Barbie Dance ' Flex Makes a Good 1st Barbie Doll
Written: Apr 22 '03
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Pros: Flexible, my daughter loves to play with her
Cons: I can't get her dressed so she is staying naked!
The Bottom Line: This is a great first Barbie, but don't try to change her clothes!!
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| jillmkk's Full Review: Mattel Dance 'n Flex Barbie |
The day I had been dreading had finally come. My almost 3.5 year old asked for a Barbie doll. I had sort of mixed feelings about Barbie, so I decided to just wait it out and see if she ever asked for one. I had played with her - a LOT – as a child, and I turned out OK. Nevertheless, whenever my niece had Barbie on her wish list, I conveniently chose something else – like a doctor’s kit. So, I was definitely not pushing Barbie on my own daughter.
Then out of nowhere, a few months ago she innocently asked one day “Mom, can I have a Barbie doll?” I answered with an evasive “Not today”. She started asking periodically, and then was finally asking almost every day and I decided it was time to give in.
Once the decision was made though, I was at a total loss. I kept looking for some sort of Barbie “Starter Kit” but never did find one. All I found was lots and lots of dolls in all shapes and sizes. Finally, while at my friendly neighborhood Target one day I saw a Barbie sale. We were going to Maine the next day so I figured having new dolls to play with, would definitely be helpful on the car trip. Obviously, if my 3yo had one my 2yo would need one too. So I decided on the Barbie Dance ‘n Flex and Princess Barbie. My girls were thrilled and Barbie has barely left their side since.
So, what about the Doll, already!
Barbie Dance n Flex is your typical Barbie in many ways, but very different in others. She is the standard 11.5 inches tall with long blond hair (waist length), blue eyes and of course, perfect make-up. Unlike other Barbies, her make-up is a bit understated and very natural. Just a touch of pink lipstick, a dab of blush and a hint of a sparkle around the eyes. She is wearing shiny pink (nylon?) crop pants, and a sparkly pink crop shirt showing just a dab of abdomen with short sleeves. She is standing on her tiptoes, and is wearing plastic pink sneakers.
Unlike other Barbies, which are made out of plastic, Barbie Dance N Flex is made out of rubber. This makes her bendable so she can be put into a wide variety of positions. You can bend her arms and legs any which way. You can also bend her forwards and backwards.
What about accessories?
Barbie comes with 3 accessories:
1) A Cloth Bag – This is made out of the same pink cloth as the pants with silver trim. It has a shoulder strap, and is meant to be a “gym” bag I guess.
2) A clear plastic water bottle – My daughter is a little upset by the fact that it is a pretend water bottle. She wants to open it and put water in it. She likes it anyway.
3) A pink plastic boom box –Since we don’t have a boom box, my daughter thinks that it is another gym bag.
Good Things about the Doll
My daughter loves her Barbie, and the doll has barely left her side since she got her a little over a week ago. She was great to have on the car trip and kept my daughter well entertained for the 2-hour trip (each way).
I think she is a good first Barbie because she is flexible, and so is able to “do” stuff. She was very stiff when we first opened her up and was very hard to bend and flex at first. However with a lot of use, she has limbered up well and is now fairly easy to bend.
My daughter also takes gymnastics, and she loves being able to make Barbie do the things she does in class.
Problems with the Doll
The worst problem with the doll is that she is next to impossible to get dressed. My daughter is a clotheshorse, and changes her own clothes 3 times a day. Very quickly after she started playing with Barbie, she asked if she could get Barbie undressed, and I said it was fine. Big mistake on my part!
Barbie is now naked and is going to be staying that way I think. First, the pants are so tight that when my daughter undressed her she pulled straight down and the pants are now inside out. My hands are not that big, but I am completely unable to turn those pants right side out. My daughter has tried as well, with no luck.
In addition, Mattel advises that to get clothes on the rubber doll, you use talcum powder. Anyone here really think I am going to give my 3yo daughter a bottle of talcum powder? Nope, not going to happen. Which means that I need to sit there and do it for her. For the amount that my daughter changes her dolls clothes (and her own) this could be a full time job. Never mind the fact that she is VERY independent 3yo who generally prefers to do things for herself, and doesn’t take help all that well right now.
So, Barbie is now naked and will most likely stay that way. Which brings up my next problem. Where the heck are her underwear???? In reading other reviews, I notice that many Barbies at least have painted on underwear. Not this one. She’s going commando. Call me old fashioned, but the idea of wearing skintight nylon pants with no panties, seems downright uncomfortable. Or how about dancing the night away, braless? My daughter has commented on this, and I have explained that it is because she is pretend, but that “real” people need to wear their panties. C’mon Mattel, how hard would it really have been to paint a bra and panties on the girl?
Care of the Doll:
Unlike other Barbies, this doll comes with special care instructions. I have already discussed the talcum powder issue –‘nuff said there. But they also warn against leaving the Barbie in the same position for too long or she might get stuck. My first thought was “what do you do overnight. Set your alarm and change her position every hour?” But this really hasn’t been a problem for us. As I said before, she limbers up fairly easily when you are playing with her.
Mattel also advises that you wipe her down with a damp cloth and dry her after playing with her. I am not sure why they advise this and we haven’t been doing it, mainly because Barbie is in constant use. Maybe it is to wipe off the talcum powder?? I don’t know and Barbie seems just fine anyway. If she were dirty though, this is how I would clean her.
And of course, since she does come with small parts this doll is recommended for children over age 3.
Final thoughts
Despite the clothing issues, my daughter really loves her Barbie and is playing with her a lot. I found her on sale for under $10 and feel it was money well spent. Barbie Dance ‘N Flex is a good first Barbie doll for any little girl.
Maybe I should buy a loose dress for her to wear??
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 8
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
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jillmkk
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Location: Massachusetts
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Empowering Families Through Education
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