I have to say that I grew up loving Barbie and all her friends! I never had the huge mansion in stores, but my dad built me a BIG house with pieces of wood to separate each room and make a roof, carpet swatches for the floor and a huge attic. It was better than anything I saw in the stores, plus my dad made it! Shoeboxes made great convertibles back then. :) I did, however, have tons of accessories and anything else Barbie that I could get my hands on!My old dollhouse looked a lot like this, only an attic at the top and a lot more "homemade" looking:
Just recently we took a trip to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis (the biggest of it's kind by the way) and they have a HUGE "Barbie the Fashion Experience" going on there. It is perfect for girls of all ages. They had everything from dress up like Barbie for a fashion show, fix Barbie's hair, use Barbie's that they had there to do a pretend fashion show, Barbie collections you could view, areas to create your OWN Barbie fashions and so much more. It was great for me to take a stroll down memory lane and also to share with my 2 1/2 year old daughter. While I know she is still a bit young, I thought she would enjoy walking into the area with the dolls and all the pink..oh she fell in LOVE! She didn't want to leave! She liked playing with the Barbie dolls themselves the best, though she was sure not to miss anything from fixing Barbie's hair to drawing clothing. She and I had so much fun together!
As soon a
s it was time to leave the exhibit I knew what I had to do...get my little girl her very first Barbie doll! I didn't go in search of it as soon as we left or anything, but about a week later we were at Target and she and I took a stroll down the Barbie aisle in the toys. I thought if I could find one decently priced we might go ahead and get one. They had a couple of types for her to choose from and she ultimately chose the I Can Be Ballerina Barbie. She became attached to it as soon as she saw it. I am not sure if it was her cute pink outfit with skirt, her pretty blond curly hair(my daughter has ringlets, it is so curly!) or maybe she just loved the idea of a ballerina Barbie - either way she knew that was what she wanted. It is made for ages 3+, but I knew my daughter would be fine with it. Be sure if you have a child under 3 that this toy is appropriate.It was only $5.99 which I thought was a GREAT price for a Barbie and although I didn't know much about this particular line, I was happy with what she chose. After we payed and on the way out to the car, I opened it for her. It was a very simple package to open and I had her out in no time, always a bonus with Mom! Before I handed Barbie over to my daughter I inspected her, as I do with all my kids toys. Barbie is very light, made almost entirely of plastic(except her head), and her bodice, leotard and shoes are not removable(yay, no naked Barbie dolls scattered around for a while longer! lol). The tutu she has on is fastened by Velcro in the back and also has a strip of ribbon that comes between her legs, which is great to keep it in place, no riding up! Her hair seemed to be held up very well, despite the fact that I knew my daughter would have it out of its pony tail holder fairly fast. She has very sparkly eyes and pretty makeup and resembles a Ballerina in real life. Her feet pivot so she can be dancing on her toes or standing on her feet(with support of course). Her legs twist around and out so that she can do splits, front and side - very impressive!
I gave the doll to my daughter and I know she loved it. She has since played with it too many times to count over the last week and she still loves it just as much as the first day. The ringlets in Barbie's hair are not quite as tight as they were when we brought her home, but they are standing up very well, much better than I thought! The rest of her is doing very well, just like new and trust me, my daughter (and son) have not been gentle while playing with her. No, her head has not popped off..as of yet! :)
Mattel Website Description for the
I Can Be... Ballerina Barbie:
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Ballerina Barbie® doll is ready to take center stage in her floral-accented bodice with glittering tutu and matching slippers! With the enclosed code, girls can unlock ballerina content online for even more dancing fun. Also check out Ballerina Teresa® and Ballerina Nikki® (sold separately).
- Features articulated foot movement
- Stylish hairdo fit for a dancing diva
- Inspire your daughter’s interest in the arts
- Great for ages 3+
Age Grade: 3 & up
Other I Can Be... Barbie dolls available:
- Ballroom Dancer
- Pizza Chef
- Snowboarder
- Newborn Baby Doctor
- Babysitter
- Dentist
- Preschool Teacher
- Sea World Trainer
- Rock Star
- Computer Engineer
- Pet Vet
- Bride
- News Anchor
- Kid Doctor
- Racecar Driver
The prices vary on all of these dolls, anywhere from $5.99 - $23.99 for a playset and doll. These are going to be great for Christmas this year and I am sure they will be on my daughter's list!
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My Final Thought:
Overall this doll is a great buy and a GREAT price! I can't believe how inexpensive she was and I am so glad she is what my daughter chose as her first Barbie. I think the way she is made and the fact that she is more plastic than rubber is going to make her last a long, long time and that is definitely a plus on my list of ANY toy!
I really think this is a great line of Barbie dolls for little girls as well. If you daughter knows she wants to be a veterinarian or teacher then you know just which one to get them and I know they will love pretend - playing with them. If your child doesn't know then just get whichever one appeals the most to them. No matter what they are going to have hours of endless imaginative play with whichever one might be chosen!
Pros:
- Durable
- Does a lot of great ballerina poses because of leg and feet flexibility
- Clothing does not all come off
- Hair is holding up very well
- One article of clothing that CAN be removed for extra imaginative play
- Little girls can pretend to be anyone they want to be!
- Knees do not bend. Not a huge thing, but it makes the doll just a little less flexible.
Kairi (age - 2 1/2) view: 10 out of 10 Ballerina Plié
Mom's view: 10 out of 10
I would love to hear what you think about the Barbie I Can Be.. , so feel free to leave me a comment!
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