinions.com/content_43449224836

Wash 'n' Wear Barbie - http://www.epinions.com/content_43422944900

Jam 'n Glam Teresa Doll -
http://www.epinions.com/content_43418095236

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Recommended: No

Amount Paid (US$): Gift
Type of Toy: Action Figure
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years