Barbie Just Released a Create-Your-Own Barbie Kit — And We Got to Try It Out
I was such a Barbie girl when I was young that even now, each year at the Toy Fair trade show, I pretty much run into the Mattel booth to preview new dolls and play sets. I promise to cover some of the traditional stuff at the end of this article, and I can reveal that, rather than a new Dreamhouse, there will be a new Dream Camper out this fall. (Frankly the current Barbie Pool Party Dreamhouse cannot be bested, except maybe by a house on wheels.)
The big news right now: Mattel just launched its Barbie Basics You Create line. It’s cool for kids, but also aimed at us adults who still want to dress and style Barbie. The black packaging is similar to the boxes for LEGO sets for adults, like the LEGO Icons line, and signals that these are sophisticated dolls. You can buy the individual Barbies, each in a LBD, each wearing the kind of earrings that any kid younger than 6 would lose immediately.
If you and your elementary-school kid are both Barbie fans, the larger launch is even more exciting. The Barbie Basics You Create Doll Kit is a $100 box you buy directly from Mattel. In it are three Barbie bodies (original, petite, and curvy), three Barbie heads with different eyes and makeup, three hairpieces, and then a bunch of clothes and accessories, like shoes and sunglasses.
I don’t know the exact math, but there are many, many combinations of bodies, heads, hair, and looks you can design. It’s definitely fun to do it with someone, so you can have a little friendly competition (like the Dress to Impress game, but without the anxiety of strangers judging you).
These are superchic, with tiny details — I managed to drop a boot the minute I tried to put one on, and I noted that if you play too hard with the dolls, their hair falls off. This kit is really for you and a kid to dress, pose, display, and maybe photograph your Barbie, like so.
If your child is younger than 6 and wants to pretend-play more vigorously with a Barbie in pastel clothing, there are new dolls and sets for them as well. Here are three new faves, out now for spring.
