Mattel Barbie and Me Doll Barbie

A real favourite of little Miss although it was another of those toys I had huge reservations about.

Firstly, what does it DO, and secondly, all those little clothes and shoes are bound to get lost. No matter, a girl's gotta have what a girl's gotta have!

So, we eventually had a new arrival in the household in the form of a softish doll plus accessories.

THE DOLL!

As seems to be obligatory, the doll itself comes in a huge box, and requires patience and scissors to get her out of her box. This is all made more difficult when there is a small person grappling round wanting it done more quickly...rather like me when I try to get served at the bar!

Blonde haired blue eyed Barbie stands about 14" high in her stockinged feet, and sports the latest in leisure wear- pink jogging bottoms, zipped top, trainers and vest, along with a rather nifty silky neck tie/scarf. As part of her wardrobe, she brings with her a brush, floaty ballerina style dress and ballet pumps.

As an aside here...I have noticed that extra clothes can be bought for this young lady, although I have seen only a brides dress and a floral number as well as a nightie and bed set..

The doll itself is quite soft although not floppy soft, and whilst her body appears to be made of cloth and stuffed, her face is actually normal Barbie hard plastic. Actually, i think her head looks a bit big for her body, but Little Miss is having none of it!

WHAT SHE DOES

I would love to be able to state that she is all singing, all dancing but sorry, i can't. This is for a true Barbie fan, someone who appreciates the finer points of dressing and undressing a soft doll in different clothes.

The doll is marketed as "my first best friend"(?) and huggable. On the plus side, for anyone who likes Barbies, she is softer than the traditional Barbies, and easier to take to bed, being without many sharp edges. The shoes also have laces, so i suppose it could be used to teach children how to tie laces, but they would have to have very nimble fingers to be able to learn on such small feet.

WHO IS IT FOR?

Barbie fans over the age of 3 years. it's not suitable for children under 3 because of small parts

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

RRP £18.99, but currently for sale at amazon for around the £14 mark

WHAT I THINK

It's probably not fair to judge this by what I think, because I am a tad past the age when I would enjoy dressing dolls. The recommendation has to come from Little Miss, and she thinks this doll is great. Yes, it was a toy she wanted, became a firm favourite, and has remained so. That basically is a good recommendation, because too often, children see toys advertised, covet it, and then when they finally own the toy, they lose interest in it.

She is easy to dress and undress and I suppose the zips and laces could help children learn how to fasten things, because unlike the usual barbie dolls with their tiny clothes, this one is more manageable and malleable for small hands.

With Christmas coming up, the doll is heavily advertised on the children's tv sites, and for anyone looking for a gift for a Barbie fan, this is almost certain to be a hit.

Thanks for reading

daniela xx